The Calgary and Edmonton Trail was a land transport route between Fort Edmonton

Fort Edmonton

Fort Edmonton was the name of a series of trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company from 1795 to 1891, all of which were located in central Alberta, Canada...

 and Fort Calgary

Fort Calgary

Fort Calgary was established in 1875 as Fort Brisebois by the North-West Mounted Police, located at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers in what is now Calgary, Alberta.-History:...

 in the Canadian Northwest.

Several trails south from the fur trade post at Fort Edmonton had existed for some time. The northern portion was traveled by David Thompson

David Thompson (explorer)

David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...

 in 1800.
The more modern trail was blazed by John McDougall

John Alexander McDougall

John Alexander McDougall was a politician in Alberta, Canada, a municipal councillor and mayor in Edmonton, and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.-Early life:...

 in 1873 as far as Morley

Morley, Alberta

Morley is a First Nations settlement within the Stoney 142/143/144 Indian reserve in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located along the Canadian Pacific Railway between the Trans-Canada Highway and the Bow River, upstream from Ghost Lake. It has an elevation of .The settlement is located in census...

 and extended to Calgary two years later.

Name and namesakes

Alberta Highway 2 is now the main route from Edmonton to Calgary. Most of it bears the name "Queen Elizabeth II Highway," but some sections are named in honour of the old trail, as are other roads leading in the same direction.

Heading south from Edmonton, the trail was called "Calgary Trail". Calgary Trail

Calgary Trail

Calgary Trail is a major one-way arterial in south Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is a major commuter route for communities south of Edmonton, such as Leduc....

 now refers to the southbound portion of Highway 2 within the boundaries of the city of Edmonton.

Heading north from Calgary, the trail bore the name "Edmonton Trail

Edmonton Trail

Edmonton Trail is a major north-south arterial road in the north-east quadrant of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.The road connects Downtown Calgary from the Langevin Bridge and the 4th Street Bridge at Memorial Drive with north-central Calgary....

". That name now refers to a north-south feeder road in Calgary approximately 1 km west of the current Highway 2 and approximately 0.25 km east of Centre Street North. A segment of the old trail through the city of Airdrie

Airdrie, Alberta

Airdrie is a city in Alberta, Canada, located just north of Calgary within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. The City of Airdrie is part of Calgary's Census Metropolitan Area and a member community of the Calgary Regional Partnership . Due to its proximity to Calgary, Airdrie's population has been...

is also called Edmonton Trail.