Henderson Park is a 47 hectare (117 acre) park located in

Lethbridge Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The park contains many amenities and attractions, including a 24 hectare (60 acre) man-made lake, the largest lake in the city. Several annual events are held in the park.

History

Henderson Lake was originally a

slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...

, but Mayor William Henderson, after whom the lake and park are named, was instrumental in developing the lake and surrounding park in preparation for the 7th International Dry-Farming Congress in 1912.

Amenities

*Henderson Lake Playground: - A large, colourful

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 ...

with a soft

Foam Foams are materials formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or solid. A bath sponge and the head on a glass of beer are examples of foams. In most foams, the volume of gas is large, with thin films of liquid or solid separating the reg ...

ground covering the entire play area. The playground is near the P-2 parking lot, the boat

dock A dock (from Dutch language, Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The ex ...

, and the boat ramp. *Group picnic shelters: - In addition to the Henderson Horseshoe Pit, there are three other group picnic areas: Kiwanis, Kinsmen and Gunnery. *Henderson Campground: - This year-round campground is located just east of the park on Parkside Drive. Amenities include full and partial hookup sites, washrooms, laundromat, store, playground and a sani-dump. This is now closed and no longer available. *Henderson Horseshoe Pit: - At the west end of the park and near the pool, this fenced facility has 10 horseshoe pitches. It also doubles as a group picnic area with a kitchen and a large tent shelter. This facility is available between May and October. *Henderson Lake: This 24 hectare (60 acre) man-made

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

provides

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

opportunities from spring to fall, as well as the annual Lethbridge Dragon Boat Festival. *Henderson Lake Golf Course: - Since 1911, this public, 18-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

has been located along the south shore of Henderson Lake. *Henderson Outdoor Pool: - Opened in 1962, the clover-shaped

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

is one of the city's only outdoor pools and includes a sand

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

court. It is open from the end of June until the end of August. *Henderson Park Ice Centre: - Located on the north side of Henderson Park, a full-size and mini size rink is available for private rentals from September to early April. The centre seats 700 and hosts tournaments. *

Spitz Stadium Spitz Stadium is a stadium in the Henderson Park of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It is used primarily for baseball. It is the home of the Lethbridge Bulls, a Western Canadian Baseball League team, and was the home of the Lethbridge Black Diamon ...

: - This lighted baseball stadium is home to the

Lethbridge Bulls The Lethbridge Bulls are a Summer college baseball team playing at Spitz Stadium in Lethbridge, Alberta. The team is a member of the Western Canadian Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league operating in the prairie provinces of Canad ...

and seats more than 3000 people. *Henderson Tennis Courts: - Operated by the Lethbridge Tennis Club, this facility includes a clubhouse and six lighted Plexi-Pave

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

courts. *

Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden is a garden near Henderson Lake in Lethbridge, Alberta, designed by Dr. Masami Sugimoto and Dr. Tadashi Kubo of Osaka Prefecture University in Japan. The pavilion, shelter, bridges and gates were built in Kyoto, Japan, by five artisans who la ...

: - Built in 1967 as a symbol of Japanese-Canadian friendship, this landscape garden features elements of five traditional

Japanese gardens are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

. It is open from mid-May to mid-October. *Rose Garden: - Situated in the northwest corner of the park, the garden was originally developed with the

Girl Guides Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...

, and it is a popular area for

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

photos. *Trails: Facilities in the park are connected by paved trails, available for walking,

jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

and

in-line skating Inline skating is a multi-disciplinary sport and can refer to a number of activities practiced using inline skates. Inline skates typically have two to five polyurethane wheels depending on the style of practice, arranged in a single line by a ...

. The two largest trails circumvent the lake (2.8 km) and the park's perimeter (4.3 km). The citywide

Coal Banks Trail Coal Banks Trail is a 30-kilometre multipurpose recreational path in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It connects all of the city's major urban parks, all three geographical areas, and many smaller parks. While primarily a community recreation opportu ...

runs through the park.

References

External links

Lethbridge Tennis ClubHenderson Lake Golf Club
{{Coord, 49.68646, -112.79631, type:landmark_region:CA-AB, display=title Parks in Lethbridge