Junior Explorer Passport
Nine great places to explore in our city, from the coulees and the river valley to the High Level Bridge, the library and two lovely lake parks. Print the passport, fold it into a little booklet, and tick off each place as you go. Visit six and you’ve earned your Junior Explorer certificate!
On this page
How the passport works
Lethbridge is a wonderful city to explore. We’ve got deep coulees, a river valley full of cottonwoods and wildlife, a railway bridge so important that Canada named its building a National Historic Event, and parks and museums all over town. This passport is your ticket to all of it.
- Each place gets its own page with one true fun fact and a little “find it” challenge to try while you’re there.
- When you visit, write the date, finish the challenge, and draw something you saw in the box (or ask staff if they have a stamp).
- Visit any six of the nine places and you’ve earned the Junior Explorer certificate at the bottom of this page. It also counts toward your Junior Explorer badge on our Earn Your Badges page.
- There’s no rush. Two of the places are open mainly in the warm months, so the passport works best as a year-long adventure. Spread it out over a few seasons and see how the river valley changes.
For grown-ups: five of the nine places are free (the three parks, the bridge viewpoint and the library), and the Nature Centre asks for a donation. The Galt Museum, Fort Whoop-Up and Nikka Yuko charge admission. Please check hours and admission before you go, using the official links below.
Plan your visits
Hours change with the seasons and with holidays, so we don’t list them here. Check before you go.
| Place | When it’s open | Admission | Check before you go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helen Schuler Nature Centre | All year | By donation | nature.lethbridge.ca |
| High Level Bridge viewpoint (the paths around the Nature Centre) | All year, in daylight | Free | Nature Centre trails |
| Indian Battle Park | All year | Free | City park page |
| Fort Whoop-Up | Seasonal: in 2026, May 15 to September 7; closed September to April | Admission (children 6 and under free) | fort.galtmuseum.com |
| Galt Museum & Archives | All year | Admission (children 6 and under free) | galtmuseum.com |
| Lethbridge Public Library | All year | Free | lethlib.ca |
| Henderson Lake Park | All year | Free | City park page |
| Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden | Seasonal: the regular season runs in the warm months (in 2026 it ended August 30), and a Winter Light Festival starts in late November | Admission (children 5 and under free) | nikkayuko.com |
| Nicholas Sheran Park | All year | Free | City park page |
The Nature Centre, the bridge viewpoint, Indian Battle Park and Fort Whoop-Up are all down in the river valley, close together, so they make a great passport day. The Lethbridge Nature Reserve by the Nature Centre is one of the City’s gated river valley parks, which are locked every evening, so plan a daytime visit. Looking for more family outings? Try our family adventures page.
The explorer’s promise
Real explorers take care of the places they visit, so the next kids can enjoy them too. Before you start, read the promise on page 2 of your passport with your grown-up.
- Take only pictures and drawings. The Nature Centre’s rules say picking or removing plants isn’t allowed in the nature reserve. Leave rocks, feathers, pinecones and flowers where you find them.
- Keep wildlife wild. Don’t feed animals. Watch them from a distance.
- Stay with your grown-up and on the paths, especially near the coulee edges and the river.
- Stay off the railway. The Nature Centre reminds visitors that the High Level Bridge is an active railway. Never climb on it or walk across it, and don’t stand right underneath it, because things can fall from the bridge.
- Dress for our weather. The river valley can be windy, and a chinook day can turn chilly fast. Our what to wear page will help.
The Nature Centre says more than 220 kinds of birds have been recorded inside our city limits. Bring a notebook and see how many you can spot on your passport visits.
How to print and fold it
- Print the passport on six sheets of plain letter paper, one side only, in landscape. Choose “actual size” or 100%. To print just the passport, tap The passport first, then use your browser’s Print (on a phone, look under Share). The certificate prints separately the same way.
- Fold each sheet in half along the dotted line, with the printing on the outside.
- Stack the folded sheets in order, sheet 1 on top, with all the folds on the left.
- Staple twice along the folded edge (a grown-up can help), or punch two holes and tie it with string. Practise a square knot from our knots page!
Prefer not to print? You can keep track right here on the screen, or copy the facts and challenges into your own notebook.
The passport
The explorer’s promise
I promise to:
- stay with my grown-up and on the paths;
- take only pictures and drawings, and leave plants, rocks and feathers where they are;
- keep wildlife wild and never feed animals;
- be kind to people and places, and leave them as nice as I found them;
- dress for the weather and bring water.
Signed:
How it works: visit a place, write the date, do the “find it” challenge and draw what you saw. Visit 6 places to earn your certificate!
2Junior Explorer Passport
Lethbridge, Alberta
Name:
Age:
My explorer buddy:
lethbridgeweather.ca
1High Level Bridge viewpoint
Where: the paths around the Helen Schuler Nature Centre have great views of the bridge.
Fun fact: our High Level Bridge was finished in 1909. It’s about 1.6 km long, more than 90 metres high, and it’s held together with almost 1.4 million rivets!
Find it: from the path, wait and watch. Can you spot a train crossing? Draw the bridge in the box. Never climb on the bridge or walk on the tracks.
Date I visited:
4Helen Schuler Nature Centre
Fun fact: the Nature Centre sits beside the Lethbridge Nature Reserve, about 80 hectares (196 acres) of river valley. In winter, you might see white-tailed deer, mule deer, cottontail rabbits, porcupines and coyotes.
