# Macleod Trail

Macleod Trail is a major road in Calgary, Alberta. It is a six- to eight-lane principal arterial road extending from downtown Calgary to the south of the city, where it merges into Highway 2. South of Anderson Road, Macleod Trail is an expressway and is slated to be upgraded to a freeway in the future. It is named for its destination to the south, Fort Macleod.

## Route description

Macleod Trail effectively divides the southwest and the southeast quadrants of the city, and many communities (inner city as well as suburban) were developed along its course. Macleod Trail (along with Crowchild Trail and Deerfoot Trail) constitutes one of the three major north-south corridors of the city.
Beginning as a one-way street for northbound traffic (with southbound traffic following 1st Street SE one block to the west), the road passes by Calgary City Hall, Olympic Plaza, the building that housed the former Calgary Central Library, and the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts. South of downtown, it defines the western edge of the Calgary Stampede grounds, as it passes through the Beltline district, then provides access to the MNP Community & Sport Centre as it runs between the historic inner city communities of Mission and Ramsay. South of Elbow River, Macleod Trail becomes a two-way road and has various motels established on its sides, and Chinook Centre faces the road as it passes between the communities of Meadowlark Park, Kingsland and Fairview. Macleod Trail is lined with commercial developments on both sides for its entire length between Erlton and Lake Bonavista, including strip malls, auto malls, big-box stores and shopping centres such as Southcentre Mall, and Calgary's largest suburban office complex at Southland Park. The southern leg of the C-Train LRT system (Route 201) is also developed along Macleod Trail.
In November 2007, Calgary City Council approved a functional planning study for the portion of Macleod Trail that extends from Anderson Road north to Downtown. Expected recommendations include interchanges at Heritage Drive and Southland Drive, as well as possible traffic signal refinements. In addition, two other interchange locations are planned to be constructed within ten years. They are at the intersection with Lake Fraser gate and at the intersection with 194 Avenue. This would make Macleod Trail a freeway from Anderson Road to nearly the city limits. On August 13, 2017, the first diverging diamond interchange in Canada was opened at 162 Avenue.

