Sherwood Park Outdoor Activities

The plane's metal door slides open to the sound of pounding wind. A skydiving instructor and his student step to the edge. At the signal, they plunge into nothingness, more than 12,500 feet above mountains and rolling country landscape. For one exhilarating minute, the earth approaches at 200 kilometres per hour. Then, the instructor pulls the cord and the two begin floating together toward the ground, enjoying a fantastic view that satellites often take for granted.

It's all part of a day's work for the instructors at Edmonton Skydive Centre. Building on a 25-year legacy, they prep students for first-jump courses or help them through the eight levels of Accelerated Free Fall programs, which cover a blend of CSPA requirements, technical basics, and hand signals for making small talk with eagles. They and their students then gather up the proper TSO-approved gear, board a DHC-6 Super Twin Otter, and hit the skies for hands-on solo training.

An arboreal mix of towering evergreens and the ever-changing leaves of deciduous trees skirt the spacious fairways of Fort In View Golf Course's 27-hole facility. Pleasant challenges and beautiful backdrops accompany golfers as they roll their golf balls through three nine-hole sides, Buck, Clark, and Simpson—par 36, 35, and 35, respectively. Seven ponds lie throughout the track, harrying tee shots on Buck's second hole, Clark's sixth hole, and Simpson third hole and leading many golfers to attempt to attach water wings to their golf balls.

Course at a Glance:

• Three nine-hole sides
• Max 18-hole length of 6,580 yards from the back tees
• Max 18-hole rating of 69.8 from the back tees
• Max 18-hole slope of 113 from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard

DevonRidge Farms spreads out across 110 acres of verdant countryside, where horses reside in outdoor boarding stalls and trainers keep close watch on all goings on. In the broad confines of a 100'x200' outdoor riding ring and a 70'x160' indoor arena, instructors help riders to sharpen their skills atop calm, well-trained lesson horses that never blow red lights or roll through stop signs. The staff also breeds connemara ponies on-site, calling upon more than two decades of horse-rearing experience.

Sculpted into the shores of Pipestone Creek, Pipestone Links Golf Course winds along water-kissed tracts of poplar and spruce trees for a nine-hole, 3,284-yard layout. The stream encircles the course, creating a mulligan moat throughout the round with the help of two ponds and a sprinkler system with a love of pranks. The course’s most difficult hole—the 341-yard par-4—features water on both sides of a split fairway and behind the green. In addition, Pipestone Links invites guests to enjoy the surrounding scenery from their RV park and camping ground.

Paintball Action Games' 18,000-square-foot facility accommodates players aged 10 and older, who shield themselves in coveralls and goggles for indoor games in October through May. Participants race across the tournament field, dodging paintballs as they crouch behind inflatables and aim their semi-auto markers at unsuspecting opponents. In between bouts, a pro shop with certified techs helps visitors stock up on markers, apparel, and accessories such as the same pellets Michelangelo used to paint the Sistine Chapel. Meanwhile, the picnic area hosts guests after their contests, where they can grill up on a feast on barbecues.