The world’s most extensive skywalk system is an astonishing maze
It’s a mystery. I’m sitting at a cafe inside Calgary’s Core shopping centre and can barely find a table amid the morning crowd, yet the snowy sidewalk had seemed oddly quiet. The same thing happened earlier when I’d trudged solo along icy backstreets to the Calgary Tower, arriving with my nose glowing like Rudolph and my hair frozen into ropey dreadlocks. Inside it was buzzing with visitors who looked like they’d stepped out of a salon.
If there’s a secret, underground labyrinth for moving around the city, I’ve missed the memo.
The iconic Peace Bridge … the Plus 15 Skywalk network has grown to more than 16 kilometres of elevated, climate-controlled walkways.Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
“Look up,” says Judy Uwiera, my guide from Calgary Walks and Bus Tours, pointing to a glass-enclosed skybridge suspended between two office blocks. “The Plus 15 Skywalk is the key to getting around the city.”
Since construction of the first bridge in 1969, Calgary’s Plus 15 (+ 15) Skywalk network has grown to 86 bridges and more than 16 kilometres of elevated, climate-controlled walkways connecting 130 buildings across downtown Calgary. It is now the world’s most extensive pedestrian skywalk system. The map – part subway diagram, part retro arcade game – is a joyride for navigational nerds.
Scenery from Peace Bridge during the warmer months.Credit: Getty Images
“Plus 15 has a better ring to it than 4.5 metres,” says Uwiera, explaining how the network was named for being 15 feet above the ground. “Not only does it offer protection from the summer and winter elements, it makes the city safer and more accessible.”
We begin our tour on Stephen Avenue, a pedestrian-friendly mall in the historic commercial heart of downtown, now glowing with Christmas trees and decorations. In a move that would make Pac-Man proud, Uwiera leads me up a level and headfirst into the maze, where seasoned-players (sorry, regular commuters) weave with flawless precision.
The redeveloped Stephen Avenue Walk crosses over the Plus 15 skywalk at several points.Credit: Getty Images
We follow the glowing grid, gliding above the snow-covered streets, zig-zagging through office towers, and pausing to power-up with coffee and pastries.
Some attractions are just a single move away, others lead through retail purgatory, all require skywalkers to decrypt the correct exits to reach street level.
Wonderland sculpture by artist Jaume Plensa at the Bow Building.
In recent years, skybridges have become a defining feature of the city, and while some are purely functional, others incorporate art, creative lighting or bold structural elements. Although not part of the +15, one of the most striking is in East Village between Studio Bell, home to the National Music Centre, and the King Edward hotel. Exploring the network offers a captivating introduction to Calgary’s world-class architecture.
From the historic City Hall, we stop at the Calgary Municipal Building to admire its public artworks before descending to Olympic Plaza, once the venue for the medal ceremonies at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and now an urban park. Uweira reminds me it was here that the Jamaican bobsleigh team made their legendary debut and Eddy “The Eagle” Edwards soared into Olympic folklore.
The following day I set off on a solo bonus-round. I’ve downloaded the official +15 Skywalk map, learned to spot an entrance by the glowing stick-figure with a cowboy hat, and have decoded the directional symbols. The map shows which exits can be accessed by lifts or stairs only, and roadblocks caused by maintenance.
After a few false starts I find the graceful Bow Building, one of Calgary’s most recognisable skyscrapers, where a switch to street level brings me face-to-face with the 12-metre-high Wonderland sculpture by artist Jaume Plensa.
Later, just as I’m beginning to feel like a high-score hero, I take a wrong turn and get stuck in an endless loop – circling a food court like Pac-Man trapped by enemies. I double back, hoping for an escape route but hit a dead-end. Clearly, it takes multiple sessions to become a Skywalk master.
A few recalculations and I’m ejected near the Bow river. It’s not where I was headed, but my shoes are dry and my hair is tidy. In the heart of a Calgary winter, that’s a real plus.
Skywalk (+15) connecting the Calgary Municipal Building and the Arts Commons in downtown Calgary.Credit: Getty Images
The details
Fly
Air Canada offers direct flights between Sydney and Melbourne to Vancouver with connections to Calgary. See aircanada.com
Stay
Fairmont Palliser is a landmark hotel in the heart of downtown Calgary. King rooms from $CA278 ($316). See fairmont.com/palliser-calgary
Tour
Calgary Walks and Bus Tours offers a two-hour Downtown Intro walking tour for $CA32 ($36) an adult and $CA20 ($23) for a child aged 3-15. See calgarywbtours.com
Plus 15 Skywalk
Download the map to check for opening times and closures. See calgary.ca
More
The writer was a guest of Destination Canada, Tourism Calgary, and Banff & Lake Louise Tourism.
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