There are so many adventures to enjoy in autumn, that it’s hard to know what should be prioritized with a partner but these fall experiences near me will help narrow it down. There are two free events and two paid admissions. The free events are located in Islet Lake for hiking, a forty-five-minute drive east of the city and Jasper is four hours west offering gorgeous areas to picnic and explore. Pumpkins After Dark is located in Edmonton and the Edmonton Corn Maze, both paid activities, is just a few minutes southeast of the city.
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Picnic at Pyramid Lake
Jasper offers many areas to explore if you are willing to drive four hours west from Edmonton. We found a picnic spot just before the bridge connecting to Pyramid Island. It was just off the main trail to the left. Even though many tourists frequent this trail, it felt secluded with very few people going in that direction to check out the view. From the Jasper townsite, take Pyramid Lake road that leads north from Jasper, past Pyramid Lake Resort until you find the Pyramid Island parking lot. There are a limited number of parking spots.
Tip: If you can’t find enough parking spots, continue to the end of the road where you’ll possibly see additional parking spots. Many Jasper hiking trails exist in the area if you want to exercise.
Serenity
This picnic spot offered tranquillity, beautiful views, and changing leaves from green to beautiful yellow all around us. We really lucked out with a gorgeous 20°C sunny day, blue skies at the end of September for us to relax and enjoy each other’s company. Kayakers floated by occasionally. The kayaks can be rented off the beach from Pyramid Lake Resort if you want to go kayaking or you can bring your own.
Fall Picnic
For lunch, we borrowed Fred’s very handy picnic basket with utensils, plates, napkins, small wine glasses, a spot to store food and an ice pack to keep things cold. I bought a Halloween tablecloth from Dollarama to sit on instead of the ground. It added colour to my pictures!
We picked up food that morning from Nesters Food grocery store. We bought an easy-to-go lunch that included Triscuits, hummus, tomatoes, cucumbers, chocolate chip cookies and cranberry raspberry juice to pour into our wine glasses to fancy it up a bit. It was an easy but satisfying and healthy meal. It was fun to picnic and we were encouraged to do it regularly. It’s so simple to have a picnic and when you add the mountain view as a backdrop, I was happy to include it in my fall experiences near me.
Islet Lake Hike
Islet Lake hike is the perfect combination of observing the leaves change colours in nature while participating in this activity for free. As mentioned above, it’s a forty-five-minute drive from downtown to get there. There is adequate signage along the way to get you to the right destination. Google Maps is also a valuable option.
There are plenty of easy hiking options in this area and loops if you prefer walking in one direction. Since there are so many loops, it’s easy to turn around if you get tired. The loops are short by adding a couple kilometres at a time. This allows someone to change up the difficulty of the trails from a green (easy) to another blue (moderate) or black (harder, meaning more hills) section. There is a lot of variety to incorporate in your fantastic hiking day. The best part of being out here, is that you can decide how long and how far you’d like to hike.
Family Time
I love the outdoors with my family and partner for the benefits it brings to my mental and physical health. Islet Lake is outside providing peace and relaxation but close enough to the city to get back home afterwards in a timely manner. Exercising outside allows you to breathe in the fresh air and take gorgeous scenic pictures. The lake can be seen throughout many parts of the hike. Occasionally, hikers can sit on a bench to eat lunch at a small open hut while enjoying the surrounding nature. At this time of year, many leaves have created a carpet on the ground. These added to more colourful fall pictures. Even though the sun is low in the sky in the fall, make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen to avoid a sunburn.
Gear
To be able to hike a decent distance, ensure to bring a backpack with a water bladder and drink while exercising. This will keep you hydrated on your hike. Also, bring a MEC seat cushion for your comfort while sitting during your breaks. A windbreaker is a good idea since you never know when the wind will pick up or the weather will change. Cut off pants are a fantastic idea as well if the day starts off cooler and ends up warming up throughout your hike. Being able to change from pants into shorts at a moment’s notice is super handy!
Alternative Activities
Kayakers can be seen on the lake. You could kayak too if you have the means of transporting your watercraft to the lake. Islet Lake Staging Area is also an awesome area for cross-country skiing in the winter. They track set the one-hundred-and-seventy kilometres of trails starting in December (after hunting season ends at the end of November) from the Waskehegan Staging Area to the Islet Staging Area that links together. Along the trails, hikers and skiers can take a break and eat lunch or a snack at one of the many warming huts with wood-burning stoves. It could be a perfect place for a wedding proposal just like Kris proposed to me in the Meadows Shelter.
