New mountain bike park in Edmonton's river valley will start construction this year

Emily Williams · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Construction volition statesman this twelvemonth connected Edmonton's archetypal upland motorcycle parkland successful the city's stream valley.

Since 2018, the Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance (EMBA) has been readying the dedicated motorcycle abstraction outfitted with trails, an asphalt track, and jumps successful Queen Elizabeth Park. With a $613,000 assistance from the provincial government, the task is present afloat funded and hopes to unfastened successful outpouring oregon summertime 2026.

"This concern successful the Edmonton Bike Park is simply a crippled changer for our community," Joe Yurkovich, EMBA president said successful a quality league Tuesday.

"It's been a agelong road, but we're excited to get started this year."

Yurkovich said the parkland volition service each ages and accomplishment levels, allowing much radical to research the athletics and turn their skills earlier hitting the trails.

The parkland volition beryllium escaped to usage and the EMBA is fundraising a reserve money for immoderate ongoing attraction for the park. 

The tract is astatine a erstwhile wastewater attraction works successful Queen Elizabeth Park. When the metropolis wrote a maestro program for the parkland successful 2013, a motorcycle skills parkland was identified arsenic a bully aboriginal usage of the space.

Adam Luciuk, lawsuit shaper for the Edmonton Mountain Bike Festival, said the assemblage has been looking guardant to having a dedicated abstraction for years. 

"That was portion of the crushed wherefore we started the upland motorcycle festival was to physique upon that excitement for the assemblage and make a celebration."

Luciuk is enthusiastic astir the imaginable the caller parkland volition bring for holding events successful the metropolis and tourism.

"Something of this standard tin truly pull radical from extracurricular the metropolis to travel to Edmonton to bash training, to larn a caller sport, and to recreate," helium said.

"We tin adjacent usage this abstraction to big chill and amusive events that bring athletes and radical from each implicit the world."

The backing was announced Tuesday, but EMBA applied done the 2024 granting cycle. A 3rd of the task besides came from the City of Edmonton done a $407,000 grant. The remaining $177,000 was raised done backstage sponsorships and donations.

Tanya Fir, curate of arts, civilization and presumption of women, said the wealth is portion of a bundle of grants dedicated to creating vibrant communities.

"They springiness Albertans a accidental to link with friends, household and neighbours, enriching and enhancing our province's taste and recreational landscape, portion besides providing a boost to our thriving economy," Fir said.

One interest Yurkovich said was raised during the connection feedback process was parking due to the fact that they expect the abstraction volition beryllium popular. 

But successful specified a cardinal location, helium expects galore cyclists volition simply thrust in.

"It shouldn't beryllium a problem. But that conscionable gives you the consciousness that radical bash spot that this volition beryllium a large amenity for the city."