Red Deer Alberta: River Loop

The fun this fine day happens in Red Deer Alberta and here’s a nice little pathways loop that starts close to the downtown core. It all takes place in the middle of the city, but sometimes you may not know it. The parks, natural green spaces and wooded groves you’ll visit often belie the fact this is a urban hike. Plain and simple. Always close by and most of the time within view, take in the scenic Red Deer River, which gave the city its name.

It’s a loop route, so you could start anywhere, but we thought it’d be best to begin and end close the city centre. We found parking right next to the pathway where 53rd Avenue and 58th Street meet. There’s a little park here along with a memorial to the village of North Red Deer that occupied this area into the 1940s, before being amalgamated into Red Deer proper. The city has grown a lot over the years and shows no signs of stopping.

The old train bridge seen to the north will be explored on the return leg and makes a nice finale. It was in use into 1990, when the tracks were relocated elsewhere and the structure now incorporated into the city’s extensive pathways system. It dates back to the early years (1908) and is quite an impressive structure.

Intercept the trail and head west. Don’t be surprised to encounter wildlife and for us it only took minutes before we had our first deer spotting. Then there was another and another. They didn’t even seemed concerned with our presence and just went about munching on whatever as though we didn’t exist. Pass the Great West Adventure Park and Boat Launch. Then it’s the “Devil’s Bathroom” (as it’s marked on Google) and given the name maybe consider holding it till later. A review reads…”It has definitely got some creepy vibes.” Okay and that makes it the first haunted biffy we’ve ever seen.

Duck under Taylor Drive and enter Bower Ponds Park. You can rent paddle boats here, do some picnicking, stroll about, or visit historic Cronquist House for tea. Dating back to the 1910s, the building is not original to this property but moved here from across the river when threatened with demolition.

Continue on to another boat launch, then go in behind a golf course and cross over the Red Deer on Riverlands Pedestrian Bridge. Here’s a chance to take a good look at the river and it’s a big one running from the eastern slopes all the way to Riderland where it empties into the South Saskatchewan.

Welcome to a nice wooded area with little ponds and much greenery. A downed tree along here becomes a makeshift picnic bench for us and we enjoy a little break for half an hour or so. Always take time to stop and relax a bit.

Back in motion, the trail doubles back on itself after Mitchel Pond, while heading up slope and soon after enters Heritage Ranch. Called “The Jewel of Red Deer”, there’s all kinds of fun family activities to found here and this includes guided trail rides through the park.

That big building to the west is the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. If urban recreational walking ever becomes recognized, we’ll be made famous there.

This was one of the busier sections of the trail. Here, Bower Ponds and crossing the CPR Bridge were all similar in that regard. At other times, and for lengthy stretches, we had the path to ourselves. It was at the height of the pandemic, so maybe it’s different when things are normal.

Pick your way through a couple parking lots and bend left (east) on meeting up with Cronquist Drive. Cronquist…remember that name? The Historic Cronquist House seen earlier was once located in this general area before being moved. The pathway parallels the road for a few blocks and passes some big in-town acreages. Oh, to be so well off. Think of it…new seat covers for the BIGDoer-mobile and no more frozen pizzas.

After a while, the pathway makes a line towards the Red Deer River again and keeps with it the rest of the adventure. Where as on the north side the path is low down and close to the water, here it runs along the top of an escapement. It’s sometimes a long way down there and this affords a good view of any goings on. This day the river was alive with people out recreating on the water and we saw an endless parade of canoes, kayak and rafts.

At a ravine the trails does a little jog down, then enters a part of town that was once an industrial park, but today is reborn as an inner city residential neighbourhood. Can you say condos? Can you say coffee roasteries? I know there’s a craft brewery around here somewhere – I can smell it! Old gritty factory neighbourhoods often get done over this way, it seems, and what was once a place you’d never dare visit, becomes trendy and cool.

Note the Red Baneberry that grow along here and the striking colour of the fruit. The entire plant is quite poisonous, so look but don’t eat.

A plaque speaks of a sandstone quarry that once operated here in the very early days. Back under busy Taylor drive (do you notice we spend way too much time under bridges) and soon the former Canadian Pacific Railway span comes into view. The hike is almost over but then all good things must come to an end.

That unicorn raft is awesome!

Cross under the train bridge them loop back to reach the deck and while doing so, look for the old Alpha Dairy smokestack to the south. The milk plant still functions and the stack kept for historical reasons. The CPR’s downtown Red Deer yards used to be located just to the right of here. The railway had a big presence in the city centre, but the tracks moved to an industrial area to the west so the land here could be better used. The trains were always important to Red Deer, and still are to a degree, but not as it used to be.

Cross over the river. It was was running a bit brown on our visit, but that’s normal I guess since it carries lots of sediment once out here on the plains. We know this long meandering waterway well and have explored it almost end to end.

One day we’re going to come back and spend some time documenting the bridge itself and maybe do a piece about it. We’re into these kinds of structures, but you already knew that. This one has historical status and like the Alpha Milk stack, a local landmark.

If you started where we did you’re now back at the start and hopefully you had as good a time as we did.

We’re often asked if we actually enjoy these in-city hikes as much as it sounds and that’s a resounding “yes!” We have a grand time no matter the location or what’s going on and that’s a strange superpower I guess, but we’re okay with it.

This outing happened in 2020 and somehow the post got lost for a while. We have so much waiting in the wings at any one time that it’s easy to misplace the occasional one and so it goes.

Know more (new window): Red Deer Alberta Walking Trails.

They’re saying…

”One of the great places to see great places, online! Wonderful work Chris and Connie…!” Greg Herman.

More like this…
Chestermere Town Loop.
Urban Trek: 17th Ave SE.
Vulcan Alberta “Trek”.

If you wish more information about this route or if you love to chat don’t hesitate to contact us!

Date of adventure: July, 2020.
Location: Red Deer, AB.
Distance: 10km loop.
Height gain maximum: 40m.
Height gain cumulative: 70m
NOTE: all distances and heights are approximate and may differ slightly from other trip reports (including our own).

In begins in the former village of North Red Deer.

Sharing the trail with a little wildlife.

Welcome to our Red Deer Alberta Pathways adventure.

A wheeled demon zips past at the “Devil’s Bathroom”.

Historic Cronquist House in back.

Some family fun at Bower Ponds.

Hidden in the trees.

Over the Red Deer at Riverlands Bridge.

Into the woods.

A toast to a fine day.

Looking up…

A sea of clover.

Mitchel Pond is gorgeous.

Or else…

At Heritage Ranch.

Not amount of calling would get its attention.

On the more elevated south bank.

A little pathway art.

A quarry once operated along the river bank here.

Everyone’s out enjoying nature.

Ducking under Taylor Drive.

Beautiful but deadly.

Approaching the old CPR Bridge.

Left behind when the railway moved from downtown.

The iconic Alpha Milk Stack.

Last used by trains in 1990.

It’s been historically recognized.

The railway was important to the city.

10km of fun! Star=start.