Corn Maze
The Edmonton Corn Maze was a fun way for Kris and I to spend time together. It’s different than your typical date and better yet, it’s outside! It costs $16 per adult when buying the ticket online. It’s a bit more expensive buying it on-site at $17 each. Buying ahead of time is a great way to save money.
This maze has two different loops. Keep track of that when choosing your direction and looking at the map. One is an inner maze and the other one goes to the perimeter of the cornfield. When starting, one maze leads to the right and the other maze leads to the left. They have different twists and turns. Kris got confused thinking we were in one maze and the turns should have been going in a certain direction and then realizing we were in a different maze and that’s why we were making different turns than he expected.
Tips for Success
Tip #1: If you don’t have the best sense of direction like me when in a corn maze, thankfully they have boards with quizzes to help lead you in the right direction. They have two sets of questions, one for children and one for adults. If the adult questions are too difficult, the children’s answers will lead you the right way.
Tip #2: If you don’t want to look at the questions, you can always bring someone with a good sense of direction to lead (or guide) you.
Location in the Maze
The corn is really tall so unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), you won’t be able to look over it to see where you are located throughout the maze but at some point in the trail, you can climb stairs onto a platform that will determine your location. The perimeter maze took us about one hour to complete and the inner maze was about half an hour. That is if you don’t get lost too many times.
Tip #3: Stick together. Kris and I thought it would be fun to take separate turns but the trails don’t always reconnect, so unless you double back and retrace your steps to find your partner, you could end up doing the rest of the maze by yourself. Putting a walking tracker doesn’t work either as it doesn’t have the directions to get you out and it just shows you retracing your steps throughout the maze. Instead, work together to figure out your next step to complete the maze!
Additional Activities
Once you’ve completed the maze, this awesome location has additional activities for you to enjoy with your date. It includes a jumping pillow for those kid-at-heart adults, a mini put and a bag toss. For families, children can take a small train around the corn maze for some extra entertainment. There is always fun to be had at the Edmonton Corn Maze!
Pumpkins After Dark
This Pumpkins After Dark event is happening across Canada including Calgary and Edmonton. It costs $27.77 for each adult. Buying a ticket online before attending is mandatory to book an arrival slot. Once arrived, you’ll need to line up with people in the same time slot as you. Food Trucks are on site to provide you with treats such as mini donuts, amongst other items.
Fun Fall Experiences Near Me
They have light up horns and other items to buy if you so desire. Head cutouts are available to take pictures before entering the Pumpkins After Dark portion of the evening.
Bring Money
Tip: Bring some extra money if you’d like to make additional purchases. You’ll also be required to pay for parking if you park in the parking lot. Thankfully, you can pay with a credit card to proceed quickly. Note that there will be a long line of cars waiting for everyone to pay. Arrive a few minutes early to allocate parking time.
Fall Walk
Once you’ve entered the main event, you’ll see different carved images on the pumpkins.
Pumpkins are placed together and carved to create images such as Frozen characters, the Little Mermaid, a dinosaur, a police car, a fire truck and so much more. A cool long dragon is at the start to entice you to keep walking.
This is a fantastic way to spend time with your partner. You’ll be mesmerized by the different and awesome pumpkin carvings. It also offers a walk and date night for adults. It’s a different way to spend time together and spice things up! It took us approximately one hour to walk through the Pumpkins After Dark. It could take you longer at the event if you spend time around the food trucks. As mentioned in its name, this event is only available in the evenings, to see the pumpkins lit up at night.
Final Thoughts
Check out Fall Experiences Near Me for some fun filled afternoons or evenings exploring in and around the city of Edmonton. Some events require an admission while others are free to attend. What kind of mood are you in? Do you want to be surrounded by people while partaking in the fall festivities in the city or do you want a more tranquil experience while seeing the colour changes of the fall leaves doing it in your own time and space? There are so many opportunities to have fun; it’s up to you where you want to go! If you’re looking for more activities throughout the year, here are more Edmonton day trips to check out.
Additional Links
- Fall Hikes in Banff and Yoho
- 4 Best Larch Hikes
- Guide to Banff National Park Larch Hikes
- Guide to Four Seasons in Banff National Park
- Nice Weekend Getaway Near Me
Trip Resources
- Book your flights with Expedia
- Book your hostel through Hostelworld.com
- Book your hotel with Booking.com or Hotels.com
- Book your vacation rental with Vrbo
- Book your experiences through TripAdvisor or Manawa
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