I began my hike in the evening, at approximately 8:00pm. My wife Kerry accompanied me. We wanted to take advantage of the evening light, and I’m glad we did.
The south trails begin at the parking area that is accessed from 122 street, just south of the Whitemud freeway. I’ve always found the south trails of Whitemud park interesting for their entrance. The trailhead sits very close to a busy freeway, but mere meters into the trail, one passes into true wilderness.
Whitemud Creek is a nature preserve, and in my opinion, feels the wildest of all parks within the Edmonton City Limits. I hiked this trail in March, and came across two moose quietly feeding in the trees. They seemed unconcerned, despite the fact that I was a mere 30 feet from them.
The trail is physically unchallenging for the most part, although a decent workout can be had by hiking up and down the access feeder paths (in order of occurrence on the trail): Bulyea, Aspen Gardens, and Westbrook. The Westbrook path is especially rewarding – after a short but steep uphill jaunt, the trail offers a beautiful view of a semi-secluded enclave, which was beautifully lit on this night.
Along the trail, I thought I spotted a non-native Amur Cherry tree, but my wife (who recently received her Master Gardener certificate) correctly identified it as a young birch.
If you hike the Westbrook arm, you will undoubtedly be captivated by the mansion that backs onto the trail. It is the Saville Mansion, owned by Edmonton businessman and philanthropist Bruce Saville. Complete with turret, conservatory, servants quarters, impeccable landscaping and gardening, and a $250k motorhome in the driveway, the mansion is impressive. Sadly, it is difficult to get a good photo of the place, and although we walked to the front of the residence, it felt invasive and creepy to take a photo. This crappy YouTube video is one of the few existing online photos of the place. It’s a truly incredible home and well worth the trip up the trail.
The light was fading during our return journey, but we enjoyed the late-evening poetic ramblings of the night birds.
As we neared the start of our walk, I noticed a female deer quietly feeding in the long grass. She looked up occasionally, unconcerned but wary. We watched her for a few minutes as the light left the trailhead. I snapped my final shot, and we went home.
