Alberta’s Capital Region River Valley Park
Creating a legacy… for generations to come
Feature Group for October
Waskahegan Trail Association
Website
http://www.waskahegantrail.ca
E-mail
information@waskahegantrail.ca
Mailing Address
Waskahegan Trail
P.O Box 131
Edmonton Alberta
Canada T5J 2G9
42 years young, the Waskahegan Trail Association is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to building and maintaining ‘Edmonton’s Backyard’ hiking trail. A president and board of directors administer the affairs of the Association according to registered bylaws.
Thanks to the volunteer work of members, the generosity of landowners and the assistance of many government and non-government organizations, the trail continues to grow. Presently, the trail is 309 km long. Members may purchase a comprehensive guide book with detailed trail maps, and information about the area and facilities.
The only permitted activities on the trial are hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing unless authorized by the land owner (for example, bicycling is permitted on the city trails in Edmonton or Camrose).
A large part of the trial is located on private property with many fence crossings via stiles so that cross-country skiing is not practical on many parts of the trail. Our agreement the landowners does not allow for the opening of any gates, or travel on any routes other than the marked trail. The association and its members place a very high value on the generosity of the individual landowners that allow us to use their personal property and we will make every effort to ensure that the trust of the landowners is not abused.
Hiking the Waskahegan Trail can be hazardous. There are no special markers to flag the many potentially dangerous hazards. Animals both domestic and wild may be encountered along the trail. Most of the trail in remote from help and travelled infrequently. We recommend travel on this trail with at least one companion. All persons that travel on the Waskahegan Trail must accept total responsibility for their own individual safety and well being. Do not travel on this trail if you do not want to accept this condition. There are many scheduled group hikes with a leader during weekends that permit hikers to travel on the trail with additional security that comes with traveling with companions.
Our 2012 hike schedule will soon be posted on our website. In the meantime, please visit our website, check out the photos from our Sunday and ‘Beyond Hikes’ or see if our FAQ section answers any questions you may have.
River Valley Factoid
Early settlers established the City of Edmonton quickly and successfully, partly due to the abundance of coal in the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. By 1874, a few settlers had begun to mine coal. Boat builder, lumberman and first Edmonton industrialist, John Walter, imported the first coal stove to the region around this time. Coal production continued in the Capital Region River Valley Park from this time until the last mine closed in 1970, nearly 100 years later.