Current River Greenway - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Current River Greenway is a 263 hectare (650 acre) greenway

Greenway (landscape)

A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.- Terminology :...

located in Current River neighbourhood

Current River, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Current River is a neighbourhood located north east of Port Arthur in the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is separated from the main urban area of Thunder Bay by the Current River Greenway, a large parkland along the river after which the neighbourhood was named...

in the north end of Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay

-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

along the Current River

Current River (Ontario)

The Current River is a river in Northwestern Ontario, Canada which empties into Lake Superior. It rises out of Current Lake, north west of the city of Thunder Bay, curves through a number of small lakes, including Onion Lake , before heading north to empty into Thunder Bay at the northern edge of...

.

Throughout the Greenway is 50 km of public trails that are part of the Thunder Bay Recreational Trails and the Trans Canada Trail

Trans Canada Trail

The Trans Canada Trail is a proposed corridor in Canada. The creation of the trail was announced as part of Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations in 1992. It is expected that when complete, it will be the longest recreational trail in the world...

system. Five kilometres of paved trail circle Boulevard Lake. Part of the trail system incorporates the Black Bay Bridge, North America's first single spandrel

Spandrel

A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....

, reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...

bridge, which was built in 1911. The trails around Boulevard Lake are also used for various walking marathons in support of local and national charities. Trails outside of the Boulevard Lake area are not paved.

Birch Point Park

Birch Point Park is located on Birch Point, a peninsula

Peninsula

A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

in that separates Boulevard Lake two portions. The park was dedicated in 2000 as part of the Millennium project. It features a sculpture representing the city's forestry heritage and its designation as the Forest Capital of Canada 2000, as well as walking paths and specimens of each of Canada's provincial trees. It is one of the most recent additions to the Boulevard Lake Park network.
Birch Point Park is also home to Thunder Bay's first public Disc Golf course. The course is 18 baskets and was installed July 2010.

Bluffs Scenic Lookout

The Bluffs Scenic Lookout is located above the Current River, accessible off of Arundel Street north of Boulevard Lake. The site provides panoramic views of the Black Bay Bridge, Boulevard Lake, and the Sleeping Giant

Sleeping Giant (Ontario)

The Sleeping Giant is a formation of mesas and sills on Sibley Peninsula which resembles a giant lying on its back when viewed from the West to North-Northwest section of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. As one moves southward along the shoreline toward Squaw Bay the Sleeping Giant starts to separate...

. It is open to the public year-round.

Boulevard Lake Park

Boulevard Lake Park is a large public park area located in and maintained by the city of Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay

, Ontario

Ontario

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The park is centred around Boulevard Lake, which was created in 1901 after the construction of a dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

resulted in the flooding a large area northeast of what was then the town of Port Arthur, Ontario

Port Arthur, Ontario

Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario which amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Port Arthur was the district seat of Thunder Bay District.- History :...

. The first park was established in 1903 and since then it has proved to be a very popular destination for locals.

The main park is 74ha located on the west shore of the southern portion of Boulevard Lake. Its features include a playground

Playground

A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...

, a supervised sand beach, canoeing

Canoeing

Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....

, kayaking

Kayaking

Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...

and various other water sports, mini golf, a tennis court, picnic tables, a concession area, washrooms and changing rooms, and paddle boat and canoe rentals. The main park plays host to the Thunder Bay Dragon Boat

Dragon boat

A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...

Festival in late July, a two day event featuring dragon boat races and live musical performances and concessions. The most recent annual event to take place at the park is the International Wakeboard Festival in late June, which was started by Kris Cranton of Thunder Bay.

Winter activities include toboggan

Toboggan

A toboggan is a simple sled which is a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people down a hill or other slope for recreation. Designs vary from simple, traditional models to modern engineered composites...

ing down the slope on the eastern shore of the north portion of the lake.

Cascades Conservation Area

The Cascades Conservation Area is a 162 hectare conservation area is located north of Thunder Bay, Ontario and is accessible via Balsam Street. It is connected to Trowbridge Falls Park and Centennial Park by a series of hiking trails. The landscape features cascades in the river set against rock outcrops in a birch and poplar forest.

Centennial Park

Centennial Park is a recreation of a 1910 logging camp. It was created in 1967 as a centennial project.

Current River Park

Current River Park, formerly known as Casino Park, is located on North Cumberland Street. It features a horseshoe

Horseshoe

A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...

pitching area and a model RC car track, as well as a public gathering area. Located to the east is the Current River and the "fish stairs", a rocky area created by the damming of the Current River. Plans are underway to expand the Current River Park to the shore of Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay (Ontario)

Thunder Bay is a large bay on the north shore of Lake Superior. The bay is about 50 km long and 22 km wide. It is bordered to the east by the Sibley Peninsula at the southern tip of which is Thunder Cape, marking the entrance to the bay for ships approaching from the east...

and connect the walking trails with 52 km of waterfront.

Evergreen Park

Evergreen Park is located to the east of the north portion of Boulevard Lake. Its open spaces often are used for public gatherings.

Trowbridge Falls Park

Trowbridge Falls is a 302 hectare conservation area located on an area of rapids on the Current River, across from Centennial Park. It is connected to Centennial Park by a small bridge, allowing access to trails in Centennial Park. It is also connected to the Cascades Conservation Area to the north. The park features 140 tent and trailer campsites, served by a small store, showers and restrooms, laundry facilities and a dump station. Cross country skiing is a popular winter activity in the park. According to local legend, the park is haunted.

Waddington Park

Located east of the northern portion of Boulevard Lake, the Dick Waddington Park features an indoor building which is used to host public events such as dances and town hall meetings, baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

diamonds and soccer pitches, and an indoor arena. It was named after Dick Waddington, a former city counciller, in 2008.http://netnewsledger.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=737&Itemid=26

External links

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