Sport & Leisure
Volksport Walking Club of Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat has a 190+ kilometre trail system.
Medicine Hat has a 190+ kilometre trail system.
It stretches across the city and weaves through corners of the coulees, inviting groups and clubs to walk the paved trails weekly.
The Volkssport Walking Club of Medicine Hat started 30 years ago, when two locals spent time in Germany and were introduced to the club.
In Medicine Hat, the walking club has 40 members, and the group walks a five kilometre or 10 kilometre trail three times a week.
Anne Baxter joined Volkssport Walking Club over 10 years, and enjoys the fresh air and walking with a group.
“My favourite trails are Strathcona Island Park and Kin Coulee Park, as well as the Gas City to Echo Dale Trail,” says Anne. “When we walk as a group, nobody is left behind. There are people who enjoy a quicker pace, and people who like to take it slow.”
Volkssport Walking Club is an international club, and international, national, and provincial organizers will host festivals throughout the year. Anne and others are set to take flight to Finland in August to meet Volkssport Walking Clubs members from around the world.
“It’s over a weekend and there are a lot of walks planned. The Canadian group is going on a bus tour as well, so we’ll see Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, all through walking.”
Next year in 2026, the Canadian group is hosting a festival in Yellowknife.
The Volkssport Walking Club of Medicine Hat recently hosted a festival in Medicine Hat, where there was a morning and afternoon walk, with a BBQ picnic at Kinette Corner in between as a kick off to summer strolls.
“So many people love the group, because you aren’t alone. It’s nice to walk with people,” says Anne. Adding that people who’ve moved to Medicine Hat have joined the club and are introduced to the trail system a lot sooner than if they were out walking on their own.
“It’s lifelong exercise, and the fresh air is nice. There are so many trails, and they’re well groomed in the summer and winter. They go through very nice park areas, and it’s a great way to enjoy those parts of the city that we have to enjoy,” says Anne.
Afterwards, the group often finds a cup of coffee on a patio at a local cafe to continue on the day.
Memberships are only $10 to join. Find more information about the club at Volkssport Walking Club of Medicine Hat.
An asphalt pump track opened in 2023 beside Gas City Campground, across the street from WestVue Dog Park. A place to polish skills and ride for fun.
An asphalt pump track opened in 2023 beside Gas City Campground, across the street from WestVue Dog Park.
The paved course has two tracks — one for youth and beginners and the other for advanced skill sets.
The circuits are designed to be ridden completely by “pumping”, moving up and down to generate momentum. Because the space is paved, anything with wheels can use the pump track: bikes, scooters, skateboards, wheelchairs, rollerblades, and roller skates.
Ride Echo Dale Regional Park's mountain bike trails.
Hosted for a second year in the coulee landscape at Echo Dale Regional Park, Badlands Bash brings over 100 riders to ride and kick off the Medicine Hat mountain bike season. Gravity Sports owner and 670 Mountain Bike Club member Ben Roscoe co-hosts the event with owners of Hidden Gem Cycling Jessie and Tracy.
Racers bike five downhill lines, and then the evening brings live music, bonfires, and bustling campsites. There are 10 designated campsites in the park, but a field is completely available for bikers to set up camp and celebrate mountain biking until the stars come out.
“Our mountain bike culture here is really strong. The trails here are pretty awesome and the event is for anyone who wants to ride,” says Roscoe.
Plan your experience in Canada's sunniest city.
Bike or stroll from any neighbourhood in Medicine Hat. The trails are connected to city parks and highlight beautiful views of the South Saskatchewan River and the couleescape.
Medicine Hat, Redcliff, and Cypress Hills Provincial Park, all within 45 minutes of each other. A full mountain bike weekend.
From the thrilling rapids of Seven Persons Creek to the calm waters on South Saskatchewan River. Be close to red rock, coulees, nature, and wildlife.
Find paved trails, mountain bike trails, and waterways close to your campsite in Medicine Hat, Redcliff, and Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.
Whether atop the cliff or in the river valley, spend the day in the sun swinging and putting.
Surrounded by trees, play a casual or competitive game at Kin Coulee Park, Kiwanis Central Park, Gilwell Park, Leinweber Park, and Medicine Hat College Campus.
