I've always liked coming to Hawrelak Park. One year I was taking a summer class at UofA and I would 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! read more

William Hawrelak Park is one of Edmonton's most used parks, and used by me and my family on a regular basis. The park is named after a former mayor of Edmonton and the site used to be an old gravel pit. My, much has changed over time! The park is situated just off Groat Road with the North Saskatchewan River running by it's side. The park has many amenities available from picnic areas, public washrooms, amphitheater, playground, and of course the lake. Regardless of the time of year you go to Hawrelak Park there is always something to do - skating, cross country skiing and snow shoeing in the winter to flying kites, paddle boats, wildlife watching and chilling out in the summer. Some of the larger picnic areas need to be booked in advance and to do so you need to call the City's Parks and Rec division. Regardless of the time of year you'll see people running through the park as part of the trail system goes through it. It's also a hot spot for wedding pictures. Hawrelak Park has been the location of many events from the annual Heritage Days Festival, Edmonton marathon route, the now defunct Bright Nights Festival, Terry Fox Run, Symphony Under The Stars, sporting events and Silver Skate Festival, to name a few. read more

William Hawrelak Park - Parks Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Perhaps the only downside of this park is that it can occasionally be very busy! I do rather love attending events here year round. Whether it is the Servus Heritage Festival, or the Silver Skate Festival, the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, the Inter-Nerd Gathering, or just a gathering of friends, this park is great for activities of all sizes and types. I have enjoyed skating, snowshoeing, biking, frisbee throwing and catching, walking, hay rides, and more at the park! The big picnic sites cost to reserve, but guarantee shelter should inclement weather come to pass. The more casual and smaller spots around the park are free for use most of the time, however. There are also paddle boats in the summer but I've never used them. There is a bus stop outside of the park, which allows for convenient access, especially during or for special events. There is also park and ride and shuttle service from various areas of town for these larger events. Parking can be difficult or impossible when such events are going on. The man-made lake is pretty nice and has been used for major events. There is a great bridge to the off-leash area and other parks in the river valley park system from this park which is great when walking. Generally I enjoy most events and activities I've done in this park year-round. read more

I always love coming to Hawrelak Park, it's such a beautiful park for picnics in the summer or skating in the winter. There's plenty of open park area which is great for summer activities like frisbee or even just walking around. In the little chalet you can get snacks and drinks, and you can also rent skates in the winter time. They also have lockers which is always super helpful!! One of my favourite things about this park is that it's also within walking distance of another great park, Laurier Park. read more

I have been coming to Hawrelak Park since I was a child and it was still called Mayfair. My father and brother and I used to go on the paddle boats, and feed the flocks of Canada geese that would arrive every year. Now, I still go to the park on a regular basis, especially now that there is such easy access via the pedestrian bridge linking this south side park up with the west end. The park is quite large and has a paved road running around its circumference, so I can ride my bike easily there. Hawrelak Park is where I attend the Heritage Festival, my favourite Edmonton festival each year featuring ethnic foods and dance. The park is host to other events and festivals, and those geese still hang out there. read more

This is likely the most popular park in the city. Many festivals are held here throughout the year - including my favourite, Symphony Under the Sky. In the winter they have Bright Nights where they have different lit-up winter and Christmas themes and you drive through it. There doesn't have to be an event happening to enjoy this beautiful park. There's a lake with paddleboat rentals in the summer and skating in the winter. There are several sites available to rent. I've been here for work BBQs in the past. One thing I recently discovered is that there's free Wi-Fi available in the park. I was told that it was throughout the park but my laptop only picked it up when I was near the amphitheater. Still, very cool. Dogs are only allowed at the park one day a year when they have Pets in the Park. Otherwise, leave them at home. The park has gates and hours - they're open 8am - 11pm. read more