## Major intersections

From north to south:
| Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
| Calgary | 0.0 | 0.0 | Riverfront Avenue | Begins as one-way couplets; northbound traffic follows Macleod Trail, southbound traffic follows 1 Street SE |
| Calgary | 0.2 | 0.12 | 4 Avenue SE | Westbound one-way |
| Calgary | 0.3 | 0.19 | 5 Avenue SE | Eastbound one-way; connects to Memorial Drive and Edmonton Trail |
| Calgary | 0.4 | 0.25 | 6 Avenue SE | Westbound one-way west of Macleod Trail |
| Calgary | 0.5 | 0.31 | 7 Avenue SE | City Hall station; Transit mall (no vehicle access); passes the historic Calgary City Hall |
| Calgary | 0.6 | 0.37 | 8 Avenue SE (Stephen Avenue) | Pedestrian mall; passes the Calgary Municipal Building and Olympic Plaza |
| Calgary | 0.7 | 0.43 | 9 Avenue SE | Eastbound one-way |
| Calgary | 0.9 | 0.56 | 11 Avenue SE | Westbound one-way |
| Calgary | 1.1 | 0.68 | 12 Avenue SE – Stampede Park | Eastbound one-way; access to Scotiabank Saddledome |
| Calgary | 1.4 | 0.87 | 17 Avenue SE | Passes Victoria Park/Stampede station; future access to Stampede Park |
| Calgary | 1.8 | 1.1 | Crosses the Elbow River Victoria Bridge (northbound) and Pattison Bridge (southbound) | Crosses the Elbow River Victoria Bridge (northbound) and Pattison Bridge (southbound) |
| Calgary | 1.9 | 1.2 | One-way transition; south-to-north U-turn ramp | One-way transition; south-to-north U-turn ramp |
| Calgary | 2.3 | 1.4 | 25 Avenue SE – Stampede Park | Passes Erlton/Stampede station |
| Calgary | 3.1 | 1.9 | Spiller Road | Northbound right in/right out; original alignment of Macleod Trail (pre-1967) |
| Calgary | 3.6 | 2.2 | 39 Avenue S | Access to 39 Avenue station |
| Calgary | 3.9 | 2.4 | 42 Avenue S | |
| Calgary | 5.7 | 3.5 | 58 Avenue SW | |
| Calgary | 6.1 | 3.8 | 61 Avenue SW | Access to Chinook Centre and Chinook station |
| Calgary | 6.4 | 4.0 | Glenmore Trail | Single-point urban interchange (traffic signals) |
| Calgary | 7.7 | 4.8 | 78 Avenue SW | Grade separated |
| Calgary | 8.1 | 5.0 | Heritage Drive | Access to Heritage station and Heritage Park |
| Calgary | 9.7 | 6.0 | Southland Drive | Access to Southland station |
| Calgary | 10.8 | 6.7 | 109 Avenue S | Access to Anderson station and Southcentre Mall; becomes an expressway |
| Calgary | 10.9 | 6.8 | Southcentre Mall | Northbound right in/right out |
| Calgary | 11.3 | 7.0 | Anderson Road | Partial cloverleaf interchange; to Highway 1 west / Highway 2 north |
| Calgary | 11.3 | 7.0 | Lake Fraser Drive | Northbound exit only |
| Calgary | 12.1 | 7.5 | Lake Fraser Drive | Northbound right in/right out |
| Calgary | 12.5 | 7.8 | Lake Fraser Gate | Northbound right in/right out weekdays from 6 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. |
| Calgary | 13.5 | 8.4 | Canyon Meadows Drive | Partial cloverleaf interchange; access Lake Fraser Drive and Canyon Meadows station |
| Calgary | 13.7 | 8.5 | Crosses Fish Creek | Crosses Fish Creek |
| Calgary | 14.1 | 8.8 | Bannister Road / Shawnee Gate | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; access to Fish Creek Provincial Park |
| Calgary | 14.6 | 9.1 | James McKevitt Road | Southbound right in/right out; passes Fish Creek–Lacombe station |
| Calgary | 14.9 | 9.3 | 149 Avenue SE to Bannister Road | Northbound right in/right out; northbound access to James McKevitt Road and Fish Creek Provincial Park |
| Calgary | 15.5 | 9.6 | Shawnessy Boulevard / Midlake Boulevard | Partial cloverleaf interchange; accesses Shawville Boulevard, Bannister Road, and Shawnessy station |
| Calgary | 16.6 | 10.3 | 162 Avenue SE / Sun Valley Boulevard | Canada's first Diverging diamond interchange; access to Somerset–Bridlewood station |
| Calgary | 17.2– 18.4 | 10.7– 11.4 | Shawville Boulevard | Southbound exit only |
| Calgary | 17.2– 18.4 | 10.7– 11.4 | Stoney Trail (Highway 201) | Hwy 201 exit 5; combination interchange; former Highway 22X; Highway 2A northern terminus |
| Calgary | 20.0 | 12.4 | 194 Avenue S | |
| Calgary | 21.2 | 13.2 | 210 Avenue S | |
| ↑ / ↓ | 23.3 | 14.5 | Highway 552 south (226 Avenue S) – De Winton | Southbound right in/right out |
| Foothills County | 25.4 | 15.8 | Dunbow Road – De Winton, Heritage Pointe | Northbound access to Hwy 552 |
| Foothills County | 27.7 | 17.2 | Highway 2 north (Deerfoot Trail) – Airport, Edmonton | Y interchange; Hwy 2 exit 225; northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| Foothills County | 27.7 | 17.2 | Highway 2 south / Highway 2A south – Okotoks, Fort Macleod, Lethbridge | Continues south |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi HOV only Incomplete access Route transition Unopened |||||

## History

From 1949 to 1958, the Chinook Drive-In was located on McLeod Trail a half mile south of the Calgary city limits.