Calgary/Southwest

Southwest Calgary is a district in Calgary, Alberta. It is a large, mostly suburban residential area that has some of the city's more prestigious neighbourhoods.

Understand
Divided by the Elbow River and Glenmore Reservoir, the area is known by its parks and Heritage Park. Macleod Trail is the boundary between the southwest and southeast quadrants for significant portions, but for the purposes of this guide all points-of-interest adjacent to Macleod Trail are included are listed under Southwest Calgary. The area south of Fish Creek and west of the Bow River, which includes a portion of Southeast Calgary, is informally known as the "Deep South".

By CTrain
The CTrain Red Line runs parallel to Macleod Trail and runs south to Somerset-Bridlewood, while the CTrain Blue Line runs west along Bow Trail and 17 Avenue SW to 69 Street SW. Stops of interest include:


 * Red line
 * Anderson: near Southcentre Mall
 * Chinook: 3 blocks east of Chinook Centre at 61 Avenue SW
 * Heritage: transit hub with bus connections to Heritage Park and Mount Royal University


 * Blue line
 * Westbrook: transit hub with bus connections to Mount Royal University

By bus
Southwest Calgary is connected to other parts of the city by Calgary Transit. The following routes are good ways to get in and around:
 * MAX Yellow (#304): express bus with limited stops; connects Mount Royal University and Heritage Park with City Centre; major streets include 24 Street SW, Southland Drive, 14 Street SW, and Crowchild Trail.
 * MAX Teal (#306): express bus with limited stops; connects Mount Royal University and Heritage Park with Westbrook station (CTrain Blue Line) and Heritage station (CTrain Red Line); continues into Southeast Calgary; major streets include 37 Street SW, 14 Street SW, and Heritage Drive.
 * #2: runs down 17 Avenue SW (east of Sarcee Trail), connects to City Centre
 * #3: runs down Elbow Drive (north of Heritage Drive), connects to City Centre and Heritage station (CTrain Red Line)
 * #9: connects Mount Royal University with Westbrook station (CTrain Blue Line) and Chinook station (CTrain Red Line); continues into Northwest Calgary and the University of Calgary; major streets include 37 Street SW and 58 Avenue SW.
 * #20: connects Mount Royal University and Heritage Park with Heritage station (CTrain Red Line); continues into Northwest Calgary and the University of Calgary; major streets include Crowchild Trail, 14 Street SW, and Heritage Drive.

By car
Macleod Trail and Crowchild Trail are the main north-south arterial routes that connect with the City Centre, with Crowchild Trail continuing into Northwest Calgary. Glenmore Trail is the major east-west arterial into Southeast Calgary, and connects with Sarcee Trail which provides access to the Trans-Canada Highway in Northwest Calgary. Bow Trail and 17 Avenue SW provide alternate access from the western neighbourhoods into the City Centre. Stoney Trail (Highway 201), known as Tsuu T'ina Trail through the Tsuu T'ina First Nation, ends west of Sarcee Trail (as of October 2021), however an extension is under construction to complete its status as Calgary's ring road.

Cafés
Starbucks and Tim Horton's are everywhere in Calgary. If you're looking for something different, try one of these.