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.

A nice public park with picnic shelters which you can rent from the city. The pavillion is…read moreexcellently well maintained with washrooms, rooms for activities and rent and lots of open grassy area for activities. There's even a small park for children, decent parking, and it is located very close to the river if you wanted to go for a nice walk on the paths. It is also walking distance from downtown. There is a skating rink in the winter (which I've not visited as most of my visits have been in the spring/fall/summer) but the space is lovely for a picnic or other summer activities. A smaller park, it is often less busy than other more well-known Edmonton parks in the downtown accessible area.

A beautiful place to stop by and enjoy the river valley in the summer! Lots of trails to go for a…read morewalk/run down. In the winter, there's a skating rink where speed skaters go to practice. The ice is fairly well maintained. This year they added in the 400m Freezeway, which is an awesome starter project. The loop is still fairly short, but lots of fun to skate! There are slight slopes which make it fun, but also a little scary for newer skaters. The ice is rough. Very rough. So be careful! The areas with the lights are very pretty and are a perfect place to snap a picture. I'm really excited about this project and hope they expand it in future years! There's lots of parking to be found here, which makes it super convenient to visit. A great place to head for some free fun, a workout, or even a date!

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 love going to the promenade any time I need to clear my head or just step out for a moment to…read moreenjoy the sunshine. It has a picturesque view curving up from 100 Ave and stretching from 117 Street to 121 Street. The sidewalk is very wide which allows for a variety of non-motor activities. There is also a bike lane that runs its lengths so it helps alleviate the tension between motorists, cyclists and pedestrians; making it a very popular commuters route. In the summer if you time it right you can snag one of the benches to watch a river valley sunset which goes on my list of top free views in the city. Its a very friendly area as almost everyone you pass has a smile on their face and a spring in their step. Mostly it is walkers or joggers that live around there but my person favourite is seeing the grannies decked out in their Sundays best going for a stroll in the sunshine. I hope when I reach their age that I have that good of taste in clothes and and still able to walk with that kind of swagger. My favourite recent addition to the promenade is the Fresh Cafe which is a perfect compliment to the area just located off of Jasper and 116th in The Elmhurst Apartments. Now I have somewhere close enough to buy gelato with out worrying about it melting before I have a chance to find a bench. I hope that they continue to maintain this gem and preserve it for generations to come. I am reminded of all those who were kind enough to preserve it for me to use every time I sit on a bench and ready the plaque inscribed on it. I hope they continue this model else where in the river valley as there are not enough places for one to sit and enjoy the amazing park system that we have in this city.

Victoria Promenade is the kind of thing that's missing from a lot of our river valley. It runs…read morealong 100 Ave from 117 St to 121 St, with a nice wide sidewalk, lots of benches, and great views of the river valley. On a nice day, it gets pretty busy and is popular with walkers, runners, and those of us who get our exercise by sitting on a bench, eating gelato. I would love it if there was a little cafe around here... even just a kiosk in the summer.

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.

I love this lake! The ducks are a must see, and sometimes you would see some storks! The Path is…read moreawesome streaching around 15k, 10/10, will come back!

I absolutely love this park/lake/walking path. Whatever you want to call it, I love coming here…read more It's beautiful, it's peaceful, and it's great for a walk or a jog. It reminds me of a gorgeous lake front park in Toronto, lots of wildlife and trees, some nice deck lookouts and spots to sit and take a rest or just sit and listen to the birds. I also did a photo shoot here in the fall, the pictures were gorgeous. I come here whenever I can, and when the weather is good.

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!

Park is quite large with a reasonable amount of picnic tables, one of the best large hills in the…read morecity for sledding in the winter, fireworks in the summer are nice here, spray park is good for little kids when it's too hot, and overall very well landscaped. Only downside is that being the only large park in the area it is often packed in the warmer months and parking spaces are very limited.

GREAT park with small water splash pad, toddler area, swings, and playground…read more This park includes TONS of land and including grassy knolls, soccer fields, ball diamonds, and maybe even more! Located conveniently across from Mill Woods Town Centre - bus service would be a breeze to and from this park.