I cannot say enough good about this dog part. First the private parks are great for dogs to be off…read moreleash in the woods being fenced in. Maybe you dog isnt the most social or maybe they dont get a chance to often be in the wild, this private rentable park solves both problems. It is well looked after and both our dogs loved it! The price for an hour is alright and honestly an hour is more than enough. We have already booked another visit, awesome place!!!

Chickakoo Lake is such a gem! I visited here in a warm weekday afternoon in the fall and had a…read morewonderful time exploring the trails. There's a large parking lot for day hikers and picnickers, with clean washrooms and a some picnic table sites right on the water. There are a number of trail loops, all with fantastic signage and maps at every trail junction. Trails are ranked according to difficulty, with the advanced trail presenting some serious up and down hills to get your legs burning. The less hilly trails are great for families, and there are different lengths of trails depending on how much time you want to spend. The views of the different wetland areas along the trails were really beautiful, and we were even able to see a moose across one of the water bodies taking a drink. We loved hiking here for a couple of hours, and I saw some runners tackling the trails and hills - good for them!

How has no one written a review of Chickakoo lake yet?! This is an amazing multi use area just west…read moreof Edmonton. It has great trails of various lengths for walking, running, biking (off road trail use) and in the winter snowshoeing and some tracks for cross country skiing. You can also bring your horses here to trail ride as well. Keep in mind as I said multi use. They have information boards about local wildlife and plant life and boards throughout pin pointing where the trails are and their difficulty ratings. There is a lake you can fish in or just canoe or kayak on. Also available are above ground fire stands you can BBQ on. There is a playground for the kiddies and picnic tables available. Ample parking, camp ground style bathroom facilities as well. It's worth checking out anytime of year!

As part of my summer bucket list spray/splash park challenge we visited Spruce Grove's only water…read morefeature which is located at Central Park. The feature itself is small with only 2 water features but the biggest issue is the water was pumping through them so hard yesterday that it would have knocked my 3 year old off his feet or ripped off his skin - and I'm not kidding! The park itself is beautiful with many benches surrounding it making it the perfect spot to enjoy a mid day snack or lunch while taking in the beautiful park like setting. A small skate park is adjacent to this park as well as a historical site with a log cabin. We didn't check it out as my kids wer antsy to get back on the road and find a spray/splash park more suitable to them.

This is a great little offleash park in the new neighbourhood of Paisley. It is a bit far south but…read moreworth a visit to check out. They have 2 sections: the main section and the small dogs section. When we attended most dogs were in the main section but there was one or two dogs in the small dog area. It is nice to have that because sometimes bringing a small dog to a dog park can be quite stressful for their owners. The added sense of safety is a nice thing to have. Both sections have some dog agility equipment but the main section has more stuff and larger pieces. It isn't a huge park but it is a great neighbourhood amenity for those people in the area. Once this neighbourhood is built out it will be interesting to see how popular the park is.

So this park is fairly big, has an area of bush pup can sniff and walk through. IT's not usually as…read morecrowded as the smaller Spruce Grove park nor the West Edmonton parks like Beuna Vista. I do go when it's a little quieter as my girl does like to play but can be reactive and dominate. There unfortunately, isn't a lot of availability and cost of private ones. She is more reactive on leash than without. It does have a little yard of agility equipment-- do be careful and look for sharp edges as some of it is left over wood and scrap metal. A lot of it is also kinda high. But my girl likes the smaller hoops and the tunnel. A-frame is too steep and high.

I brought the fam jam here yesterday as part of our summer bucket list quest to hit up every…read morespray/splash park within an 80km radius of Edmonton. This Stony Plain Rotary Spray Park is party of the Economic Action Plan which has given money to many communities to help improve community facilities. This spray park opened in 2012 according to the website: http://www.stonyplain.com/Town-Hall/Departments/Community-Services/Sports-and-Recreation/Stony-Plain-Rotary-Spray-Park.htm The park also features a new playground with rubber floor - oh how I love rubber floors at a spray park. Sand just makes a STICKY mess at spray parks. There are 2 outhouses by the ball fields and indoor washrooms what I was allowed to use without question at the accompanying Stony Plain Outdoor Pool. The ice cream truck popped by and there are lots of picnic tables with loads of shade. The water features are activated by buttons located throughout the spray park. There are numerous water features great for all ages including the piano you may be familiar with at the Castledowns spray park (if you are from Edmonton) and spinning features kids can interact with. This park is top notch for a smaller community and just as the website notes, I look forward to seeing what items are added upon and improved in the future. Families should be aware that there are no staff on site and there isn't a snack shack so bring some snacks and drinks or a picnic to make a day of it! We were there in the middle of the day and there were also quite a few mosquitos swarming me in the shade. Two big thumbs up Stony Plain - I will definitely be back!

Great private beach just 30 minutes West of Edmonton located at Hubbles lake…read more You can pay for entry for the day during beach season or get in free if you are camping here. There is a small little admin office that sells some treats, slushies, beach necessities, and toys for the kiddos. REALLY awesome day trip! Check out their website for all the details: http://www.allanbeach.com

I have gone there a couple of times. It's a nice beach and…read moreperfect for families. I would go there as early as I can if I want to have a nice place because they have limited space. Also I would take an umbrella because after a little while I. Sunny days, it can be uncomfortable and make it hard to enjoy the experience. They rent paddle boards too which was pretty fun and I may do that again. Overall it's a good place and I'll definitely go back there again.

What a nice park! I have gone there in winter time but this was my first time in spring. It's a…read morebeautiful place and it attracts a lot of people and runners. We had a long walk and enjoyed the weather, beauty of the park and people's energy! It's a great place for walking your dog too. I enjoyed my walk and I'm sure I'll go back there for walking again!

Maybe it's being close to the whitemud equestrian centre (after all I'm a farm kid lost in the big…read morecity) but I really enjoy the layout of the surrounding park area. The closeness to the river let's you enjoy the sound of water plus the trees and birds while drowning out the busy main roads that run past. If you have the ability to hike into other parks, I'd highly suggest taking a few hours and bring a picnic with you. It's well worth the time to loop around the river valley in a circle and enjoy a picnic at the end. Lots of randomly placed picnic areas and benches throughout. Some areas more accessible than others. If you're looking for scenic area that has a flatter path to start improving your waking distance, I'd suggest this as one of the better places in the city. I also see a lot of parents helping their kids ride bikes along the paved road over the years. Smaller parking lot at the front but that takes you directly to the main paved path which makes sense why it fills up on the nice days. If you keep driving along the loop, you'll find a few more additional parking spots. Under the bridge might be a different park but allows access to parking too. I believe there's access to a stairwell on that side (but that's the last thing I'd go looking for with my bad knees!). Newer bathroom facility that even has a bottle filing area inside. No more need to desperately try and fit your reusable bottle under the tap of warm water. If you go over the grassy hill (opposite of the path) there are outdoor arenas and further along the gravel road, the newly built equestrian arena and horse pens. There's usually a fruit stand parked on the corner during summer, which is nice to grab a snack if you're sitting outside enjoying the sun. In summer you'll also see horse trailers lined up along the grass area & dirt road. As they hold shows at this location, it can get quite busy. Signs are posted for the events well in advance, just in case you wish to walk where there's less people around. Please do remember to keep dogs on leashes and bells working on your bikes (on and off the main path), as horse riders share the paths too. It really is wonderful to see so many ages and levels of physical activity enjoying one area of the river valley. Now thinking about it more, this is probably why I find myself revisiting this park at least several times from spring to fall.