William Hawrelak Park - Lights in the amphitheater during Symphony Under the Sky. - Parks Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Activities! There is just so much to do here publicly. So many events such as Heritage festival, Ice castles, etc. I recommend anyone looking for something to do in Edmonton to check the local website. "https://exploreedmonton.com/attractions-and-experiences/hawrelak-park" Even if you don't feel like doing activities it is open to public to walk around. You can even cross country hike if you have your own ski gear or even bring your own rental gear which is not on site. They do have sites to have your own campfires and bbq. I'm sure it's free but you'd have to get there by "first come, first serve." The washrooms are well kept and placed along the area for accessible use. The pond is large and used for many things such as ice skating, & small boating usually when it's heritage days. Next to this park is the bridge which is a must visit which also has its own trails. It's worth definitely worth a gander. Recommended for anyone looking to enjoy a nice earthly and public scenery. read more

This is by far my favourite park in Edmonton. It's got everything you could ask for in a park, especially in this city. Summer: paddle boats, nice trails, plus Shakespeare in the Park! Killer geese aside, this a great place for a date, a family day out, a BBQ with friends, or any other outdoor activity you can imagine. Winter: Silver Skate festival (Um, hello? Ice slide!), cross country skiing, and outdoor skating! Too much fun :) Definitely a great Edmonton landmark to visit any time of the year. read more

Best park in Edmonton? I think so. A huge park in our lovely river valley, with trails coming in from a bunch of different directions. There are all kinds of great festivals and events going on here year-round. It's also a great spot for barbecues in the summer and ice skating in the winter. But the absolute best thing about Hawrelak? Paddleboats. I. Love. Paddleboats. read more

This is a well maintained, multi-functional park that is perfect for families and people who are looking for something to do. I haven't been here in the winter, but I was lucky enough to use this park in several different ways during my weekend visit: trail running, lounging by the "lake" and road racing. I was also very impressed with how well the washrooms were maintained. I expected a super dirty washroom with no soap or nothing to dry your hands, but it was a full functioning washroom that didn't smell! Next time i wish I was more prepared to go on the paddle boats. The only reason why I'm giving it a 4 stars is that it wasn't as zen as I was hoping it would be. It gets pretty busy on a hot summer day, and there were tons of gross seagulls. read more

Hawrelak Park is Edmonton's park. 'Nuff said. It's got the best festivals, the best green space, the best view of downtown, the best connectivity to the river valley trail system, the best bridges to connect with the West Side, and it has the best geese. Seriously. The Canadian Geese at Hawrelak are the roughest, toughest Canadian geese west of Hamilton. Watch out, because they'll come over and take the bagette right out of your hands! Central to our city, and central in my heart. read more

Beautiful park with lots of space to run around, a wonderful lake to paddle boat or skate on and lots of terrific festivals year round. Unfortunately, its advantages are ruined by two things, the lack of transit here (only two buses go near it, in a convoluted route from the university that wastes travel time and ends well before the park and its events closes at night) and the absolutely USELESS park staff. It costs a fortune to book a site at Hawrelak Park and they usually wind up double (or triple!) booking you despite confirming multiple times with them that you have a booking. If you confront them about it when you arrive and find someone else (who also has a booking) in your confirmed site, their general reaction is 'sucks to be you'. As such, by all means go here - it's great - but make sure you do so with friends that have a car, within bus hours, and NOT if you're trying to have a bbq in a specific spot! read more

Hawrelak Park is my favourite in the city! (Although I won't lie, I can never remember how to spell it...) It's always clean, with nicely trimmed grass and a sparkling little pond feature. The park is absolutely huge, so you can find your own private little area away from the rest of the park visitors fairly easy. Nothing worse than a random person hitting you in the head with a football... Unless you're living in a romantic comedy, because that means you probably just met your soul mate. It's the perfect place to come have a picnic/BBQ, play around, exercise, or just lay around and soak up the sun in the summer. I will say that the bathroom facilities can get a little bit grungy and they can run out of paper towel/toilet paper really quick when it's busy there. So I'd recommend bringing some of your own Kleenex, or whatever you prefer, and hand sanitizer. read more

