'It's such a jewel': New river valley park opens in northeast Edmonton Sunday

Edmonton newest park opened Sunday in northeast Edmonton, as part of the city's Ribbon of Green plan. (Brandon Lynch/CTV News Edmonton)

Edmonton's newest - and biggest - river valley park opened Sunday.

The new park is located in Ward Dene, in the area of 149 Avenue and 17 Street NE. At 190 acres, it's the largest park in Edmonton's history.

It connects popular river valley trails with amenities including an event centre, playground, public washrooms and an ornamental lake for non-motorized boating activities.

"Having a park like this in the northeast is really exciting," said Ward Dene Coun. Aaron Paquette. "It's already being incredibly well used, there's families out and I think we're going to be enjoying this for generations to come."

The city says the park is part of the Ribbon of Green plan, a strategy aimed at creating an interconnected river valley that meets the needs of the environment and Edmontonians.

"We have seen the erosion in the river valley area, so it is important that we continue to invest in expanding it," said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi at the opening. "Edmontonians love our river valley.

"It's such a jewel, and we take pride in it and we want to make sure that we're preserving it."

The park was scheduled to open in August, but city officials postponed the opening to accommodate the nesting season for migratory birds in the region.

The park has yet to be named. The city says it will connect with stakeholders and residents in the fall for the official naming process and for other long-term plans for the park.

The Edmonton river valley has more than 20 major parks and 160 kilometre of maintained trails.