Length: ~ 5 km round trip, 1 hour to 90 minutes
Trail conditions: Moderately flat with some inclines and stairs. Wide paved shared-use path.
Difficulty: Easy
Bikes: Allowed
Dogs: Allowed on-leash (off-leash where indicated)
Parking: Hermitage Park
Looking out from the top of the stairs.
Hermitage Park is a gem of east Edmonton that is also a connection hub to other parks and trails, namely Rundle Park to the south and the East End Trails system to the north. Hermitage Park has an off-leash dog area (though at the time of publication, dogs are not allowed off-leash due to the COVID-19 crisis), stocked fishing ponds, picnic sites and the opportunity for paddling activities. This trail heads north from Hermitage Park, following a paved trail along the riverside before climbing upwards to the Bannerman neighbourhood and the Fraser Ravine. The turnaround point offers excellent views of the river and surrounding valley and a bench to rest and take in the vistas.
To keep this route at 5 km, our turnaround point was the Fraser Ravine lookout, but you could easily continue along the East End Trails, which lead up to the Anthony Henday bridge and beyond the Quarry lookout.
The trail begins by winding around the Hermitage ponds.
DIRECTIONS:
PARKING
Hermitage Park has ample parking lots spread throughout the park where you can begin your trip.
There are lots of big open spaces at the start of the trail.
ROUTE
1. Once parked, head north past the ponds towards the off-leash dog area.
Follow the path
2. The trail weaves around another pond in the dogs’ off-leash area before joining a generally straight paved path that runs parallel to the river.
Reaching the staircase
3. Continue along this trail for 1.5 km. You will reach a fork with a staircase to the right and a switchback to the left. If you’re on foot, you can take the stairs up for a more direct route, and by bike, you can take the switchback, for you don’t have to dismount.
Take the switchback if you hate stairs or are on a bicycle.
4. The trail continues at the bank’s top, with the river and trees to one side and the Bannerman neighbourhood to the other.
The upper trail
5. From the staircase, it’s another kilometre to the Fraser Ravine lookout. There are plenty of benches to stop along the way to enjoy the views over the river, with Edmonton’s skyline far in the background.
Looking out at the river
6. Once at the lookout, you can either continue along this trail to the Anthony Henday Bridge and beyond to the East End Trails or return to Hermitage Park. As with all trails, the view is always quite different on the way back, given your new perspective!
