Unlike most of Edmonton’s urban walking trails, hikers’ enjoyment isn’t really the top priority at the MacTaggart Sanctuary. Where other urban trails feature walkable pathways, clear signage and frequent reminders of the surrounding metropolis, the MacTaggart Sanctuary’s looping trail feels like a wilderness unto itself. In fact, were it not for the surprisingly good cell service and the distant hum of 23 Avenue, it would be easy to forget that you’re still in the city at all.
The MacTaggart Sanctuary’s unpredictability has a lot to do with the fact that it was never meant to be a walking trail, or at least, not an urban one. Named after the late real-estate magnate and University of Alberta benefactor Sandy MacTaggart, the land surrounding Whitemud Creek was previously owned by an aging stableman and farmer by the name of William Strait. After happening upon the land while driving through what was then the city’s outskirts, MacTaggart offered to buy the plot from Strait in exchange for a 12-suite apartment and permission to continue tilling the land for as long as he liked. Nearing retirement and happy for the extra income, Strait accepted MacTaggart’s offer, but with two additional conditions: that the natural area stay preserved and that it somehow go towards benefiting Edmontonians.
MacTaggart accepted Strait’s terms, and several years after developing the outskirts of the property and recouping his investment, he gifted the land to the University of Alberta. MacTaggart also convinced the provincial government to donate the adjacent plot as part of an existing donor matching program, and today, all 257 acres are co-owned by the University of Alberta and the City of Edmonton. Urban sprawl has since stretched the city out and around the undeveloped oasis, but right at the entrance to the trail is a welcome sign that harkens back to the words of William Strait, reminding visitors that the area “remains a sanctuary where the unspoiled nature takes precedence over people.”
Having that bit of history in your back pocket, it becomes a lot easier to forgive the MacTaggart loop for having minimal signage. Although the trail’s name and map promises a 2-kilometre jaunt around a spiralling freshwater creek, the actual hike is an oftentimes confusing jumble of snaking paths, trails that suddenly disappear behind walls of dense shrubbery and hidden detours leading to sudden drops or hilltop views. The overgrown tree roots peeking out throughout the trail can double as footholds or stumbling blocks, depending on your outlook, although unless you like scrambling through the mud, I would recommend steering clear of the hike in the days following a rainfall.
But the real star of the hike has to be Whitemud Creek. Running along the inner edge of the loop, the creek is the closest thing the trail has to a North Star. Peaceful from a distance but teeming at the shore, the creek’s added dynamism comes from its ability to pop out of the brush and greet you unexpectedly along the mazy path. The shallow banks also mean that the water is never more than a few feet away. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of the only residents who openly flout William Strait’s wishes: a colony of beavers hammering away at the dam on the loop’s northern edge.
Although I’ve lived in Edmonton for almost 20 years, I had never heard of the MacTaggart Sanctuary until about two weeks ago. Granted, my being a north side kid might have a lot to do with that, but it might also have to do with MacTaggart and Strait’s gentleman’s agreement all those years ago. Tucked away from the familiar trails of the River Valley and guarded from prying urban developers, the MacTaggart Sanctuary truly feels like one of the city’s best kept secrets. It’s hard to say whether that’s ultimately a good thing, but at the MacTaggart Sanctuary, Edmontonians can be sure that they will always have a place in the city to hike, wander, discover and spend an afternoon getting lost.
The MacTaggart Sanctuary parking lot is unmarked, although it can be found off the south side of 23rd Avenue, west of 119th Street.
