Best Time to Visit Calgary

July to September: the sweet spot

July is the warmest month, with highs around 25°C and the most sunshine of the year. August is close behind. September is a bit cooler but still rated excellent, and it's drier and calmer. This is when you'll want to be on the patios along 17th Avenue or walking the Bow River pathway.

July is also the busiest time. The Calgary Stampede, a huge rodeo and fair, runs for ten days in early July. The whole city dresses up in cowboy hats, and hotels fill fast. If you love crowds and pancake breakfasts, go. If you don't, pick late August or September instead.

Day trips to Banff and Lake Louise are at their best in summer too. School holidays run through the summer, so the mountain car parks fill early.

May, June and October: the in-between months

May and June are rated good, but June is the wettest month by far. Rain falls on 17 days, often in short, heavy bursts. Mornings can be fine and afternoons stormy. Parks like Prince's Island are green and quiet, and prices are lower than in July.

October is calmer and clearer, with highs around 12°C. Larch trees in the Rockies turn gold in late September and early October, which makes a good reason to drive west. Evenings are chilly, so it suits a cosy city break with good food in Inglewood or the Beltline.

November to April: cold and quiet

Winter is long. January and December are the coldest, with lows around -10°C, and February matches that low. Days are short and grey, but Calgary's chinooks (warm winds off the mountains) can lift a cold spell in hours. Snow can fall at any point.

Still, winter has its draw. Ski resorts like Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise and Nakiska are a short drive away, and December brings Christmas lights at Heritage Park and Zoolights at the Calgary Zoo. Hotel rates in the city tend to drop outside the ski weeks.

March and April are the muddy shoulder months. They're fair rather than lovely, and trails are often icy. Skiing can still be good in the mountains, though. If you want city museums and cheap rooms, they work. If you want hiking, wait until June.