The Pulse
Aug. 12, 2026

Edmonton's unpaved trails have seen extensive damage due to the record rainfall so far this summer, says the head of the volunteer group that maintains them.

"We've had reports of some trails that are on slopes just collapsing … it's been pretty disruptive on the natural surface trails in the river valley," said Joe Yurkovich, president of the Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance.

Edmonton's river valley and ravine system has unpaved single-track trails, which are generally maintained by the EMBA, and paved double-track trails, which are maintained by city crews. Users of Trailforks, a website for reporting conditions on both unpaved and paved trails, have recorded several sections of both types of trail that are flooded, eroded, blocked by trees or landslides, or closed completely. The city has directed trail users to check its cautions and closures app for up-to-date information, but as of publication time, the map is not entirely current.

Edmonton broke its record for the wettest summer ever as of July 27. The city was soaked with 580 millimetres of rain in June and July alone — much more than the average annual rainfall of 423 millimetres. Much of the rain has come during severe thunderstorms, which means the trails are not only soaked and muddy, but could be blocked by downed trees or branches.

The EMBA has an agreement with the city that allows it to maintain more than 150 kilometres of unpaved single-track trails in the river valley and ravine system. This involves trimming branches, removing fallen trees, smoothing out ruts, and repairing wooden trail features. These aren't just the steep trails cut into a slope that you might see mountain bikers careening down — it also includes mellow trails often used by walkers to get to more secluded parts of the river valley.

But it's been hard to get out and maintain the trails due to all the rain, Yurkovich said. "People are expecting this is going to continue, just with all of the water saturated on the ground and getting hot weather, it's going to produce more storms, so we're not all that optimistic that there's an end in sight," he said. "But when we get the opportunity, we go out there, and we do work on the trail." He added that the weather has also delayed the construction and opening of the alliance's new mountain biking skills park in Queen Elizabeth Park.

Coreen Shewfelt of Bike Edmonton said the destroyed trails have had a big impact on cyclists who rely on them for transportation, not just recreation. "There's definitely been a lot of challenges navigating the river valley lately on all the trails because of all the water we've had," she said.

Shewfelt said there's been a lack of information available on closed routes, including in Mill Creek Ravine, which flooded several times near the end of July. "Nobody had put out any information about that. There was no signage or closures or anything on that trail, and so people were just going down there and then just hitting the brakes," she said. The city said some areas might not immediately have signage due to the ongoing emergence and extent of closures.

• City council's urban planning committee heard that Edmonton is weighing permanent rule changes for shared e-scooters and e-bikes, including more dedicated parking corrals and geofenced slow zones, as ridership has nearly tripled since 2019 to more than 1.4 million trips last year. Part-time wheelchair user Kyrie Herman said devices left blocking sidewalks remain a hazard for her and her daughter, while Ward O-day'min Coun. Anne Stevenson cautioned against restrictions so strict "that starts to take away from the benefit." No permanent changes were decided at Tuesday's meeting, though administration recommended focusing on vendor accountability, designated parking, and tech-driven enforcement rather than new restrictions.
• Edmonton city councillors directed administration to provide a report exploring a tax incentive for transit-oriented development at urban planning committee. They also asked for a report identifying ways to expand development opportunities near mass transit stations and outlining a process for proactive rezoning near transit stations, similar to the city's priority growth area project, which resulted in the upzoning of more than 1,200 properties in core areas.
• Downtown boosters welcomed Westrich Pacific's court-approved purchase of Edmonton City Centre, with co-CEO David Sanche calling it a "once in a generation opportunity." The company plans to convert the former Hudson's Bay space into 1,500 residential units as part of the redevelopment, though Sanche cautioned that the transformation "can't happen without major stakeholders" and will take years. Otéra Capital, the mall's lender, isn't expected to fully recoup the nearly $140 million it was owed when the property went into receivership last year. Cheryll Watson, chair of the Downtown Revitalization Coalition, said having a local buyer is "a big win for Edmonton," adding, "I think there's a huge amount of optimism" about the mall's future. Ward O-day'min Coun. Anne Stevenson noted that the mall is outside of the Downtown Community Revitalization Levy, but the city will do what it can to ensure the vision comes to life.
• The 24/7 Crisis Diversion Team spent $6.3 million but created $42 million in social value in 2025, says a new report from REACH Edmonton. REACH partners with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Edmonton Region, Boyle Street Community Services, and Hope Mission to work towards crisis diversion and intervention 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dispatches of the service have grown from 20,000 in 2023 to 32,000 in 2025, a 58% increase. In addition to year-based comparisons, the partners have a crisis diversion dashboard with rich data sorted by month.
• The Alberta government is seeking proposals for new gambling addiction services, to be funded through revenue from the regulated iGaming system that launched last month. The province will take a 20% cut of revenue from private operators, with 1% set aside for "social responsibility initiatives" such as addiction services and educational campaigns, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction said. Almost two dozen private sportsbooks and casinos were ready for launch day, with five more coming online since; organizations have until Sept. 10 to apply for the new funding.
• Ben Baril, a 20-year-old student at the University of Alberta who organized a protest against AI data centres in Sturgeon County, said he plans to show up at upcoming provincial town halls to demand a halt to approvals until public concerns are addressed. Baril said four town halls — one of which will be in Sturgeon County on Aug. 20 — are insufficient consultation given that projects, including Meta's $13-billion facility north of Edmonton, have already been approved.
• The Town of Gibbons is reopening talks on a regional fire-service agreement with Sturgeon County, months after halting the same discussions in April over concerns about full-cost recovery. The county's revised proposal could cut Gibbons's annual fire costs by 89% starting in 2027, while keeping the town's fire hall and funding upgrades. Town council directed administration to review the new business case and report back on Aug. 25.
• Jordan Martinook brought the Stanley Cup to the Leduc Recreation Centre on Aug. 11 to share the trophy with more than 1,000 fans in the arena where he grew up playing hockey. Martinook, an alternate captain for the Carolina Hurricanes who had two goals and three assists during the team's Cup run, called it "a culmination of your life of hard work."
• If the sky is clear, Aug. 12 will bring both a partial solar eclipse and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower to Edmonton stargazers.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Balancing Life, Work & Basic Needs: Mental Health Workshop starting at 9am at On-Site Placement
• Partial solar eclipse starting at 9:30am at TELUS World of Science - Edmonton (RASC Observatory)
• Reclaim Your Calm: A Working Mom's Guide to Self-Care starting at 10am online
• Summer Reading Fest: Music is Medicine, Dancing is Freedom with Curt Young starting at 2pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Southwest Edmonton Farmers' Market starting at 3:30pm at Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar
• Emerging Health Leaders Summer Connect: A Networking & Mentorship Social starting at 4:30pm at Irrational Brewing Company
• Hammer time Eco Dyeing with Chelsea Boos starting at 5:30pm at McCauley Community Orchard
• Tech Wednesdays starting at 5:30pm at The Pint Public House
• Garden Concert: Josh McHan Trio starting at 7pm at Anglican Parish of Christ Church

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Aug. 20: Chamber After Hours at the Edmonton Fringe at Fringe Theatre Arts Barns
• Aug. 26: Opera al Fresco at University of Alberta Botanic Garden
• Aug. 29: Stories in Motion: Chinatown AR Showcase & Community Feedback Weekend at Mah Society of Edmonton

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

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