This popular southwest Edmonton park was once a gravel pit

Before Terwillegar Park was the beloved river valley spot for dog walkers, cyclists, and hikers that it is today, the land looked a whole lot different.

For the first half of the 20th century, the site was mostly undeveloped agricultural land. Similar to Hawrelak Park, gravel extraction dominated two areas of the park space from 1949 to 1986, leaving large sections of disturbed ground behind. Much of the surrounding land remained virtually unchanged.

Once gravel operations ended, the landscape began to recover. Trees, shrubs, and other plants gradually returned, although invasive weeds became common in heavily disturbed areas. Steeper sections that were unsuitable for agriculture or gravel extraction retained more of their mature aspen and balsam poplar forest.

As industrial operations moved out of the area, new recreation options gradually took their place for Edmontonians.

By 2001, a gravel parking lot had been added to the site, and people were already using the area’s informal network of trails and open fields.

There wasn’t one major construction project or grand opening. Instead, Terwillegar Park gradually evolved into the space we know and love today.

As southwest Edmonton grew, so did the number of people visiting the park. In 2009, the City estimated that Terwillegar Park was receiving approximately 200,000 visits each year. Its growing popularity led to a larger planning process focused on the park’s future.

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The resulting concept plan, dated January 2009, explored several possible additions, including a paddling lake, picnic shelters and restored pond habitat. Public feedback was divided. Some residents wanted more facilities, while others worried that too much development would change the park’s natural character.

Many of the larger ideas were never built, leaving Terwillegar Park relatively simple. One major addition was the 262-metre-long Terwillegar Park Footbridge, which expanded the river valley trail network and connected the park to what is now Jan Reimer Park, formerly known as Oleskiw River Valley Park.

Today, visitors can find a large off-leash area, a canoe hand launch and trails for walking, hiking and mountain biking. A paved trail also runs from the gravel parking lot to the footbridge.