Hawrelak Park is one of my favorite places in Edmonton. I have very fond childhood memories of family outings at the Park, and to this day, I continue to make new memories there. My favorite thing to d at Hawrelak is just to walk. I know that sounds boring but it's not. I love admiring the scenery, feeding the ducks, and soaking up the sun (usually in the summer). I also love people watching there. It's funny because Hawrelak Park brings so many diverse crowds together onto one piece of land. You have your families who take out the paddle boats and eat popsicles down by the water, you have have couples going for a rollerblade or bike ride, sometimes they just lay in the sun and cuddle too. You also have your young crews of 16-25 year olds barbecuing or playing volleyball or frisbee. It's really amazing to see all the different groups that come out to enjoy Hawrelak Park. I love it. read more

This park is really beautiful and there are always wonderful things going on here. You can rent picnic sights, you can lounge on the grass, or you can come and sit under the stars and watch Shakespeare in the park. When the weather becomes cold, there is a skating rink ready for you to come and enjoy. The only thing I really don't like about this park is that they do not allow pets. I understand that they are trying to keep the park clean, but if people pick up after their pets it wouldn't be a problem. I would go here a lot more if I was allowed to bring my dog here. read more

William hawrelak park ... It's a park haha. A very nice park which boasts alot of space for great events such as heritage days! Most likely it's most exciting of events. Other then that I don't really have much use for driving all the way here just for some grass and trees. The reason I give it 4 stars and not 3 is that it does have BBQ pits so you can go on a weekend and have a family outing with a larger group and be able to cook something hot instead of eating pasta salads. It's def a good place for kids and a good place for a run on bike ride but it's definitely the larger organized events that make this place the destination it is. read more

One of the most beautifully maintained parks in the city. Often host to various festivals during the summer. They have group picnic sites that you can reserve ahead of time. There is a pavilion that has a few indoor picnic tables, lockers, water fountain, flush toilets and a cash only concession for ice cream, hot dogs and burgers. For some reason this year they have fences around all of the lake. Some kind of construction? There is plenty of parking but the park is also transit accessible. read more

This is my favourite park in the city. It has everything, trails, open fields, the big pond, skating in the winter, a kids park, picnic sites, the amphitheatre thing. What more do you want? read more

Went to see the ice castles, parking was easy and staff were nice and helpful. Worth going for date night family night whatever. Make sure to bring a camera read more

Growing up in Edmonton means that hawrelak holds a big place in my heart as well as being the point of many a memory. Track meets, birthday party's, bike rides, heritage days, barbecues, and meetings. This really is great place to be in the summer and sometimes in the winter. There are structures you can use with tables in them if you're having a get together of sorts. There are indoor bathrooms, a dock by the water, and a beach-ish area. Free parking all around the loop and tons of bike racks to accommodate everyone. There's often a food truck or ice cream stand floating around for the spontaneous drop ins. For anyone with kids there is one if the best best play grounds here. Anyone looking for a good workout can use the stairs and the hills, it's great for tri-training. Honestly the best outdoor space in Edmonton IMO. read more

This is pretty much my favorite edmonton place year round. It's got everything: the amphitheatre with great programming, festivals that are fun throughout the year, cross country trails and a skating rink with music and chocolate in the winter, and a whole lot of grass to lie on in the summer. I am within walking distance and this makes me happy. I feel like this park embodies the best of Edmonton for me. read more

William Hawrelak Park is my favorite park in Edmonton. I love to go here and walk around. There's lots to see..and lots of festivals that take place here in the summer. Skating in the winter, paddle boats in the summer. Lots of crazy geese! The scenery is great and Heritage Festival is one of my favorites! read more

Very nice park. Always clean all year round.. love all the events big and small that are held here. Definitely one of my favourite Edmonton parks.. read more

