Terwillegar Park

Terwillegar Park — wild riverbank, a record-setting footbridge and Edmonton’s great off-leash run

Terwillegar Park is the least manicured of Edmonton’s major river valley parks, and that is precisely its appeal. There is no concession stand, no lawn bowling, no formal garden — just a broad sweep of the south bank of the North Saskatchewan, a network of dirt and gravel trails threading through aspen and willow, a hand launch for canoes, and one of the largest off-leash dog areas in the city. Above it all hangs the Terwillegar Park Footbridge: 262 metres of stressed ribbon spanning the river, the longest bridge of its type in Canada and the second longest in the world. Come here for a two-hour walk with a dog off the lead, a mountain bike session, or a paddle put-in — not for amenities.

Highlights

• Terwillegar Park Footbridge — 262 metres (860 feet) long, opened on 21 October 2016 after construction began in August 2014, at a cost of $24.5 million; engineered by Stantec, it is the longest stressed ribbon bridge in Canada.
• The off-leash area — an expansive off-leash zone covering much of the park’s trail network, one of the reasons Terwillegar is a destination for dog owners from across the city.
• The canoe hand launch — a short portage from the parking area puts you directly onto the North Saskatchewan, making this one of the practical put-in points on the river within city limits.
• Mountain bike singletrack — the multi-use trail network runs through wooded slopes and along the riverbank, well used by riders as well as walkers.
• The crossing to Jan Reimer Park — the bridge lands on the north bank in the 193-acre park renamed in 2021 for Jan Reimer, Edmonton’s first female mayor, and previously named Oleskiw River Valley Park.
• Unmanicured river valley — this is one of the places where the valley still reads as wild land rather than parkland, part of a system that shelters roughly 150 bird species and 50 mammal species.

What you’ll find

Facilities here are deliberately minimal. The park is a trailhead and a riverbank, and everything is arranged around getting you off the pavement quickly. Plan accordingly: bring your own water, and do not count on finding a washroom beyond the portable unit at the lot.

• A gravel parking area with a paved trail leading to the footbridge, so wheeled access to the bridge itself is workable.
• A portable toilet at the parking area — there is no permanent washroom building.
• A canoe hand launch reached by a short portage.
• Multi-use trails for walking, hiking and mountain biking, largely unpaved and undulating.
• A large off-leash dog area covering much of the park.
• Direct connection into the river valley trail system, which runs to more than 160 kilometres across the city.

Things to do — and who it’s for

• Dog owners — the headline draw: a genuinely large off-leash area with river access, where a dog can run for an hour without repeating a trail.
• Mountain bikers — undulating wooded singletrack and connector trails that link into longer valley routes.
• Paddlers — the hand launch is one of the more usable canoe and kayak put-ins inside Edmonton, with a short carry from the lot.
• Walkers who want quiet — the park sits at the southwestern edge of the built-up valley and stays noticeably calmer than the central parks.
• Bridge and engineering enthusiasts — a stressed ribbon deck of 86 precast panels carried on 162 steel cables is a rare structure to be able to walk across.
• Orienteers and trail runners — the varied terrain is used for orienteering, and the mixed surfaces suit off-road running.

Getting there & practical

The park occupies the south bank of the North Saskatchewan at the southwestern edge of Edmonton’s built-up valley, below the Terwillegar residential districts. There is no transit stop inside the park itself: Edmonton Transit Service routes serving the surrounding Terwillegar neighbourhoods — among them routes 056, 650, 706 and 724 — bring you to the plateau above, from where it is a walk down into the valley. The nearest LRT station is Century Park Station, the southern terminus of the Capital Line, with a bus connection onward. Access to the park, the trails, the off-leash area and the footbridge is free. The park is open daily from 5am to 11pm. Parking is on gravel and fills quickly on fine weekends. Allow ninety minutes for a loop with the dog, two to three hours if you are walking out to the bridge and back with time to stand on it.