Find four day trip destinations with four completely different landscapes in Southern Alberta, at Red Rock Coulee, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Dinosaur Provincial Park, and Writing-on-Stone (Aisinai'pi) Provincial Park.
Picnic, lay in the sun, bring sport and lesiure activites, or stroll the trails in Medicine Hat's City Parks.
Celebrate Southeast Alberta crafted food and drink with us.
Savour Alberta’s South is a food-focused festival that guides guests to elevated dining experiences across Highway 3 in Southern Alberta.
The first trail to Savour Alberta’s South is Farm to Fork.
From November 1-21, restaurants, breweries, bakeries, cafes, and distilleries feature menu items that highlight ingredients sourced right here in Southern Alberta.
From bison burgers, to Southern Alberta sirloin steaks, and greenhouse veggie filled soups and sandwiches, dive into meals and drinks prepared wholeheartedly by the locals.
Try as many feature dishes as your tastebuds desire during the 3-week culinary festival at over 50 eateries in Medicine Hat, Taber, Lethbridge, and South Canadian Rockies.
From the farm to your fork, Savour Alberta’s South highlights culinary partnerships between restaurant owners and local producers, to bring guests a taste of their homeland.
My name is Linda Hoang, and I’m a Canadian blogger and social media strategist based in Edmonton, Alberta.
As an ethical blogger, content creator and social media influencer, I primarily write and photograph travel, lifestyle, and food. Over the years, I’ve had my fair share of great Medicine Hat experiences and I know if you replicate them, you’ll have a great time too!
There’s lots of beautiful parks to choose from when visiting Medicine Hat, including Kiwanis Central Park which is a favourite for my local friends due to its playground, waterpark, famous whale slide dubbed “Moby Dick,” disc golf course, and most interesting for me—artist Marina Cole’s whimsical wooden chainsaw sculptures.
Medicine Hat is home to some amazing public artwork—particularly murals or what I like to call Instagrammable Walls! Many murals have been created in recent years thanks to efforts by the Medicine Hat Mural Fest, and you’ll also find great works commissioned by local businesses located all over the city.
I consider JJ Kitchen a Medicine Hat Must Stop! Located in historic Downtown Medicine Hat, Southern Alberta, you will so so so so enjoy a stop into Jj Kitchen. The Korean eatery is owned and operated by a very sweet family who make delicious homemade menu items fresh daily including pork, beef or chicken cupbap (in a cup) and jipbap (like a bento) plus a perfect tuna triangle gimbap (Korean onigiri!), Korean corn dogs and weekly rotating Korean specialties.
This is a really cute space, owned by Filipino baker Kaela.
We got a chance to chat with Kaela during our visit to Kookie Bites and learned that she moved to Medicine Hat nearly a decade ago and got a job as an accountant. She found the job kind of depressing (not offence to accountants who love their job lol), and yearned for something more.
Back in the Philippines, her mom ran a cake shop, so baking has always been a part of her life. So Kaela did the thing! She quit her corporate gig and opened up her own Kookie bakery (Cookie with a K for her name Kaela) and is now living the dream in historic downtown Medicine Hat!
These are really excellent Kookies. Soft. Flavourful. Beautiful!
Travel the Highway 3 Ale Trail to find Alberta Gold
The extensive available farmland throughout Southern Alberta brings quality hops for micro-brewers in the region, adding a piece of homeland into each brew.
Alberta Gold is that perfect pour straight from the tap, hops harvested by friendly farmers, kegs crafted by community brewers, and beer chugged by vast visitors and rowdy regulars.
Along Highway 3, road trippers can stop into eight local breweries. Each has a story behind the name and an energy in the taproom.
Travel Alberta and founder of From Barrel to Bottle Erik McRitchie visited two Medicine Hat breweries on the Highway 3 Ale Trail.
Find the series below on Travel Alberta's YouTube.
Watch Chasing Alberta Gold at Hell's Basement Brewery here.
Watch Chasing Alberta Gold at Travois Ale Works here.
Plan your next road trip in Southern Alberta with the Highway 3 Ale Trail here.
