Big Island Provincial Park: Edmonton's remote river escape
A nearly 80-hectare park in southwest Edmonton sits mostly untouched along the North Saskatchewan River and can only be reached by boat—for now.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Big Island Provincial Park floats in the North Saskatchewan River on the south end of Edmonton, a nearly 80-hectare slice of provincial Crown land that most locals have never heard of—let alone visited.
The park, established in February 2023, exists as a tri-government partnership between Enoch Cree Nation, the City of Edmonton, and the Government of Alberta. Although the park is no longer an actual island due to natural processes over time, it has played an outsized role in Edmonton's history and carries deep cultural significance for Indigenous people who have lived in the region for millennia.
In the early 20th century, Big Island was a popular day-trip spot for Edmontonians who travelled by steamboat. Today, it remains mostly untouched, a wildlife corridor containing mature forests and ecologically significant wetlands.
Getting there means accessing the park by river only. The site is surrounded by private land, which has kept it off the typical weekend-outing radar. Some informal trail systems exist throughout the space, but the real infrastructure is still in the planning stages. The city and its partners are designing new roads, a proper trail system, and picnic sites to open the park more fully to the public.
For now, Big Island Provincial Park is a destination for adventure-seekers willing to boat upriver—a rewarding detour for anyone looking for a slice of nature without going far from the city. The untouched landscape and ecological significance make it worth the effort, especially as Edmonton continues to expand access to its River Valley.