Tag Archives: Terwillegar Footbridge

A Summer Walk in and around Fort Edmonton

The newly reopened Fort Edmonton Park

Beautiful walk this morning with Tom from Fort Edmonton to Terwillegar and back.

Because of extensive renovations and expansion, Fort Edmonton has been closed for three years. It just re-opened on July 1, so there were more cars in the parking lot. As a kid, Fort Edmonton was one of the less enjoyable outings, which was often a yearly event or whenever relatives visited. It was literally a fort and not much else, but I liked the train, whose distinctive whistle can once again be heard through the trees. With a cost of $165 million, I’m guessing it’s a lot better and more kid-friendly now, and there’s a ferris wheel. We’ll have to check it out.

View from the Fort Edmonton Footbridge

Lots of fresh coyote shit on the trails but we didn’t see any of the furry dispensers. Not sure if that’s good or bad. I love seeing coyotes, especially if they’re close enough to get a good photo, but not too close. Not being a snack dog or a young kid, I don’t fear them, but I also don’t want to be seen as potential prey, however remote. The vast majority of the time, they don’t want to have anything to do with humans, and I don’t blame them.

Fun fact: you can always tell the difference between coyote and dog shit by the amount of berries. Obvious berries, I should add, no microscope required. Also, most people pick up after their dogs, whereas coyotes have no such service. Thankfully, Tom didn’t notice. I was afraid if I told him he would want to turn around. He loves coyotes too but the amount of berry-filled shit shimmering in the bright sun at regular intervals was a little alarming.

Lots of grasshoppers. We’ve had everything else this summer, why not a plague of locusts? (Seriously though, I love them).
Hello hard-to-spell footbridge

Cool to start (12C), and warm by the end (21C), but the breeze helped to keep the temperature down. Although it seems like a much longer walk than our usual walk around Glenora/Ravine Drive, it’s actually only about a 1,000 more steps. I got about 13,597 steps in total that day.

Fort Edmonton Trail in the Spring

Fort Edmonton footbridge

Beautiful walk this afternoon along the Fort Edmonton/Terwillegar trails, featuring two of the city’s newish footbridges. It’s a beautiful walk, although the foliage is not quite there yet. Last year when I walked on this particular trail for the first time with Sharon and Stella, it was a revelation. We are so lucky in this city to have such beautiful, diverse trails.

The river, from the bridge
Woohoo!

About half way along the trail, we ran across a tree decorated with Oilers gear. The playoffs are about to start. Let’s go Oilers! Addendum: they were swept in the first round 🙁

Terwillegar footbridge, looking in the direction of the dog park

Sunny, about 12C. A slow but steady recovery from the $&!?@! mini cold-snap. 14,024 steps.

Park patrol

Fort Edmonton/Terwillegar (Again)

Looking over the Fort Edmonton Footbridge

Wow, what a gorgeous day! November 1st, and it’s 17C. A bazillion people out and about but easy to distance on the trail from Fort Edmonton to Terwillegar. About 12,000 steps.

Hard to tell, but the trails were packed

We had such a cold second half of October, but the last few days, including Halloween, were beautiful.

North Saskatchewan River from the Terwillegar Footbridge
Terwillegar Footbridge
Terwillegar Footbridge (again)

Mini-Holiday, Maximum Heat

On the way to Terwillegar via the Fort Edmonton Footbridge

We’re in the middle of a gross heat wave. I mean, some like it hot…I like it moderate. Moderately cold, and moderately hot. About -5C in the winter, and 21C in the summer. With sun and blue sky.

June was very wet, as was most of July, but this last week the temperatures have hovered near 30C with unusually high levels of humidity. Ugh.

Today, the first day of a mini five-day holiday, Sharon, Stella and I visited the newish Terwillegar bridge via Fort Edmonton, our starting point (just off Fox Drive). Once we hit the footbridge we went left (instead of my usual right) to the river so Stella could have a swim, and then on to Terwillegar.

Stella with stick
Beautiful, undulating wet sand
Sandbar below the Fort Edmonton Footbridge

We left at 9:00 am, but it was already warm and humid. The walk itself was brilliant. The sand bar where Stella had a swim in the river was surprisingly large considering the amount of rain we had prior to the heatwave. She had a blast. Wish I could have joined her.

Unbelievably gorgeous
Gorgeous views on both sides of the trail to Terwillegar
Gorgeous views II
Gorgeous views III

The view on either side of the trail leading to the Terwillegar footbridge was spectacular. I’ve said this a thousand times, but we are so lucky to have all these trails and green space in the middle of the city.

Terwillegar Footbridge

The walk was about two hours in total, give or take many stops to let Stella play in the water and check her peemail. Will definitely go on this walk again…and again.

Terwillegar Footbridge view of the river