This summer 2024 been there 4 times huge get together, swim floating, snacks , the kiddos make a…read moreday of it nobody burgers u or we all socialize love it!

It was better before the big slab of concrete was put in. But you know city and park planners. They…read moredon't leave the office much and it all looks good on paper? ‍

Elk Island National Park is one of my favourite spots to visit…read more The park has many hiking trails ranging from a few kilometres to over 10. So definitely a variety for all fitness levels. Hiking can be done read round, and snowshoeing in the winter. The park has a visitor centre at the south entrance with Parks Canada staff, who are very welcoming, professional and very knowledgeable about the park and the wildlife. Speaking of wildlife, Elk Island is the home of bisons, which have been introduced to the area many years ago. They are impressive beautiful animals, that I've seen up close and personal (from my vehicle). They are impressive park also offers camping at the Astotin Lake area, but also backcountry camping. The park is a short hour (or less) east of Edmonton, and it is absolutely one of the best areas you can go to in Alberta to enjoy the outdoors, outdoor sports and activities, and wildlife. Ell Island National Park is also a dark sky area, where you can enjoy a starry night sky!!!

Located east of Edmonton in Alberta. Free admission for visitors thanks to Strong Canada Pass from…read morenow till Sept 7, 2026. Do not anticipate cell phone reception. You're welcome to try Satellite connection or SOS with the sun. If it's your first time, I highly recommend entering from south entrance, start at Wahkotowin Visitor Centre, read about history, familiarize with wildlife, campgrounds, and pick up a physical map of Elk Island National Park. Staff are very knowledgeable. I was hoping to see elk, yet didn't run into any during this visit. Our goal was to stop at these four lakes: Tawayik, Moss, Astotin, and Shirley. Surprisingly, we didn't see any bison on Bison Loop Road. As we turned left, on our way to Tawayik Lake, we saw a bison standing their ground and staring at us as our vehicle approached. We slowed down, stopped the vehicle from a safe distance. I zoomed my phone in, snapped a quick photo of the bison inside my car. Quick thinking and no other vehicles in sight, I instructed my husband to slowly reverse the rental, then do a u-turn. We didn't make it to Tawayik Lake. As we drove north on Elk Island Parkway, we saw three more bison within a 12 minute span. We passed by Moss Lake and Shirley Lake without stopping. We parked in the parking lot and walked around the grassy area fronting Astotin Lake. There's a blue and green algae warning on 7/24/2026. Do not enter the water. Yet, we saw a few people in boats on the lake. We got a great view of Astotin Island. Best to carry bug spray. We drove out via North Entrance.

Rundle Park is far from the closest river valley park to my home, but it's one that I frequent…read moreoften. Why? Disc golf! Rundle Park has the largest and most well-used disc golf course in Edmonton, and is home to Edmonton's disc golf league. For those that aren't familiar with disc golf, it's similar to traditional golf, in that you start at a tee, but the goal is to throw discs into baskets instead of hitting balls into holes. Disc golf has ramped up popularity since Covid restrictions were introduced, as it's an easy outdoor sport that has no green fees and allows for social distancing. I've played the course at Rundle many times and I still find it challenging. Some of the holes are fairly long, and have hazards like water or hills to keep you on your toes. Compared to the other courses I have played, Rundle could do a better job with signage to help players find the next hole, as some of the holes criss-cross each other a bit. The bathrooms in the family centre are open daily, and there are plenty of parking spots. Aside from disc golf, Rundle is huge. I've attended 5k races here, and they easily can stay within the park. There are playgrounds, and numerous picnic sites. On a recent Sunday, the park was full of people setting up makeshift picnic sites in the grass, and all the city-run picnic spots were fully of families. I will note that the mini-golf is no longer open, even though there are a few painted signs remaining in the park. Rundle is a wonderful place in the city to spend time with family and friends, and a perfect picnic destination.

LOVE me some Rundle Park…read more When I first moved to Canada, from Seattle, 14 years ago our townhouse was across the street. Now, the area is a bit rough but that's not Rundle Park's fault. The park itself is MASSIVE and contains the ACT pool, the clubhouse you can rent out for parties, paddle boats, lots of trails, views/access to river valley, and tennis courts open to the public for free. Not to mention the bumpy roller coaster feel of the road that will abuse your car but is oh so fun for bike riding. It's build on the old city dump so that's why the ground bubbles up all over the place! There's a golf course here though I've never had the pleasure. They also have outdoor mini golf but I've never tried that either. They also set up huge bails of hay here in the winter along the fence lines for awesome and relatively safe tobogganing! See you soon Rundle Park!

It's been a loooong time coming. The renovations are wonderful. The day camp use is properly…read moredone. Brand new playground and splash pad is well done. More parking. Lakeside restaurant is beautiful. Come enjoy.

I've always liked coming to Hawrelak Park. One year I was taking a summer class at UofA and I…read morewould walk here after class to enjoy the greenery and quiet space. Over the years, we've enjoyed the sites to have BBQs and gatherings. It's a spacious park and even with crowds, it never seems that busy (except during Heritage Days). Most recently I was here for the Rock Festival at the Amphitheatre. It's easy to find the white top and the walking from parking isn't far as it's central. Inside there was plenty of seating with a good view of the stage and those who brought their own lawn chairs could enjoy it from the outside where it was a bit warmer when the sun was out. There's a water fountain near the washrooms and lots of women stalls, although with this crowd, there was always a line up that moved fast. They also had porta potties. There were tents set up with vendors on one site, and food trucks on the other, and sometimes the walkway got crowded but I could walk around them. I enjoyed the event, and it got a bit chilly so I'm glad we also brought a blanket to keep warm!

