Strathcona County Riverside Nature Trail
One day I will be able to walk there from my house - sorry it's been so long
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UPDATE: As of June 1, 2023 part of the Riverside Nature Trail will be closed for the foreseeable future, due to construction starting on the foot bridge across the North Saskatchewan River. This news brings mixed feelings as this trail is so great and will not accessible for quite a while but the bridge build is really exciting at the same time.
(original post starts here)
My apologies for dropping off here for a couple of months. Life got a little crazy and I was working out what I wanted this Substack to be. I haven’t had any inspiration to completely change it, however, you will see more trail adjacent content (still outdoor focused but not trail specific) in the future. For now, here’s a little snippet from March on the Riverside Nature Trail.
It was one of those days where I didn’t really feel like getting out to get exercise but knew I’d feel better having gone. Our daylight hours (or should I say minutes) had slowly been increasing but I didn’t get out till late in the day and the sun was kissing the horizon by the time I arrived back at my car.
I love seeing the light return to our evening hours. One day you are leaving work in the dark and a month later, you are leaving work at dusk, then a month later you are thinking of ways to enjoy the sunshine as it stays up later and later. It is a hint of spring on the horizon, with the hope of full summer sun to come and it brings a feeling of cheer after months of making an intentional effort to put your face in the sun.
That was the feeling the day I went to Strathcona County’s Riverside Nature Trail. It was cold but not bitter, sunny with some clouds and with enough sunshine to make you feel like winter would not last forever.
Riverside Nature Trail
I had discovered this portion of the Trans Canada trail a few years ago when looking to see where the trail I walked on the opposite side of the river ended up. I was looking at a map and discovered that the end of the north side trail, that stretches all the way to my house, was directly across the river to another trail (Riverside Nature Trail) that connected to Fort Saskatchewan (a neighbouring city). A walking bridge is slated to cross the river to join those two sections (sometime in the future) and it is part of the Trans Canada Trail. I was intrigued and took a friend to go discover this fun extension to a trail I had walked so often.
There are technically 3 places you could start this trail. Two are shown on the map above and the third is in Fort Saskatchewan, however I always go to the end of the road where it meets the river. This section is through Aspen (Poplar) forest with spruce trees in pockets along the way. It is shaded in the summer and accessible all winter. It is very popular with local dog owners so if you have issues with dogs, I would suggest you pass on this one.
The trail gets packed down really quickly as it is well used but I have never felt crowded when walking here and sometimes have not seen another person on the trail.
This day I only saw one person leaving as I was starting out. That could have been because it was around the time people were eating and the sun was due to set shortly. Usually I see more folks on this trail.
Not sure if anyone else does this but if I don’t want to go exercise or walking, then I convince myself “I’ll just go for 20 minutes”, just to get myself out of my house. Sometimes I say less minutes but I have to drive there so I say 20 minutes to make it worth the drive. Then when I get there I walk until I feel like it’s been a while before checking the time. Often I just walk until I feel some fatigue and that will be longer than my suggested 20 minutes. If it’s outside, it’s easy to pass the 20 minute goal without a timer, then I make a new goal, like to a certain point on the trail or number or minutes, to make myself go just a little farther. I am not one to push myself hard and I am really good at staying within my perceived limits, but this little trick seems to work to make me farther on days I don’t feel like it.
I also do this when going to the gym - “just 10 minutes on the treadmill and I get to go to the massage chair or infrared sauna” - but end up doing 45-60 minutes. Just gotta get there and get past the first ten. You can use this trick if you need to. I have no idea why it works, other than having small achievable goals that send signals to our brain that we should celebrate. I don’t question it, I just tell myself “20 minutes” on repeat until I am in my car or on the trail.
I love wandering through areas and seeing what is growing or living there. Spruce trees are easy to identify as they have needles growing all the way around the branches and look pretty symetrical in profile. They have shorter, spikey needles that feel pokey when you grab a branch. I like to “shake hands” with conifers to help identify them. Beware of grabbing on too hard.
The spruce in this forest is scattered in clumps but make a colourful addition to the forest in winter.
As this trail is along the river, there is a lot of Red Osier Dogwood there. The bright red branches stand out well in winter against the snowy backdrop and makes a cheery splash of colour on grey days. Red Osier Dogwood was historically used for weaving baskets and rope from the bark and the inner pulp was used for some medicines. NOTE: Only use local plants for medicines with the proper training and knowledge - I am not teaching on that here.
You can identify Red Osier Dogwood by its smooth, red bark found in areas close to water. It is a shorter shrub, so will not grow very tall and have many branches growing in a small space.
I spotted a lot of animal activity along the trail, even though it’s a popular spot to take dogs, so be on the lookout for rabbits, pheasants/grouse, ducks, coyote, squirrels and all kinds of birds when you go.
After stopping to breathe while turning my face towards the sun, I was ready to head back to my car. I was definitely glad I went out that day and ended up walking for just over an hour.
Family Friendly: YES - I have seen people taking strollers on the snow-packed trails in the winter. It is also dog friendly, so feel free to take your four-legged family members.
Nature: You will most-likely see wildlife on this trail if you watch for it and will definitely see signs of creatures, like fur, feathers, bark scratchings and nests.
Seasons: This is a 4 season trail. My least favourite season to visit is the height of summer, as I find it too hot, with less shade than some of my other hikes. Winter is a great visit as it’s always packed down with little need for spikes, but a set of poles when I ices over in spots would be helpful.
Before I sign off, I thought I would attach a map of where to find it. If you search in your map app, it will be there but this gives you an idea of how close to the city it is.
I do hope you will go see it for yourself and then contact me to tell me about your experience.
Until we meet on the trails,
Kara