Spend Family Day Weekend in Medicine Hat.
Cross Country Ski
Police Point Park and Elkwater in the Cypress Hills are your winter cross-country ski spots. Cypress Hills offers rentals, while Police Point Park is not offering them at the moment.
Connect with the Nordic Ski Club for lessons
Snowshoe
Follow the many natural and forested trails through Elkwater in the Cypress Hills for a snowshoe adventure. Find trails in Medicine Hat at Police Point Park.
Toboggan
Kin Coulee Park is a community favourite. The hill is lit up into the evening and always perfect on a snow day. Elkwater in the Cypress Hills builds a snow luge each year.
Skating
Find many community indoor and outdoor rinks around Medicine Hat. Check out Kiwanis Central Park for a small skating rink amongst 100+ year old Cottonwood trees.
Reach out to the Cypress Hills Visitor Centre for skate loop updates
Crokicurl
All the things you need to play crokicurl are in Strathcona Island Park. Head out for a round or two for winter fun.
Disc Golf
On a milder winter day, find five great courses in Medicine Hat, at Kiwanis Central Park, Leinweber Park, Gilwell Park, Kin Coulee Park, and Medicine Hat College Campus.
Hidden Valley Ski Resort
Hidden Valley Ski Resort is a winter wonderland snug in the prairies, approximately 45 minutes outside of Medicine Hat in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. With tall, snow-kissed lodgepole pine and aspen trees and rolling hills that act as mini mountains, this oasis is a must-see in the winter.
Winter Camping
Camp in the winter with campgrounds and backcountry huts in Elkwater and Spruce Coulee. The sites are reservations only. Call ahead to book and to check road conditions for access.
Stroll a City Park or Trail in Medicine Hat
With over 190-kilometres of paved trails, the outdoors in Medicine Hat turn into a beautiful winter wonderland, and the blue sky and sunshine often makes an appearance. While strolling, spot wildlife from geese, to deer, and bunnies. Find a Park. Find a Trail.
After a short winter drive, you can find yourself in the Canadian Badlands, Cypress Hills, Hoodoos, or surrounded by red rocks. Find more details about Dinosaur Provincial Park, Cypress Hills Provincial Park, Red Rock Coulee, and Writing-On-Stone (Áísínai'pi) Provincial Park here.
Full of family things to do, from swimming, to ice skating, and tot time. Visit this bustling community space for a day of activities.
For six or more, book a plant workshop at Botanicals and create a succulent arrangement. Each attendee chooses their favourite from the selection of containers and cactus/succulents.
Three experiences under one roof — pick & paint, hand building and pottery wheel rentals, and a rage room. Paint, create, or break at this art hub that encourages creativity.
The Hands On! Discovery Zone at The Esplanade
In the Hands On! Discovery Zone, children’s curiosity, creativity, and self-expression is encouraged through exploratory processes, making, and playing.
If it’s too cold outdoors, spend time in a winter activity indoors at a local indoor ice rink. Oftentimes Big Marble Go Centre offers free skating thanks to the Kinsmen Club.
A favourite summer sport, but make it winter and in Medicine Hat. Over a handful of indoor golf simulators live in Medicine Hat, including a Golfuture Toptracer Range.
Medicine Hat Public Library Events
The Medicine Hat Public Library often hosts free events for families, from crafting, to gaming, and movie nights. Check out their schedule to see what's happening during Family Day long weekend.
At the Co-op Place, watch a home game. Tigers games at the Co-op Place are a true community experience from the “Go Tigers Go” chants, to lining up among friends at the concession stand.
There are four exciting escape rooms to experience, so choose your own adventure that the family will love.
Rock Climbing at Badlands Training Centre
Have the family climb the 40-foot rock climbing wall at local gym, Badlands Training Centre. Professionals are always there to support and ensure safety with every climb.
Medicine Hat’s largest entertainment studio features axe throwing, indoor golf simulator, and laser tag. This space is an alcohol-free zone, perfect for families of all ages to spend time together.
A family-friendly gaming centre featuring over 5,000 square feet of arcade games. Collect as many tokens as possible, and redeem a prize to take home.
Let us know about your winter experience during Family Day Long Weekend!
