Love to exercise and wonder where to find trails that convert from hiking to cross-country skiing near Edmonton? Here are six places for you to enjoy. Devon southwest of the city has gorgeous cross-country skiing on the golf course in the winter that is beautifully maintained all season long. Chickakoo, west of the city offers different loops to explore a variety of scenery. St. Albert has four gorgeous areas for skiing depending on what you’re interested in doing. Goldbar is in the city allowing for a quick ski after a work day. Cooking Lake-Blackfoot offers one hundred and seventy kilometres of skiing allowing you to get lots of exercise on a variety of trails and have a long day trip full of fun. Strathcona Wilderness Centre never has foot traffic on the tracks which allows the trails to always be in pristine condition.
Regardless of where you choose to go, there are so many amazing options available.
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Devon
Devon, southwest of Edmonton has lovely walking trails along the North Saskatchewan that eventually connect to the neighbourhoods up top. Although it isn’t track-set here for cross-country skiers, Devon’s Golf Course is nearby, and the volunteer team keeps it in fantastic shape for cross-country skiing.
The trail starts from Devon’s Voyageur Park, where two parking lots can be found. One parking lot is for people walking or having a picnic and the other is for people leaving their vehicle while floating or canoeing down the river to Edmonton.
The trail is flat walking beside the North Saskatchewan River. Later on, it veers away from the river up the Legs of Fire wooden staircase into the trees towards the neighbourhoods up above. Although this is not a long hike of three kilometres round trip, it’s a nice easy path to get some exercise and fresh air.
Devon cross-country skiing trails are on the golf course as mentioned above. Devon Nordic Ski Club provides frequent updates to inform you which loop has been track set and regularly updates cross-country skiing conditions. It’s encouraged to give them a donation to help them keep up the maintenance of trails and the equipment in good working order.
This area is split into three sections including Lions Park, River Trail and the golf course. All the tracks are one-directional with arrows indicating which way you should be heading and the level of difficulty of that trail. Lions Parks goes through the campsite and there are many different trails on the golf course. The River trail along the river is flat until the intersection at the north end. Left is easier or going straight becomes steeper for the more advanced skier. At the top, it will reconnect back to the golf course to continue that loop.
Chickakoo
At Chickakoo, west of Edmonton, you can hike and cross-country ski fourteen kilometres at the same location. Outhouses can be found in the parking lot. The different coloured trails on the map indicate the levels of difficulty. The greens and yellow indicate a flat trail, the blue loops are hillier while the red loop has steep hills.
The trails at this property can be completed in approximately three hours when hiking at a steady pace. It might take longer if taking breaks for lunch and pictures of the gorgeous scenery and lakes in the area. It’s a wonderful place to hear birds chirping in nature as you walk through the forest. The ever-changing scenery is beautiful to look at during the spring, summer and fall. Take your time going at a leisurely pace or quickly to break a sweat and get some exercise.
At Chickakoo Lake Recreational Area, classical skiers ski on the tracks on one side while hikers walk on the other side. Skiers use the tracks to travel in both directions so be on the lookout for other skiers. Sometimes, you’ll find boot prints in the tracks making it hard to ski straight as your skis try to exit the track. Keep in mind, that this location is a multi-purpose trail and not everyone is aware of the damage that can be caused by walking over the tracks. Bring your patience.
Cross-country skiing in the winter can take longer than three hours depending on your speed and how challenging you find the uphill and downhills. The snow conditions can also impact your skiing journey. If you’re slipping and sliding or the snow is sticking to your skis, it can also take longer than anticipated. Play it by ear and see where the day takes you.
St. Albert
In St. Albert north of Edmonton, you can go hiking and cross-country skiing in Kingston Park, Riverlot and beside Sturgeon Road. St. Albert also offers paved walking paths along the Sturgeon River that runs through its city.
Parts of the trail along the river are open to the sun while others are secluded in the forest like in the picture above. This sixteen-kilometre hike starts from Riel Park to St. Albert Botanic Gardens.
St. Albert has four different areas for skiing. The river loop with the red chairs as seen above is a peaceful ski away from the busyness of the rest of the trail. This part of the trail is only open during the winter as the river will be thawed and flowing the rest of the year. At times, the ski trail is on fields with grass poking through.
Tip #1: Be careful when skiing here to avoid grass sticking to the underside of your ski and stopping you in your tracks.
Tip #2: It’s typically sunny with no tree cover here; bring sunglasses to protect your eyes.
Skiing Loops
Along Sturgeon Road, classic tracks can be found on both sides of the trees. Skate skiing is located to the right of the classic tracks for skiers heading in both directions. In Kingswood Park, several classic tracks are found at the bottom of the hill to practice gliding. Youth and adult classes are held here. Head up and down the hill for some added fun. Lower Riverlot offers some additional excitement with rolling hills.
St. Albert Nordic Club appreciates your donations to maintain the cross-country skiing trails, equipment, help plan events and run programs.
Goldbar
In Edmonton, at Goldbar Park, hiking and cross-country skiing can be done at the same spot. Many uphills and downhills allow for lots of exercise.
Mega Bounce
In the summer, the Mega Bounce Run happens in Capilano, to the left of 50th Street and Goldbar. This area is also used for hiking and cross-country skiing. Mega Bounce is a five-kilometre inflatable run or walk throughout the park. It’s a fun event to encourage you to run when you have energy, walk when you’re tired and bounce on the inflatables feeling like a kid again. This event is super fun!
