Edmonton's Ribbon of Green is both its summer playground and its winter wonderland.
For all its thrusting downtown skyscrapers and sprawling expanse of suburbs, Edmonton is a city that holds the natural world close to its heart. In fact, nature literally runs right through it. The North Saskatchewan River has cut a broad ravine through the centre of Alberta's capital, and rather than building on it, most of its length has been set aside as parkland. Many think that Edmonton's “Ribbon of Green” is the longest thread of urban parkland in the whole of North America, running across 22 parks – and nearly 50 kilometres.
It all started as a fortunate accident of geography – the flatlands above the river's steep banks were much easier to build on than the valley, and less liable to flooding. So the North Saskatchewan River was left alone. Eventually, Edmonton's city government realised what an asset they had threading through the capital's centre. They set about enlarging the number of parks, creating the Edmonton River Valley, an almost continuous strip of mid-city parkland.
The parks vary tremendously in size and style. Some are pure urban parks, offering recreational facilities like basketball, skating and rollerblading. Some are given over to golf courses, both private and those open to the public. And others are focused on nature, with small-scale camping facilities, nature trails and wild native forests. It is thought that on the quieter stretches of park you could encounter anything from rabbits and porcupines, to deer, coyotes or beavers. Trees not found elsewhere in North America – like healthy stands of American elm unaffected by Dutch elm disease – line some of its parks.
The whole series of parks is linked by footpaths and bike trails, with spots set aside for canoeing, rafting and kayaking. In some places, you can also cast a line and catch a few fish.
In the winter, Edmonton River Valley becomes snow-bound, but that doesn't stop the resourceful Edmontonians. There are ski slopes on the valley sides, with snowshoe and cross-country ski trails marked out. Skating rinks are also opened up, and the determined keep on hooking those fish, ice fishing on the frozen lakes. It seems that one thing those living in the most northerly American city know how to do is to enjoy themselves outdoors in mid-winter.
