Confederation Park is an

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...

in northwest Calgary,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. It is developed over an area of between the neighbourhoods of Mount Pleasant, Capitol Hill, Collingwood and Highland Park. 10th Street West bisects the park from north to south. The City o
Calgary's Confederation Park Page
provides maps of th
North Area
and th
South Area
of the park. The park has picnic tables,

toboggan A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill ...

hills,

cycle path A bike path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses ''shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or "Class III bikewa ...

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...

s and baseball diamonds. The park is also a popular destination for couples having wedding pictures taken. The park adjoins the Queens Park Cemetery on the east side by the baseball diamond and tennis courts near Highland Park. There is cross-country skiing both in the park and at the golf course during the winter. Any time of the year the park can be used for geocache searches. Adjacent to the park is the Confederation

Golf Course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

. In winter the golf course is open for cross-country skiing and the park hosts the Lions Club Christmas Light Display in December and January. The park, anchored by the Centennial Golf Course to the west and Queen Park Cemetery to the east, along with other nearby open areas, affords neighborhoods such as Rosemont and Cambrian Heights large amounts of open space.

History

In the mid-1960s, efforts to conserve the North Hill Coulee, a brook which remained undeveloped because of uneven terrain, were organized in the form of the Centennial Ravine Park Society. In 1967, the park opened to celebrate the centennial of the Canadian Confederation. The society was very active in the neighborhoods of Northwest Calgary, and raised funds to create the park space.

Environment

Because the park follows the course of the North Hill Coulee, there is a

riparian habitat A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...

, which supports an assortment of plants such as Douglas fir, dogwood and willows, despite the urbanized surrounding area. It is also an important migratory spot for several species of waterfowl.

References

Parks in Calgary {{Calgary-stub