In the welcome back post, I mentioned showing Edmonton in its summertime glory … well, seeing how I was lagging well behind when I went away a couple months ago … I just wanted apologize for the winter-ish images you are about to see!
Seriously though, welcome to Bearspaw!
Bearspaw is bounded on the north by roughly 17/18 Ave, on the East by the QE2 Highway/Calgary Trail, on the South by Anthony Henday Drive, and on the West by Blackmud Creek Ravine.
Bearspaw is well-situated in South Edmonton, cranes towered over where Century Park will be rising over the next few years … there is also talk that the LRT will be extended from there to nearby Heritage Valley over the next decade!
Blackmud Creek Ravine seemed to be a defining feature of this neighbourhood, so I made a beeline for the west side to start off my tour. Though I prefer city neighbourhoods to the suburbs personally, I think this beauty of a park (among other factors) would put Bearspaw on top of the list. The peacefulness of the ravine and the wide open spaces of the park edge appealed to me greatly; the slope of the hill descending into the ravine is steep enough to provide thrills for sledders, yet gentle enough in many spots to make it friendly for the little ones!
Continuing along the streets near the ravine’s edge, I came across many houses owned by those of great means; custom-built houses are a nice change from the usual montony of suburban housing stock; doubly so when there’s millions of $$$$ behind their construction!
It didn’t look like much on this day in Late March, but I came across a nice canal feature in the southern part of the neighbourhood … hope the mosquitoes aren’t bad in the summer though!
At the centre of Bearspaw lies the massive Tomas Opalinski Park, which contains Bearspaw Lake. Alot of nice homes with great backyards. As seen in the last photo, the lake seems to used for hockey in winter, but the ice seems a bit too thin to do it in Late March!
Overall, I was impressed with Bearspaw, given my bias towards city neighbourhoods. It has great natural features, beautiful homes, proximity to everything South Edmonton has to offer, and future LRT access via Century Park (2009) and Heritage Valley (2012-2020?) Check it out if you love suburban neighbourhoods and have a good sum of money to spend on a down payment (given the quality of the neighbourhood, and the South End’s high prices…)
