The Current River Greenway is a 263 hectare (650 acre) greenway located in Current River neighbourhood in the north end of

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

along the Current River. Throughout the Greenway is 50 km of public trails that are part of the Thunder Bay Recreational Trails and the

Trans Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail, officially named The Great Trail between September 2016 and June 2021, is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the A ...

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 A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

bridge, which was built in 1911. The trails around Boulevard Lake are also used for various

walking marathon A walkathon (walk-a-thon), walking marathon or sponsored walk is a type of community or school fundraiser in which participants raise money by collecting donations or pledges for walking a predetermined distance or course. They are similar in for ...

s 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 A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

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. 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

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

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

resulted in the flooding a large area northeast of what was then the town of

Port Arthur, Ontario Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario, Canada, located on Lake Superior. In January 1970, it amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay. Port Arthur had been the district seat of ...

. 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 A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

, a supervised

sand beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

and various other water sports,

mini golf Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...

, 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 A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...

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 Wakeboarding is a water sport in which the rider, standing on a wakeboard (a board with foot bindings), is towed behind a motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest in order to perform aerial maneuvers. A hallmark of wakeboardin ...

Festival in late June. Winter activities include

toboggan A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also 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 (often children) down a hill o ...

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 A horseshoe is a fabricated product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toen ...

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

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.

Dick 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 is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

diamonds and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

pitches, and an indoor arena. It was named after Richard (Dick) Waddington, a former city councilor, in 2008.

References

External links

Thunder Bay TrailsBoulevard Lake on Thunder Bay.ca
* ttp://www.borealforest.org/greenspaces/tbay.htm Greenspaces of Thunder Bay on BorealForest.orgbr>An image of the display in Birch Point ParkThunder Bay Recreational Trails homepageThunder Bay Dragon Boat Festival HomepageBirch Point Disc Golf Course on DGO
{{Ontario parks Parks in Thunder Bay Conservation areas in Ontario