Griffith Woods sits on the North shore of the Elbow River, at the west edge of Calgary. Bordering the community of Discovery Ridge, Griffith Woods was created in 2000 and named after Wilbur and Betty Griffith, who donated a portion of their estate to The City to be set aside as a nature preserve. The resulting wildlife park is full of natural flora and fauna, more reminiscent of Kananaskis Country than many city parks. We do ask that all our park users keep that in mind when they are in the park, and stay on the designated trails, respecting trail closures, helping keep the park habitat healthy.
Griffith Woods is situated on Treaty 7 land and borders the Tsuut’ina Nation. Park users should stay within the park boundaries while they are enjoying the park and avoid trespassing on Tsuut’ina private property. Starting in 2023, undesignated trails close to the boundary with Tsuut’ina Nation were closed and repaired, and a fence was erected to reduce trespassing.
One of Griffith Woods highlights is the sheer amount of wildlife you can find within the park. February is a great time to go out with your binoculars and find some of our year-round resident birds who make the park home. Within a short walk from the parking lot, you can find yourself in a white spruce forest full of Black-capped and Boreal Chickadees, Woodpeckers, including the rare Piliated Woodpecker, Mallard ducks, Canada Geese, even a Bald Eagle can be found at times perched high in the trees.
In addition to the birds, lots of other wildlife call Griffith Woods home. You can find deer, coyotes, porcupines, beavers, and even moose throughout the winter. With all this wildlife present it is very important to keep your dogs on a leash when you go for a walk, and to properly clean up after them, so that the dog waste isn’t an attractant for wildlife.
For more information on Griffith Woods go to https://www.calgary.ca/parks/griffith-woods-park.html.
Click here to the Discovery Ridge Community News home page for the latest Discovery Ridge community updates.
