Nature Adventure – St Albert Botanic Park

Edmonton Playgrounds explores St Albert Botanic Park.
Fall is a beautiful time to visit St Albert Botanic Park. Photo by Edmonton Playgrounds.

In the fall, Larch Madness takes over! Our search for local larch trees led us to St Albert Botanic Park! I’m not certain if the trees we found are in the Larch family, but the Botanic Park is an absolutely gorgeous spot to visit!

We found larch-like trees at St Albert Botanic Park.
We loved the yellows of these larch-like trees! Photo by Edmonton Playgrounds.

The bright colours, fountains and other summery features were put away at the time of our visit, but Mother Nature was painting the trees in a variety of warm hues, and a handful of blooming flowers remained around the park. The girls loved searching for the final blossoms of the year!

The St Albert Botanic Garden was awash in fall colour on our last visit.
This red maple had the most beautiful leaves! Photo by Edmonton Playgrounds.

As we wandered through the park, the girls discovered a lot of artistic touches and hidden features! There are dinosaur footprints embedded in the ground, a giant ladybug and mushrooms, and really cool bird houses!

The ladybug and mushrooms were a fun find at St Albert Botanic Park.
The girls loved features like the big ladybug and mushrooms. Photo by Edmonton Playgrounds.

At the far west end of the park we found an amazing grouping of sunflowers! The chickadees were feasting and picking out the remaining seeds!

Sunflowers at St Albert Botanic Park.
Chickadees were flocking to these sunflowers. Photo by Edmonton Playgrounds.

You can visit the St Albert Botanic Park for FREE, but donations are gratefully accepted and can be left in a box on-site! The gates are open daily from sun up to sun down. Volunteers maintain the park. Dogs are not allowed in the park, and if you’re on a bike, you must dismount and walk through the park.

St Albert Botanic Park may be home to dinosaurs!
They walk among us… Photo by Edmonton Playgrounds.
Nearby places to play

Though the park includes these cool features that kids will love, their website stresses that this is not a play park or picnic park. When we exited the park, we followed the Sturgeon River trail system, and quickly found great spots for more robust play!

We found a teepee in the trees just beyond St Albert Botanic Park.
Not far from the Botanic Park we found a clearing with a cool place to play! Photo by Edmonton Playgrounds.

A clearing in the trees led us to a teepee made of sticks, some great climbing trees and even a tire swing! (Random swings are often removed by municipalities, so I can’t guarantee the swing would be there on a long-term basis.)

Just beyond St Albert Botanic Park we found another cool adventure spot.
The tire swing was a hit! Photo by Edmonton Playgrounds.

Nature explorers may wish to extend their adventure by heading east to Kingswood Day Area or Riverlot 56 Natural Area. You can park right at the Botanic Park, or at the Kingswood Day Area. We like pairing this adventure with a playground and visiting the amazing Woodlands Water Play Park. Find it by following the trail system to the west.

The gazebo at st albert botanic park.
The gazebo near the entrance to the botanic park. Photo by Edmonton Playgrounds.

St Albert Botanic Park

  • Where: 265 Sturgeon Road, St. Albert, Alberta
  • What: Enjoy a beautifully curated garden in all seasons of the year!
  • Cost: It is FREE to visit the park but donations are gratefully accepted.
  • When: From sun up to sun down daily.
  • Pair it with a playground: Follow the paved trail system west to the incredible Woodlands Water Play Park!
  • More info: HERE
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Map
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