When the event isn’t happening, paved paths bring you through the forest on steep uphills and downhills for part of it and more moderate hills too. The base of the park is flat for easy hiking.
Cross-Country Skiing at Goldbar Park
The steep hill near the Strathcona refinery is good to get your lungs pumping but once you reach the top, the smells can feel overwhelming and you’ll want to exit that space immediately and head down the the hill. It’s an extremely fun downhill though so working up a sweat will be worth it!
Tip: Some of the cross-country skiing tracks are on narrow trails so you might want to have one ski outside the track to gain some control on the steep downhills.
This area is exciting with many ups and downs and it’s fun to experience while cross-country skiing quickly downhill. You can’t go as fast hiking, so I find it more enjoyable cross-country skiing. If you’re at a beginner level and the steep hills are scary, at the base of the park, flat skiing is available to practice your glide. Some trails are one-directional while others offer two-way traffic. Pay attention to the signs to see which way ski traffic should flow. Find a trail map here. Edmonton Nordic Ski Club maintains these trails. Donations can be mailed here to help them maintain the ski tracks and equipment.
Cooking-Lake Blackfoot
One hundred and seventy kilometres of hiking and cross-country skiing can be enjoyed at Cooking-Lake Blackfoot, one hour east of Edmonton.
Islet and Waskehegan staging areas are two locations to start hiking. The trails offer a variety of hills at different lengths and steepness. Many loops of diverse lengths allow you to go as far as you’d like and turn around when you’re tired. Hiking in the spring, summer and fall will allow you to see an array of different animals in the surroundings and around the lakes as well as in the forest. It’s a fantastic place to get exercise and fresh air outside with your partner. Depending on how far you hike, there’s ample chance to see different scenery and feel far away from the city.
They have outhouses in the large parking lot and throughout the park. Make sure to bring toilet paper as it isn’t always stocked.
Waskehegan is typically where I start cross-country skiing. Islet staging area is also an option. Warming huts throughout the area provide warmth and protection from the cold on windy days. They are a wonderful place to take a break from skiing and offer some shelter while eating lunch. All the trails can be travelled in both directions.
Tip: Check the ski conditions before heading out. The loops you’ll choose will depend on which ones have been track set in the winter. It’s much easier and faster to ski in the tracks than make your own tracks in the snow.
Ski Conditions
The conditions here are typically better the further you ski from the parking lots. Sometimes hikers or snowshoers use these trails as multi-purpose trails when in fact, they are not. The trails can be stomped on at the beginning of the tracks closer to the parking lots. They typically are in pristine condition further into the forest.
The Canadian Birkebeiner Society accepts donations. The money goes towards the Canadian Birkie Ski Festival to ensure the trails are in good shape and to keep the equipment running all season.
Strathcona Wilderness Centre
Strathcona Wilderness Centre, east of the city, offers a scenic area for both types of exercise. There are two parking lots near the heated building with washrooms and warm-up space. They tend to fill up quickly early in the morning, so make sure to arrive before ten in the morning, otherwise, you might have to park along the road to enter the centre.
Hiking
They have twelve kilometres of hiking on various trails with different lengths and difficulties. Some have steeper hills while other trails have easier rolling hills. Some parts are flat depending on what you and your partner are interested in doing. Many loops are named after animals making it easy to remember where you’ve been and where you’d like to go further. Each loop also indicates the distance in kilometres. It’s free to hike here in the spring, summer and fall.
Cross-Country Skiing
All twelve kilometres are available for classical and skate skiing. An adult day pass is required in the winter and costs $9 to maintain the beautiful track-set trails. Updates are provided regularly with trail conditions and the day it was groomed. Ski here from nine in the morning until four-thirty in the afternoon. Lessons are offered for adults who would like to spruce up their skills. Ski rentals cost $16.50 per adult. Check out more prices here. If you’re a more confident skier the ups and downs can create a fun ski with a variety of fun.
Tip: Arrive early to avoid parking on the side of the road. In the winter, it’s worse with the snowy narrow road that can cause you to need a tow from AMA. This happened to me a couple of years ago. Be careful and don’t park too close to the edge of the road.
Hikers aren’t allowed to walk here in winter so you’ll never have to worry about foot holes destroying the ski tracks. Hikers are asked to walk on the Beaver Hills Biodiversity Trail during the winter months. Snowshoers are allowed here on dedicated snowshoe trails.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’re informed of places that transform from hiking to cross-country skiing trails, do you feel inspired to try them out? Whether you choose to go in the city at Goldbar for an evening ski or nearby at Devon or St. Albert, you have close options available to you after work or for a day trip. Chickakoo, Cooking Lake-Blackfoot and Strathcona Wilderness Centre are fantastic places to take in some fresh air and get a break from the city without having to drive too far. These places offer gorgeous scenery and awesome trails to enjoy a fun weekend with your partner. Bring a lunch with a thermos to keep you warm and enjoy the warming huts that Cooking Lake-Blackfoot has to offer.
The trails allow you to glide and get a good workout in our beautiful snow. Time to go skiing or hike soon as the weather transforms into spring conditions! Have fun!
Additional Links
- XC Skiing Near me
- 10 Reasons to Love Cross-Country Skiing
- Happy and Warm X-Country Ski
- What are the Benefits of Skiing?
- 6 Stocking Stuffers for X-Country Skiers
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