When to visit

Summer is the paddling and riding season: the river is running, the singletrack is dry, and northern daylight holds past ten in the evening around the solstice, which makes an after-work outing genuinely long. Autumn is arguably the best time here — the aspens turn in late September and early October, the insects are gone, the trails firm up, and the views across the river from the bridge are at their most spectacular. Winter transforms the park into a snowshoe and winter-walking destination; Edmonton’s cold is severe, with January days holding well below freezing and cold snaps past −30 °C most years, and the footbridge in hoarfrost is one of the valley’s genuine winter sights. Be aware that trails here are not machine-cleared the way paved central park loops are, so traction devices and warm layers matter. Spring is the season to skip if you dislike mud: breakup and meltwater turn the unpaved trails soft, and high water can change the character of the riverbank considerably.

Good to know

The Terwillegar name in this part of Edmonton commemorates Dr. Norman L. Terwillegar (1884–1948), a pioneer surgeon who practised in the Edmonton area between 1912 and 1947, served on staff at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for more than thirty-five years, and was a long-time landowner in the district. The footbridge that defines the park today is a much more recent addition. Construction started in August 2014 and the crossing opened on 21 October 2016 at a cost of $24.5 million, engineered by Stantec. Its stressed ribbon design — a shallow, slung deck rather than an arch or a tower-and-cable span — makes it the longest structure of its kind in Canada and the second longest in the world, behind only the David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge in Escondido, California. The walking surface is built from 86 precast concrete deck panels, each roughly 2.64 metres long and 5.3 metres wide, held by 162 individual steel cables anchored on each bank. What the bridge reaches on the north side carries a story that matters to Edmonton’s Ukrainian community. The 193-acre park across the water was for decades named Oleskiw River Valley Park, after Osyp Oleskiw — Joseph Oleskiw in English sources — a Ukrainian professor born on 28 September 1860 and died on 18 October 1903, whose writing and organizing promoted Ukrainian settlement on the Canadian prairies and helped launch the first great wave of Ukrainian immigration; by 1914 Ukrainians were the largest Slavic group in Canada, numbering around 170,000. The adjacent Oleskiw neighbourhood still carries his name. In 2021 the park itself was renamed Jan Reimer Park for Edmonton’s first female mayor, born in the city in 1952 and elected in 1989, who championed preservation of the river valley, improved water quality and the extension of the valley trail system.

Visitor tips

• Dogs may be off leash on the Terwillegar trails, but must be leashed once you step onto the footbridge and continue into Jan Reimer Park on the far bank.
• There is no drinking water and no permanent washroom — carry water for yourself and your dog, especially in July and August.
• Wear real footwear: outside the paved link to the bridge, the trails are dirt and gravel, steep in places, and slick after rain or during spring melt.

Questions & answers

Is Terwillegar Park off leash? The park contains an expansive off-leash area covering much of its trail network, which is its best-known feature. Dogs must be leashed on the footbridge and in Jan Reimer Park on the north side of the river.

How long is the footbridge and what makes it unusual? It is 262 metres — about 860 feet — and it is a stressed ribbon bridge, a rare type with a shallow slung deck. It is the longest of its kind in Canada and the second longest in the world, after a bridge in Escondido, California.

When did the bridge open? Construction began in August 2014 and it opened to the public on 21 October 2016, at a cost of $24.5 million. Stantec handled the engineering and design.

What is the Ukrainian connection here? The park across the footbridge was named Oleskiw River Valley Park for many years, after Osyp Oleskiw (1860–1903), the Ukrainian professor whose work promoting emigration to the Canadian prairies helped start the Ukrainian Canadian community. The neighbouring Oleskiw district still bears his name; the park was renamed Jan Reimer Park in 2021.

Are there washrooms and drinking water? Only a portable toilet at the parking area. There is no permanent washroom building and no drinking water, so bring your own supply.

Can I launch a canoe or kayak here? Yes. There is a canoe hand launch a short portage from the parking area, giving direct access to the North Saskatchewan.

How do I get here by transit? No bus stops inside the park. Routes serving the surrounding Terwillegar neighbourhoods, including 056, 650, 706 and 724, reach the plateau above the valley, and the nearest LRT station is Century Park Station at the south end of the Capital Line.

Is the park suitable for strollers or wheelchairs? Partly. The link from the gravel parking area to the footbridge is paved and usable, and the bridge deck itself is smooth. The wider trail network is unpaved, uneven and hilly.