This is such a nice park and kind of hidden off the beaten path! My husband and I come here often…read morefor a nice walk when have some alone time. I love listening to the water so taking a stroll on the walking bridge is so soothing. The bridge is nice and wide so no worries for social distancing. And it's lit up at night too. There are a few lookout spots with benches. It's lovely at anytime of the year, summer winter spring and fall.

We decided this year to try a different park each time we go out for a picnic. With the weather…read morelooking questionable we went to Capilano Park which we have never been to, but is fairly close to my house. What a lovely spot to picnic at. Not large, but has 12 picnic sites, some with the BBQs..many of them in the trees where you feel more secluded from the city and the parking lot. There are bathrooms also for convenience. Lots of trails to walk, ride a bike, or push a stroller. Our only issue is that the BBQ pits are way too small. We could not fit enough wood in them to generate the proper heat to cook our smokies on. The are so narrow! Anyway, nothing large or glamorous. But if you need a few hours of solitude, this is the place for you...just pack your propane BBQ.

I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed spending many a lunchbreak at this park! I often meet up…read morewith a girlfriend to run the stairs and am definitely looking forward to the blooming of the donated rose bushes come warmer weather! You can connect up to Jasper Ave via the stairs at the Shaw or continue your trek across the river and over to the Muttart via the footbridge. There is even a little riverfront promenade down below with a view of the Edmonton Queen Riverboat!

At an event at the Shaw and looking for a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle? A short walk…read moresouth of the Conference Centre is the park which you can access by the doors out of the Shaw and down the stairs. It's easy to get to and away from the downtown activity and great for walkers and runners. There's the riverfront plaza and promenade where there are washrooms available. The Chinese garden is lovely and I have seen wedding parties take photos at this location. It's serene and a lovely walk on the trail beside the river. There can be a few runners but room for walkers and runners to share. You can also see the River Queen and I believe you can access it with a walk across the pedestrian bridge and then a short walk through the park on the other side. If you want to sit and relax, there are benches with the view of the river. One of the many great parks in Edmonton!

Sakaw is a good park for anyone that wants to enjoy it but I am a bigger fan of the skating rink…read more It is one of the rare rinks that you can almost always count on being open in the winter. They always have the ice fresh and the rink lit up, even on the coldest days of winter when some people would rather stay in bed than maintain a rink. The only downside is that it can get really busy sometimes and it's tough to enjoy a crowded rink but most days you can get a good pick up game going.

I used to live right next to this park and spent the occasional sunny day there reading, walking,…read moreor just hanging out with my family. It's mostly peaceful but can get a bit noisy since there's an elementary school just to the right. There's plenty of space, even enough to play a game of soccer, which a lot of kids doo. It's also a great place to take your dog for a walk (just make sure you pick up after yourself). As a bonus, it does have a skating/hockey rink so it's useful in the winter as well as the summer (unlike many parks in South Edmonton).

I really enjoyed this park in the past but I have to say when you're less mobile, it does take some…read moresleuthing to figure out where to access things to get a better walk close to the ravine. Beautiful at all times of the year and one of my most favourite winter events is held within this park. Being that I live decently close to this park, I was surprised the 3 access points to this park I've encountered were all massive stairs but none of them had signs for any options for accessible routes. Lovely benches always nearby the top of the stairs which I've enjoyed this summer and some being near smaller open parks, I've enjoyed watching the dogs. I wouldn't recommend using the stair routes unless you're looking for good cardio in your day otherwise after a long walk in the ravine, it is quite a hike back up (speaking from past experiences!). Today, I took a neighbourhood construction detour and wondered where everyone was going with bikes and dogs. It was like the whole neighbourhood was outside! I smartly followed the dog walkers and biker groups. Finally, flatter trails and easier slope access points to the park were wonderfully revealed. There's cement paths on the upper portions of millcreek and more gravel and dirt paths on the lower levels. Some beautiful places for photos - tons of people out there today for family and engagement photos with the beautiful fall colours and the lovely bridges. I really like millcreek ravine due to the mix use. There's a good mix of on and off leash trails for dog walkers. Good trails for all sorts of bikes. Decent paved trails for young families. Nice variation of walking paths for various fitness levels. Lovely way to connect with nature without driving out of the city. I do have to say with everyone outside, I was surprised that I was one of the few with a mask on in the park. Some areas the trails are so narrow, you're almost shoulder to shoulder passing by. The path I ended on was going in the direction of the pool but due to my limited walking distance stamina, I turned around way before reaching that. Had a great but unexpected chat with friends on my way back to my vehicle which of course was much closer than I actually thought (it's easy to loose track of how far you've gone so good to remember to charge up your phone before going into the ravine so you can check distances/path maps).

It's kinda my Go-To because it's close by. Endless trails…read more Sometimes they are mucky. If you don't like dogs, stay off the lower South trail that allows off leash access. There is one porta potty in the parking lot beside the Mill Creek pool turnoff. Lots of cyclists. Most of them use their bells to give you heads up. Some will shout..."On your left!'... I shout back, "I doubt that, pal. I voted NDP". I can walk 10 km through this park which gives me a pretty nice, safe workout. I also stop and smell the roses.