Visiting Edmonton

[xzmattzx]

Now that I gave my experiences, I have questions based on what I saw and experienced, or what I noticed during or afterwards.

~ Why are street numbers so high? Why is if 104 Avenue instead of 4th Avenue (although I did see a 4th Avenue sign down near the baseball stadium)? Where is the starting point?
~ What is the steepest street in Edmonton? There's some steep streets south of Downtown.
~ Is there an extensive trail system in the river valley? I saw a couple Europeans with accents (maybe from France) in the middle of a hike, like they were in Yosemite or something, when I was by the funicular.
~ It looks like that huge swatch of land near the Alberta Aviation Museum was an old airport. What airport was that? Was it replaced by the current international airport?
~ Are Lake Telford and Lake Saunders part of some ancient river valley? I originally thought Lake Telford was going to be some kind of clean lake, but it was pretty brown, stagnant, and swampy. Then I looked at it on satellite imagery.
~ If I can get to Edmonton again, and have a rental car (which worked out very well this first time), I would want to try and go for a swim in a lake in the area again. So which lake within about 90 minutes of Downtown would you guys consider best?
~ What's the most interesting thing somewhat close to the Yellowhead Highway east of Elk Island National Park?
~ How long does it take to drive to Jasper National Park? Is there anything interesting on the way?
~ How long does it take to drive to the Northwest Territories?
~ How often do you see territorial plates in Edmonton? I saw a Northwest Territories plate on the way to Elk Island National Park, and I was hoping to see one since I was relatively close, but I was also there for just a day, so I knew time was against me. I saw three Yukon plates in Alaska near Fairbanks and in Denali National Park earlier in August, before this Edmonton trip.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

My responses in bold

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Now that I gave my experiences, I have questions based on what I saw and experienced, or what I noticed during or afterwards.

~ Why are street numbers so high? Why is if 104 Avenue instead of 4th Avenue (although I did see a 4th Avenue sign down near the baseball stadium)? Where is the starting point?
Blame the urban planners from about 100 years ago!
The starting point is in the SE corner of the city.
~ What is the steepest street in Edmonton? There's some steep streets south of Downtown.
105 St or 106 St south of 99 Ave
~ Is there an extensive trail system in the river valley? I saw a couple Europeans with accents (maybe from France) in the middle of a hike, like they were in Yosemite or something, when I was by the funicular.
Yes
~ It looks like that huge swatch of land near the Alberta Aviation Museum was an old airport. What airport was that? Was it replaced by the current international airport?
It was the City Centre Airport. In the late 60s or early 70s it was the Edmonton Industrial Airport
~ Are Lake Telford and Lake Saunders part of some ancient river valley? I originally thought Lake Telford was going to be some kind of clean lake, but it was pretty brown, stagnant, and swampy. Then I looked at it on satellite imagery.
~ If I can get to Edmonton again, and have a rental car (which worked out very well this first time), I would want to try and go for a swim in a lake in the area again. So which lake within about 90 minutes of Downtown would you guys consider best?
Probably either Wabamun Lake or Pigeon Lake
~ What's the most interesting thing somewhat close to the Yellowhead Highway east of Elk Island National Park?
The giant Easter Egg in Vegreville, the giant sausage in Mundare, and the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
~ How long does it take to drive to Jasper National Park? Is there anything interesting on the way?
3.5 hours
Wabamun Lake; Chip Lake; the towns of Edson and Hinton; Obed (the highest elevation of the Yellowhead Highway)
~ How long does it take to drive to the Northwest Territories?
About 11 or 12 hours to Hay River via Peace River
~ How often do you see territorial plates in Edmonton? I saw a Northwest Territories plate on the way to Elk Island National Park, and I was hoping to see one since I was relatively close, but I was also there for just a day, so I knew time was against me. I saw three Yukon plates in Alaska near Fairbanks and in Denali National Park earlier in August, before this Edmonton trip.
I have seen quite a few license plates from BC, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec in this city.

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Another good lake for swimming is Sylvan Lake near Red Deer. It's halfway between Edmonton and Calgary, and features a sandy beach and a walkway.

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

My responses in bold

Thanks!

It looks like I walked uphill on the steepest street in Edmonton then, because I walked up both 105 Street and 106 Street north of 97 Avenue (after parking on 96 Avenue).

I am still trying to figure out where that center of the street grid is. I think I found the middle, which is the Highway 216 beltway, and Range Road 234 for the east/west demarcation, and the edge of development and grassy area on the southern side of the Highway 216 beltway for the north/south demarcation. It looks like the middle is here. Did they plan on that actually being the middle of the town when that spot was picked?

Pigeon Lake or Sylvan Lake are places I want to go now!

On another note, why is the median so wide for the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, and why is there so much grassy, unused lane surrounding the southern portion of the 216 beltway? Why not build just up to the highway more?

[Coldrsx]

'On another note, why is the median so wide for the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, and why is there so much grassy, unused lane surrounding the southern portion of the 216 beltway? Why not build just up to the highway more?'

It's a preserved ROW for future needs, but also an important separation during winter (or other times) for vehicles going into the ditch on icy roads, I kid you not.

Could be for rail or more lanes in the future.

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

~ Are Lake Telford and Lake Saunders part of some ancient river valley? I originally thought Lake Telford was going to be some kind of clean lake, but it was pretty brown, stagnant, and swampy. Then I looked at it on satellite imagery.

It is part of the Beaverhill Moraine, connected to Elk Island National Park and all the way south to the Hand Hills. It is a large drainage system when Glacial Lake Edmonton drained.

The big sights for this structure are the following:

Antler Hill (just east of Red Deer): the largest esker in the moraine and causes Red Deer Valley to make a big meander to the north.
Battle River (Big Knife Provincial Park, Highway 36 crossing), another large drainage channel.
Beaver Hills (most prominent around Ryley, I feel like, but also includes Elk Island National Park): the northern terminus of the Beaverhill moraine, where sediments accumulated in the Glacial Lake
Coal Lake (Gwynne): A large channel carved out by the glacial waters
Dry Island Buffalo Jump: A large drainage channel, connected to Dry Snake Valley
Dry Snake Valley (Rumsey Natural Area): a section of hummocky terrain that is better known as "knob and kettle"
Hand Hills: The southern terminus of the Beaverhill Moraine, where sediments accumulated at the apex of Glacial Lake Edmonton.