Dispatch · 15 November 2026
The road to the gate: three ways in, and the fight over the first one
The entrance you drive through today was once a treaty argument. Here is the short version.
Three ways in
Today you can reach the resort from Glenmore Trail SW and 37 Street SW on the Lakeview side, or from Tsuutʼina Trail, the section of the city's ring road that crosses the Nation. Google's map of the site shows Grey Eagle Boulevard running along the east side and Tsuutʼina Parkway to the south. Free parking at the end of all of them.
It was not always simple
When the casino opened in December 2007, the only door was the 37 Street entrance, which the City of Calgary had always called temporary. In 2009 the City rebuilt the Glenmore Trail interchange there, reports said the casino entrance would close, and the Nation answered that blocking its access would breach Treaty 7. The interchange opened, the entrance stayed, and the argument moved to the bigger question of the ring road.
That one took two referendums: a 2009 vote against transferring land for the south-west ring road and a 2013 vote in favour. The freeway was finished in 2023, according to Wikipedia's account. Our history page has the sources: History and stories.
What it means for your trip
- Coming from downtown, Glenmore Trail is the direct line; about 18 minutes on a quiet evening.
- Coming from the airport or the north, the ring road usually wins; about 26 minutes from YYC.
- On show nights, follow the parking attendants; overflow lots open north and south of the hotel.