Length: ~ 4 km round trip, 45 minutes to 1 hour
Trail conditions: Moderately flat and wide path. (Snow covered in winter.) Part dirt trail, part wooden boardwalk
Difficulty: Easy
Bikes: Allowed (due to dirt path, better for mountain bikes)
Dogs: Allowed off-leash except where indicated
Parking: Hawrelak Park Picnic Site 2
The trail is quite wide, making for a comfortable, easy walk
Mackenzie Ravine is a west-end neighbourhood treasure, but it can also be reached via a dirt trail from easily-accessible Hawrelak Park! Just two kilometres from Buena Vista footbridge, this route has you follow a beautiful, treed riverside trail that leads to the scenic wooden boardwalk of MacKenzie Ravine. From the wooden walkway, you can either continue into the deep ravine and come out at 142 St (perhaps grabbing a coffee at Cafe Blackbird), or make your riverside route even longer with an extension to MacKinnon Ravine.
Excited to hit the trails!
DIRECTIONS:
PARKING
Park at Hawrelak Park’s Picnic Site 2. This is near the very end of the Hawrelak driving loop.
ROUTE
1. Beginning at Picnic Site 2, walk past the picnic area towards the Buena Vista footbridge. Cross the footbridge. This area is on-leash for dogs until you cross the footbridge.
Looking out at the frozen river from the Buena Vista footbridge.
2. At the end of the footbridge, you will reach a three-way cross roads. Going left takes you to Laurier Park, as we outlined in our Hawrelak to Laurier Boat Dock trail trek blog. Going straight takes you to the Buena Vista dog park. For this route, you’ll go right.
Heading down the trail
3. Follow the trail as it winds through the trees. You will be able to see the river to your right as it bends around Hawrelak Park, the Mayfair Golf Course and Groat Road bridge. You may even spot our Hawrelak Park boat dock!
Looking out at Hawrelak boat dock
4. After 1.9 km, you will reach the Mackenzie Ravine wooden walkway. This beautiful boardwalk is a great instagrammable spot and hidden gem in the river valley!
Continue on the boardwalk to extend your trek to Mackinnon Ravine.
5. Once on the boardwalk, turn left to continue into MacKenzie Ravine. Explore as far into the ravine as you’d like before turning around to return the same way you came back to Hawrelak Park. If you make it as far as the exit to 142 St, you could stop for a yummy lunch or snack at Cafe Blackbird, Delux Burger Bar or Rebel Food & Drink.
The scenic wooden walkway in Mackenzie Ravine.
6. Alternatively, you can make the route longer by heading back to the boardwalk and continuing on the trail to the next ravine over, MacKinnon Ravine.