Coal Banks Trail is a 30-kilometre multipurpose recreational path in Lethbridge

Lethbridge

Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, 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...

. It connects all of the city's major urban parks, all three geographical areas, and many smaller parks. While
primarily a community recreation opportunity, the trail is also used for community events, such as the Terry Fox Run and the Moonlight Run.

The city's Parks and Recreation department maintains the city-wide system, which was designed to connect the Oldman River valley

Oldman River valley parks system

The Oldman River valley parks system is a continuous collection of eight urban parks in the Oldman River valley of Lethbridge, Alberta, 100 metres below the prairie level. The parks were created in the 1980s as part of the city's Urban Parks Project...

 with other areas of the city, including Pavan Park in the north and Henderson Park

Henderson Park (Lethbridge)

Henderson Park is a 47 hectare located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The park contains many amenities and attractions, including a 24 hectare man-made lake, the largest lake in the city...

 in the east. The system now reaches Highways 4 and 5 in the south and a loop in West Lethbridge

West Lethbridge

West Lethbridge , is one of three geographical areas in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It is the newest and the fastest growing...

 (including University Drive and McMaster Blvd).

History

Named after the original settlement in the river valley, most of the original trail was built between 1984–1987 as part of the city's Urban Parks Project. The 7km expansion around West Lethbridge

West Lethbridge

West Lethbridge , is one of three geographical areas in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It is the newest and the fastest growing...

 was completed in 1996.

In the late 1980s, repeated floods of the Oldman River

Oldman River

The Oldman River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows roughly west to east from the Rocky Mountains, through the communities of Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, Taber, and on to Grassy Lake, where it joins with the Bow River to form the South Saskatchewan River, which eventually drains into...

 washed out a causeway section near the Lethbridge Country Club golf course. Unable to obtain approval from the federal government to rebuild the section, Lethbridge City Council decided to build a link to 4 St and Scenic Drive South in 2004.

Parks serviced

• Botterill Bottom Park
• Bull Trail Park
• Helen Schuler Nature Reserve
• Henderson Park
• Indian Battle Park
• Nicholas Sheran Park
  Nicholas Sheran Park
  Nicholas Sheran Park is an urban park in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and is named after one of the city's founders, Nicholas Sheran. The largest park in West Lethbridge, it was conceptualised as a regional park in 1969, and constructed in 1974.-Amenities:...
  
  
• Pavan Park