Abbotsford is blessed with dozens of parks, some among the very best in the Lower Mainland. Over the last month we have run a Final Four-style bracket that pits Abbotsford’s parks against one another, with Mill Lake Park awaiting the winner in the final. You can find past votes and results here.
This is it. After a delay due to a whole bunch of actual news, we’ve finally come to the conclusion of our effort to determine the city’s favourite park.
We’ve thus far left Mill Lake out of our bracket because, well, because it’s Mill Lake Park, by far Abbotsford’s best-used green space and an objectively terrific place to be. The park has three different playgrounds. It has a pool. It has two different ballfields. It has a boat launch. It has trees and geese and you can walk around it in 20 minutes and in the centre of the city.
There’s an argument that it’s among the very best urban parks in the entire province.
So we gave it a bye to avoid the predictable slaughter of Mill Lake demolishing lesser-loved, but still worthy, green spaces around Abbotsford.
But it’s time for the city’s crown jewel to enter the fray. And it’s going up against a slightly surprising opponent: Matsqui Trail Regional Park, which clearly – although not overwhelmingly – beat Sumas Mountain Regional Park in our semi-final.
RELATED: Two parks left in contest to crown Abbotsford’s favourite; Round 4 bracket results
Matsqui Trail is itself a prize, with kilometres of riverside trails, plenty of places to fish, equestrian facilities and parking, picnic areas and amazing views. It will be in tough. It’s going up against a behemoth. But just being in the final shows that Abbotsford residents love this park on the city’s fringes.
Voting will again take place on Facebook and on our website.
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