How To Get To CrossIron Mills Mall

So you’ve decided to brave the crowds on opening day of the new mall opening up tomorrow, CrossIron Mills? We attended a recent traffic management meeting put on by Ivanhoe Cambridge and wanted to share with you some tips on getting to the mall on opening week. Construction of the Calgary Ring Road (Stoney Trail) is still continuing, but until it is complete shoppers should follow the directions below to get to the mall.

Coming from Northwest and West of Calgary

0. If coming from West of Calgary, Take Stoney Trail Exit after entering Calgary
1. Head East on Stoney Trail (Highway 201)
2. Left Turn at Harvest Hills Blvd (aka Range Road 13 / Center Street)
3. Right Turn at Township Road 272 (aka Highway 566)
4. Continue through Balzac
5. Cross Queen Elizabeth II Highway (Highway 2)
6. Arrive at CrossIron Mills on Right

Coming from Calgary or South of Calgary

1. TakeHighway 2 North
2. Continue North until you leave the city
3. Right Turn at Highway 566 (Balzac)
4. Arrive at CrossIron Mills on Right

Coming from East of Calgary

1. Take Highway 1 West
2. North on Highway 9 (aka Range Road 272)
3. Left Turn at Highway 566 (Township Road 262)
4. Arrive at CrossIron Mills on Left

Temporary Detours

To facilitate the efficient movement of vehicles at CrossIron Mills, the main roadway around the mall will be converted to a one way road for the grand opening. Normally 2 lanes in each direction, the road will have 3 lanes going counter-clockwise around the mall. One of the lanes will be reserved for emergency vehicles, employee shuttle buses and mall administration traffic. RCMP officers will be at all major intersections controlling the lights and directing traffic to reduce any traffic congestions. They will also be directing traffic on the ring road around the mall.

Future Access / Stoney Trail Ring Road Construction

Once construction wraps up on the Northeast Leg of Stoney Trail, access to CrossIron Mills will be significantly improved. The ETA for the opening of this road is November 2009. Traffic from the west will be able to continue on Stoney Trail past Harvest Hills Blvd, over Highway 2 and then into the mall complex. Traffic from the South and East will also be able to take Stoney Trail North all the way up to the mall entrance road.

Sneak Peek Inside CrossIron Mills

Last week, I was fortunate enough to be given a quick tour of the new mall opening just north of Calgary, CrossIron Mills. The mall is loosely based on Vaughn Mills, a mall just north of Toronto so if you’ve been there you’ll know what to expect. The Grand Opening of the mall is just a few days away, Wednesday August 19th. Doors will open at 9:00am with a quick ceremony at 9:30am. Stores will open at 10:00am.

The first impression upon arriving at the mall is that it is huge. As the mall is located literally in the middle of nowhere, there is plenty of land for the mall to build on. The mall feels much larger than say Chinook Centre but that is mainly because CrossIron Mills has all of its stores spread out over a single floor. As a navigational aid, the mall is broken up into six neighborhoods with the stores in each neighborhood all centered around a common theme. I suspect many shoppers will be interested in the Fashion neighborhood.

Unfortunately one of the most anticipated stores and an anchor for the Fashion Neighborhood, Holt Renfrew Last Call will not be opening up their store at the mall.

“We did have a signed lease with them. They were in the process, I understand, of reviewing their own internal business strategy and have made the decision not to open on the 19th.” John Scott, vice-president of development with mall owner Ivanhoe Cambridge explains. “It’s something we are in the process of working through with them and discussing with them,” he said.

While you are there checking out the mall, you must save some time to visit the Bass Pro Shop. The 150,000+ square foot store is an experience on its own. You may as well bring a camera because the store puts some museums to shame.

Here are some quick pictures that I snapped of the mall itself.

Big Compass at the Food Court

Fashion Neighborhood at CrossIron Mills

Banana Republic Factory Store

A look down the Resources Neighborhood

Toys R' Us with Dino Bones in Ceiling

Pump Jack pushing colored fluid around