Managed to make an appearance at Heritage Days this year and I am always reminded how beautiful of a park Hawrelak is. What I love the most is the wide open spaces among the treed areas. Perfect for a game of soccer or Ultimate Frisbee on a nice hot summer day. Throw in a number of great bbq sites, a cute little lake and paddle boats and you could easily melt away a day here. Fun in the sun, enjoy it while you can! read more

I LOVE this Park.... During different times of the year it transforms into a theatre for the Free Will Shakespeare Festival, a United Nations for Heritage Day Festival, and for the rest of the year it is a wonderful place to have a picnic, take a pedal boat out, and then there is just sitting at the stream, near the foot bridge, to contemplate and rest a weary brain....AND cross country ski!!! read more

I originally started going to this park to roller blade when I first moved to the city. It was a safe place to get some exercise and learn how to skate on pavement. It was nice to be out around lots of green in a public space, but the terrain wasn't that great. The pavement was fairly rough and bumpy. If you talked to a skating companion while in motion, your voice vibrated. Also, you pretty much just has to go around and around in circles, which got boring after awhile. I went to Hawrelak a few other times for arts events, like Shakespeare in the park and to ice skate on the pond during the winter. That was lots of fun, and they had a little hut where you could sip hot chocolate and take a break. In the summer, I've suntanned on the lawn a few times in the grassy areas. Lots of people come here for picnics and barbecues. I've always planned to but never have. It's mostly large ethnic families who still know how to spend time together regularly. Oh yeah, and I've been to Bright Nights, the city's Christmas lights festival, but thought it was a complete rip off. You drive in a circle but you're behind a bunch of cars and they take something like $15 from your car window at the start, then 15 minutes later you drive out. It's just lights, most set up by corporations. I'd rather enjoy the living ambiance of driving or walking through Candy Cane lane, where other people are out and about in the neighbourhood and there are lots of unique, individual touches. read more

William Hawrelak Park - Bright Nights is kinda lame. Photo courtesy of flickr.com. - Parks Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Hawrelak Park is a cool place to go on a hot summer day. The best way to describe it is a beach without sand or an ocean. People are suntanning in bathing suits, throwing frisbee's and just relaxing. If you want to get together with a bunch of friends on a hot afternoon this is the place to meet up and have a BBQ. read more

A great place to get away from the city craziness. Enjoy a jog/run/BBQ or just simply grab a blanket and chill out on the grass with a good book. With whatever the pleasure brings you here. I have yet to visit the festivals in the area but I hear they are some great ones held here, and hope this summer I get to visit some. read more

I love this park. Lots of paths to walk, a nice pond and a nice playground. A great place to have a picnic.

What a gorgeous park. Awesome trails to run on, a lot of BBQ pits for roastin'. What a blast. Access to the river, dog of leash areas. Perfect. I just wish it could be bigger. read more

I am sure that William Hawrelak Park doesn't need to be reviewed since everybody knows what this place is and has to offer, but here we go anyway... During winter it is THE place to come to skate. There is a frozen lake right in the middle in the park where you can skate in circles for hours! Both adults and children, good skaters and novices are guaranteed to have lots of fun here. Also, there is an event called "Bright Nights" going on around Christmas time. For a fee (which is $15 for a car full of people) you get to drive around and look at the lights shaped like people, animals and things: ) In the summer Hawrelak is the best spot for playing badminton or soccer, feeding ducks, taking a nap in the sun (with SPF cream on, of course!) or just taking a stroll along many walking trails. Hawrelak is also a place where Heritage and Blues festivals take place. I am sure there are many other festivals going on in Hawrelak during summer but unfortunately I have never been. The park gets extremely, insanely, tremendously busy during summer months. On those hot sunny days which are such a rarity in Edmonton, it is virtually impossible to find parking or an empty spot to lay or sit down. All vitamin D starved Edmontonians head here. It can be a beautiful thing or can get really annoying when you make arrangements with friends but either running late because you can't park the car, or can't find your friends at all! read more

Needs more benches and a couple of gazebos would really add to its beauty!