Parks, Recreation, and Greenspace in Edmonton, Alberta

Edmonton is a large metropolitan city consisting of multiple independent neighborhoods, each with their own flavour and sense of community. There are older, more mature areas swimming in history as well as newer, more streamlined developments with all the accoutrements of modern society. Parks, green spaces, and nature trails abound, and the downtown core is bustling with activity. Constant improvements are being made to the city’s public transportation system. My favourite thing about Edmonton? This city has everything I need and wonderful new experiences to enjoy.

Winters in Edmonton are long and cold. People should know frostbite and protect their skin while walking or spending time outdoors. Summers are warm, sunny and beautiful, however, too short. Edmonton is a festival city. One of the largest multicultural festivals in the world, Heritage Festival, is held here every August long weekend.

Someone moving to Edmonton should know about the sprawling hills and vast system of trails in the river valley. Spanning 100s of kilometres, one can spend days hiking and biking within city limits. One summer, due to the construction of an LRT bridge, an “accidental beach” even appeared along the banks of Edmonton’s North Saskatchewan River, providing hours of sunbathing and swimming for children and adults. Therefore, Edmonton has many opportunities for fun in the outdoors.

Someone moving to Edmonton should know winters can become extremely cold – going up to -40 degrees Celsius. However, if you can survive the cold winters, summers in Edmonton can be a lot of fun. There are a variety of festivals throughout summer and there is also a sprawling river valley with beautiful trails and parks.

If one moves to Edmonton, keep in mind all the fun and exciting gems that are waiting to be discovered! Edmonton is home to West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in North America, which contains 100s of shops, a “street” of restaurants, an indoor amusement park and a water park complete with many daring slides and zip-lines. If you love the outdoors, the bustling Whyte Ave has everything to create a perfect day out from street performers to food festivals, hobby shops and so many picture worthy walls! However, a down side is the transit system which can end up costing you 30 minutes in wait time for some buses.