Trip Report: River valley, Whitemud & Terwillegar

I'm going to put off my next advice posting and write a trip report today. Yesterday's weather was warm with low wind, perfect cycling weather, so I decided to take a detour on the way home from work. That detour extended my minimum 6 km commute to nearly 30 km, with lots of views and hills.

Part 1: Getting to the river valley

For online security reasons, I'm not sharing exactly where I live and work, so I'll start this report vaguely close to my starting point. The first leg of my ride was unremarkable, riding north on 97 Street from 51 Ave to 63 Ave. This street has a dedicated bike lane for most of this distance, but road construction currently narrows the road. 

Safety tip: When riding down a narrowed lane, ride in the middle to prevent vehicles from trying to pass you unsafely, the move to the side when the lane widens out again.

At 63 Ave, I turned west onto the north service road. This route took me past the bike shop I always use, Velocity Cycle at the corner of 63 Ave and 99 Street. 

West of 99 Street, the cycle route continues on a wide sidewalk. In Edmonton, most 2.5 m sidewalks are designated as bike routes. I detoured south of 63 Ave before deciding I wanted to stay on the north side and head toward 106 Street.

106 Street is a designated bicycle route through most of the south side. It alternates between a designated lane and a shared lane, so watch the markings to see what the protocol is in each section. It's a great route, without a lot of traffic even at rush hour.

I turned west onto 76 Ave, another designated cycling route. This is also a very rideable street, although it has more traffic as you approach 114 Street, the main route to the University of Alberta.

At 114 Street, you have a choice: You can cross on 76 Ave, or you can use the pedestrian underpass. I chose the latter, having never taken it before. From there, 76 Ave quiets down again, leading you straight to Saskatchewan Drive and the river valley.

Part 2: Belgravia to Whitemud

When I reached the river valley, I took an unintentional detour, heading down the first path I found. Unfortunately, that led me to a hardcore mountain biking trail, which I didn't want, so I made my way back up the hill to the paved trail. Just south of my departure point, the paved trail heads down into the valley to the south.

It's tempting to let yourself speed up as you coast down into the valley, but be aware that there are a lot of pedestrians on the trail, so ride your brakes and give them the right of way.

This section of the river valley trail system takes you past Whitemud Equestrian Park, a small horse ranch in the middle of the city, before reaching Whitemud Creek. My intention was to follow the trails up the creek, but as I approached the trailhead near the Alfred H. Savage Center, I saw a sign stating that there are no bikes allowed in the nature preserve area. Always obey signs that restrict bike access!

The picture above was taken near the trailhead to the Whitemud Creek trails, and shows one of the pedestrian stairways that lead down into the river valley. Some of these stairways are bike friendly, as they include a narrow ramp on either side that makes it easier to walk your bike up or down.

Part 3: Around Fort Edmonton

No trip in this area would be complete without a picture of "Edmonton's Balls", a work of art that sits beside the south end of the Quesnel bridge. Actually called the Talus Dome, this controversial sculpture consists of 900 stainless steel balls. It has been vandalized twice, once when someone painted a smiley face on one of the balls, hinting at a way to improve the $600,000 sculpture.

My route took me around the south side of Fort Edmonton Park, an urban park that takes visitors on a tour of the city's history, from the original fort to the 20th century. The best way to explore this park is to take the steam train to the fort, then work your way forward in time until you get back to the entrance.

The path around Fort Edmonton is an easy climb through one of the city's many forested areas. When you reach the road at the end of the path, you have another choice: Head down the street to the Fort Edmonton footbridge or head uphill to Whitemud Road. I chose the latter.

Part 4: Whitemud Road to Terwillegar Park

After climbing out of the valley, a short stretch through a narrow path brings you to Whitemud Road. The first stretch of this road is a very affluent area, with huge mansions on vast estates. Further along, the houses are simply large.

After riding on the street for several kilometers, the route veers off onto a temporary rough-surface path. Part of the main trail is interrupted here due to the construction of a the Terwillegar Park Footbridge, which will connect Oleskiw Park to Terwillegar Park.

Terwillegar Park is a sprawling open area, great for dog owners. It includes a large network of rough-surface trails suitable for cyclists and pedestrians.

Part 5: Rabbit Hill Road

Rabbit Hill Road is bike-friendly for its entire length. The first stretch from Terwillegar Park is a steep climb that levels off as you enter a residential subdivision.

At Riverbend Road, just as Rabbit Hill Road starts to get busier, there is a cycling path on the north side of the road that extends to Terwillegar Drive, where it switches to the south side. Unfortunately, I managed to pick the wrong side of the road on both sides of Terwillegar Drive. 

It's a nice drive, but there's little to say here because it is just a road. Fortunately, the next stretch is much better.

Part 6: The Power Line Trail

This is my favorite east-west route in the south end of Edmonton. It covers a long stretch of the southwest corner of the city, and is quick and straight, despite not being alongside a road.

My starting point on this section is not the west end of the trail. It continues westward all the way to the river, where it leads to a footbridge slung under the Anthony Henday highway. But my route led quickly to one of the most scenic areas in the south end, the Whitemud Creek ravine. 

Before riding down into the ravine, make sure your brakes are working properly, and be ready for a steep climb on the other side. Like most trails, there are always pedestrians when the weather is nice, so don't count on gaining enough speed to carry you partway up the other side. 

Safety tip: Never speed past pedestrians or slow bikes. Always slow down close to their speed. Other trail users may move unexpectedly, resulting in a collision that could send someone to the hospital. Besides, speeding past another trail user is simply poor trail etiquette. If you're not prepared to exert the full effort to climb out of the ravine, pick another route.

This trail continues eastward all the way to 106 Street, where I turned south, following the curve around the Ermineskin neighborhood to 23 Ave.

Part 7: 23 Ave to Millwoods

Now for the home stretch. 23 Ave includes a bike path along most of its length. After the valleys and ravines on this ride, this urban pathway was an easy conclusion, the only hill being the rise over Calgary Trail/Gateway Blvd. If shopping is your thing, this route passes north of South Edmonton Common, south Edmonton's main commercial area. 

After crossing 91 Street, I rode along the temporary path on the south side of 23 Ave that bypasses one of Edmonton's permanent construction areas, part of the rehabilitation of the drainage system in Millwoods. Finally, after riding through Millwoods, I was home.

Next time I'll get back to some advice on getting started. For now, here are today's stats:

Ride to work this morning: 12.76 km

Extended ride last night: 29.86 km

April month to date: 204 km

2016 year to date: 820.9 km

Total on current bike: 8934.49 km