Stoney Trail, also known as Tsuut'ina Trail and Alberta Highway 201, is a major 101-kilometer freeway that encircles the city of Calgary, Alberta. This freeway acts as a bypass for the heavily congested routes of 16 Avenue N and Deerfoot Trail, which are designated as Highways 1 and 2, respectively. In 2022, at its busiest point near Beddington Trail in north Calgary, the six-lane freeway carried nearly 60,000 vehicles per day. Stoney Trail is an essential part of the CANAMEX Corridor, linking Calgary to Edmonton and Interstate 15 in the United States through a network of Highways 2, 3, and 4.
The official starting point of the ring is at Deerfoot Trail in southeast Calgary. As it heads west from Deerfoot, Stoney Trao; crosses the Bow River and Macleod Trail before turning north and becoming Tsuut'ina Trail as it crosses Fish Creek into the Tsuutʼina Nation Reserve. Once north of the Elbow River, the name changes back to Stoney Trail as the highway bends west and splits from Highway 8. Continuing north, the ring crosses Highway 1 and the Bow River again near Canada Olympic Park before winding through the hills of northwest Calgary via Crowchild Trail. Finally, the ring turns south, intersecting Highway 1, crossing Glenmore Trail, and curving west at the neighborhood of Mahogany before linking back to Deerfoot Trail, completing the loop.
Stoney Trail, named after the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, is a significant roadway with Indigenous names. Its construction began in the 1990s in northwest Calgary as an expressway and gradually expanded clockwise towards Deerfoot Trail. The northeast and southeast sections were completed through public-private partnership (P3) projects in 2009 and 2013, respectively. Overcoming challenges in acquiring right of way from the Tsuutʼina Nation, Alberta reached a CA$275 million deal in 2013, which involved transferring Crown land and providing compensation. This paved the way for the completion of the southwest quadrant in 2021. Finally, a short segment between Highways 1 and 8 opened in 2023, marking the realization of plans that were first presented by Calgary city planners nearly 70 years ago.
Route description[]
Stoney Trail is a significant ring road that wraps around the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, providing a vital transportation route. The road comprises two distinct sections, with one tracing the eastern periphery and the other encircling the western side of the city. The western segment of Stoney Trail traverses the outer fringes of the Rocky Mountain foothills, offering motorists captivating vistas of the undulating terrain and the picturesque surrounding landscapes. This portion of the road features numerous hills and valleys, punctuated by multiple stream crossings, wide sweeping curves, and inclines of moderate steepness.
West Calgary[]
The ring road in South Calgary starts and ends at the interchange between Deerfoot Trail (Highway 2) and Stoney Trail, as recognized by Alberta Transportation. The road features clockwise numbered exits and begins its westward trajectory after this interchange. It first encounters a diamond interchange with Cranston Boulevard/McKenzie Lake Boulevard, then crosses the Bow River. Exiting the Bow River valley, it reaches an interchange at Chaparral Boulevard/Sun Valley Drive before meeting Macleod Trail at a free-flowing combination interchange.
The highway extends to the west, passing through two additional interchanges at 6th Street and James McKevitt Road before arriving at a left-hand exit for Alberta Highway 22X. At this point, Stoney Trail veers north, tracing the western perimeter of the city and navigating interchanges at 162nd Avenue and Fish Creek Boulevard. It then spans across Fish Creek, utilizing a set of bridges that accommodate 8 lanes of traffic.
As Stoney Trail reaches the Tsuut'ina Nation Reservation, the road is renamed Tsuut'ina Trail. On the reservation, there is a significant commercial shopping area, which is accessible via a small half-diamond interchange at 130th Avenue and a larger combination interchange at Anderson Road. As the highway moves away from the city, it traverses a section of the reservation and includes a small interchange for 90th Avenue. Further along, it descends on a wide causeway to cross the Elbow River using a 10-lane bridge. The route then meets Glenmore Trail and Sarcee Trail, as well as two smaller roads, at a substantial free-flowing combination interchange.
As the highway continues west at the interchange, it leaves the Tsuut'ina Reservation and once again becomes Stoney Trail. Moving past an interchange at 69th Street/Discovery Ridge Boulevard, Stoney Trail reaches a directional T interchange with Alberta Highway 8 (Glenmore Trail). At this point, the ring road turns north and ascends Coach Hill. Along the way, it passes through three interchanges at 17th Avenue SW, Bow Trail, and Old Banff Coach Road before descending through a steep excavated cut to meet the Trans-Canada Highway (Alberta Highway 1) and Valley Ridge Boulevard in a large free-flowing combination interchange.
After passing through the Highway 1 interchange, the 8-lane Stoney Trail traverses the Bow River on a pair of towering bridges. It then navigates through an interchange at Nose Hill Drive and climbs a steep incline past another interchange at Tuscany Boulevard/Scenic Acres Link, leading to a large modified cloverleaf interchange at Crowchild Trail (Highway 1A). Continuing on, the highway levels out and gracefully begins a sweeping turn through Northwest Calgary as it heads east. Along this route, it intersects with Country Hills Boulevard, Sarcee Trail, Shaganappi Trail, Beddington Trail, 14th Street, Harvest Hills Boulevard, and 11th Street before crossing over West Nose Creek.
East Calgary[]
The eastern portion of Stoney Trail maintains a consistent level and runs in a straight line with just two noticeable turns at the Northeast and Southeast corners of the city. There are no inclines or water crossings along its course, as it does not intersect any valleys. After passing through the junction at Deerfoot Trail, Stoney Trail continues on to the junction at Metis Trail, where it negotiates a sharp 90-degree turn after before continuing southward along the eastern periphery of the city.
Stoney Trail traverses through multiple interchanges at Country Hills Boulevard, Airport Trail, and McKnight Boulevard before reaching a seamless combination interchange with the Trans-Canada Highway (also known as Alberta Highway 1 or 16th Avenue). Continuing southward through level terrain, the road encounters additional interchanges at 17th Avenue, Peigan Trail, Glenmore Trail, and 114th Avenue before meeting Alberta Highway 22X at another combination interchange. At this juncture, Stoney Trail takes a sharp 90-degree turn to the west and later engages in a half-parclo interchange with 52nd Street, concluding its route at the free-flowing stack interchange with Deerfoot Trail, thus completing the ring road.
It is worth noting that the section of Stoney/Tsuut'ina Trail between Highway 22X and Highway 8 has an extremely wide median to allow for future expansion of up to 16 lanes if required.