Carburn Park

• Parking: Lot on site
• Washrooms: By the Parking Lot
• Paved and dirt path

View from the parking lot.

Who Owns This Place?

As I stepped out of my car this morning, I found myself standing in front of a pristine lake, perfectly reflecting a huge weeping willow in the still surface of the water.  Carburn Park is actually a reclaimed gravel pit along, remade into two lakes, replanted with native trees and shrubs and networked with paved and dirt trails.  Its teeming with life.  I shared my walk with a beaver, rabbits, countless birds galore, and three deer - two adults and one fawn that leapt out of the tall grass just a couple feet from the trail.  

The inspirational tree.

On the far side of the lake, I took a detour along a dirt path leading into the bush towards the river bank.  The scars left by the flooding of 2013 were everywhere; piles of gravel left by the slowing river, debris still clinging to branches well above the current water level, uprooted trunks, and one especially craggy tree, broken in places, but very much alive, proudly bearing scars that told the story of it's life.  I hope one day I can say the same about myself.

Welcome to my park!

When I turned to go back, I couldn't find the trail back to the main path anywhere.  Eventually, I dived into an indent in the bush, assuming this little path would eventually bring me back the way I came.  But when I looked down, I saw only hoof marks - not sneaker tracks.  A deer run.  And deer don't usually run to the parking lot.  Ugh!  Thoroughly lost, I spent longer than I had planned "exploring" the area between the river and the lakes.

As I worked my way out of the bush, I almost felt as if I was invading the privacy of the plants and animals who lived there.  We assume that the land within the city limits is ours, paving paths and planting flower beds.  But after this morning's adventure, it no longer felt like I had caught a glimpse of some animals in our park, but rather that the wildlife had graciously allowed me to visit their space.