The North Saskatchewan River Valley trail system is the largest urban park in Canada — a continuous green corridor running through the heart of Edmonton along the North Saskatchewan River valley, covering over 7,400 hectares of ravine land and connecting 22 major parks through more than 160 kilometres of maintained trails. For a city that most visitors come to for West Edmonton Mall or as a gateway to Jasper, the river valley is the discovery that most often changes how they think about Edmonton.

The scale requires some contextualizing. Central Park in New York is 341 hectares. The North Saskatchewan River Valley park system is more than 20 times that size, contained within an active major city. The valley itself was carved by glacial meltwater and the river that followed, leaving steep-sided ravines that cut through the urban fabric and created a natural barrier to development that has preserved the green space across Edmonton’s entire growth history.

The trail network is divided into riverside trails following the North Saskatchewan River itself, and ravine trails extending into the side valleys and tributary creek corridors. The main riverside section from the Groat Bridge area east through Hawrelak Park to the Muttart Conservatory area is the most popular and most developed — paved, flat, and accessible to cyclists, walkers, and inline skaters throughout. In winter this section is groomed for cross-country skiing, making it one of the best urban cross-country skiing networks in Canada.

William Hawrelak Park, within the river valley, is Edmonton’s primary special event park — a large, flat green space with a lake that hosts festivals, outdoor concerts, and community events through the warm season. The Edmonton Folk Music Festival in August, one of the most celebrated music festivals in western Canada, takes place here annually. The park is accessible directly from the valley trail system and is a natural midpoint stop on a longer river valley excursion.

The 100 Street Funicular, opened in 2018, connects downtown Edmonton to the river valley trail system at the base of the slope — a short funicular ride that takes pedestrians from street level to the valley floor in under a minute and has significantly increased the accessibility of the trail system from downtown. The funicular operates seasonally and is free to use.

For visitors staying in downtown Edmonton, accessing the river valley trail system provides an entirely different urban experience from the mall and museum visits. A morning walk or run from the funicular east along the river to Hawrelak Park and back covers approximately 10 kilometres with river views throughout — one of the better urban outdoor experiences available in a Canadian city of Edmonton’s size.

Address: Multiple access points — main downtown access via 100 Street Funicular

Price: Free

Hours: Open daily year-round