Discovery Ridge Cove S.W. (93 hectares)
There are a few washed out crossings in Griffith Woods that Parks is working towards repairing. Please use caution on the trails and obey all signage.
Experience Nature in the City
Walk quietly through a dense White Spruce forest. Watch aquatic wildlife in crystal clear, spring-fed wetlands. Or, just sit and enjoy the Elbow River as it runs between you and the Tsuu T'ina reserve on the other bank. Here is one of only two large stands of White Spruce in The City's park system so it is a good place to watch the birds and other wildlife that prefer the coniferous forest. Boardwalks cross the clear wetlands providing you with a great opportunity to see aquatic plants and invertebrates.
About the Park
Griffith Woods Park lies along the banks of the Elbow River in the southwest part of the city. The park was created in 2000 and named after Wilbur Griffith who, with his wife Betty, donated a portion of their estate to The City of Calgary to be set aside as a nature preserve. Griffith Woods is classified as a Special Protection Natural Environment Park because of its overall environmental sensitivity and significance.
Park Features:
- Paved pathways
- Gravel and dirt trails
- Benches
- Deciduous and coniferous forests
- Native grassland
- Wildlife
Natural and Human History
The Elbow River, with its headwaters in Elbow Lake high up in Kananaskis Country, flows unimpeded down and through Griffith Woods. Seldom can one experience a "wild river" within a major city. Within this park, the river is relatively straight but it has abandoned ancient curves leaving "oxbow" wetlands. These oxbows combined with the wetlands associated with spring-fed streams that flow into the park, result in a rich variety of aquatic ecosystems.
The moisture combined with protection in the valley from drying winds has allowed for the growth of a mature White Spruce forest. In some areas the forest is extremely dense resulting in very little undergrowth on the forest floor; but, this mature coniferous forest is one of the best places in the city to see species such as Red-breasted Nuthatches and Gray Jays that frequent this habitat.
Because the Elbow River is a wild river and still experiences frequent flooding, there is a thick growth of Balsam Poplar. These trees require flooding for regeneration. There are numerous gravel trails left in the park where you can walk quietly and commune with nature while avoiding the hustle and bustle of the paved regional pathways.
The land has been ranched since the late 1800s and most recently was part of the Griffith Estate.
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