Find it: find the big “Listen” sculpture west of the parking lot. Sit on its shelf, stay very quiet and listen. What can you hear?
Date I visited:
3Fort Whoop-Up
Fun fact: the fort you visit is a replica, built in the 1960s for Canada’s 100th birthday. The first Fort Whoop-Up was built in 1869, farther south, where the St. Mary River meets the Oldman.
Find it: find the Niitsitapi Gallery inside. Learn one thing about the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) people to share at supper.
Date I visited:
6Indian Battle Park
Fun fact: in October 1870, the Battle of the Belly River between the Blackfoot and the Cree ended here. The City calls it the last major conflict between First Nations in Canada, and it’s working with the Kainai, Piikani and Siksika Nations and Métis partners to care for the site.
Find it: look up! Can you see the High Level Bridge from the park?
Date I visited:
5Lethbridge Public Library
Fun fact: our library opened in August 1919 in rooms at the YMCA, with about 3,000 donated books. In 1922 it moved into its own building at the south end of Galt Gardens.
Find it: find a book from our “Books for Curious Kids” list, and ask about getting your very own library card.
Date I visited:
8Galt Museum & Archives
Fun fact: the Galt’s building opened in 1910 as the Galt Hospital. Today it’s home to our city’s museum and archives.
Find it: find something in the museum that’s older than the building itself. How old is it?
Date I visited:
7Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden
Fun fact: “Nikka Yuko” means Japan–Canada friendship. The garden opened on July 14, 1967, and its Friendship Bell was made in Kyoto, Japan. Many of its rocks came from the Crowsnest Pass.
Find it: find the Friendship Bell, then find the moon bridge beside it. It’s a little steep, so take care. Remember to stay on the paths.
Date I visited:
10Henderson Lake Park
Fun fact: Henderson Lake is a 24-hectare lake made by people, not by nature! Anglers fish there for pike, walleye, perch and whitefish.
Find it: find the Rose Garden in the northwest corner of the park. In winter, the City’s sledding hill is close by.
Date I visited:
9I did it!
Places I visited (out of 9):
My favourite place:
The coolest thing I saw:
Grown-up’s signature:
Visited 6? Print your certificate at lethbridgeweather.ca/kids/explorer-passport/
12Nicholas Sheran Park
Fun fact: in 1874, Nicholas Sheran opened the first commercial coal mine in our river valley. The park named for him was built 100 years later, in 1974, around a lake made by people.
Find it: find the train and coal-mining playground. What train or mining things can you spot?
Date I visited:
11Junior Explorer certificate
🌍 🌉 🦉
Kids’ Science Corner · lethbridgeweather.ca
Junior Explorer
This certifies that
explored our city’s parks, river valley, museums and library, visited ____ places in the Junior Explorer Passport, and kept the explorer’s promise.
Keep exploring
Seasonal hunts
Animal tracks, spring bingo, a fall leaf hunt and a night-sky checklist to take along on your passport visits.
Books for curious kids
Award-winning books about weather, animals and the night sky to borrow at the library stop.
Earn your badges
Your passport counts toward the Junior Explorer badge. See the other seven badges too.
Family adventures
Walks and outings for the whole family, including the river bottom and the lake loops.
Heading out on a hike? Pack a pocket first aid kit, and check what’s happening this month on what’s on.
Sources
- Helen Schuler Nature Centre (City of Lethbridge), home page (entry by donation; nature preservation park in the Oldman River Valley, north of the High Level Bridge): nature.lethbridge.ca
- Helen Schuler Nature Centre, Outdoor experience (vantage points of the High Level Bridge around the Nature Centre; the bridge is an active railway: never climb or cross it, and avoid spending time directly underneath it; reserve of about 80 hectares (196 acres); more than 220 bird species recorded in city limits; winter mammals; no picking or removing vegetation; no feeding wildlife; open year round): nature.lethbridge.ca
- Helen Schuler Nature Centre, Outdoor exhibits (“Listen” sculpture west of the parking lot; seat or step; whisper dish): nature.lethbridge.ca
- Galt Museum & Archives, Enduring Service of the High Level Bridge (completed 1909; 1.6 km; 93.5 m at its greatest height; almost 1,400,000 rivets; recognized by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada as a National Historic Event in 2005): galtmuseum.com
- City of Lethbridge, Indian Battle Park (amenities; Fort Whoop-Up; High Level Bridge): lethbridge.ca
- City of Lethbridge, Indian Battle Park history (October 1870 battle between the Blackfoot and Cree; replica fort built for the 1967 centennial; original fort of 1869 where the Oldman and St. Mary rivers meet): lethbridge.ca (PDF)
- City of Lethbridge, Indigenous-led plan to manage site of historical battle (September 27, 2024; Battle of the Belly River; “the last major conflict between First Nations in Canada”; Kainai, Piikani and Siksika Nations and the Lethbridge and Area Métis): lethbridge.ca
- City of Lethbridge, Parks and playgrounds (river valley parks are gated and closed every evening): lethbridge.ca
- Fort Whoop-Up, Visit (2026 season May 15 to September 7; closed September to April; admission; children 6 and under free; Niitsitapi Gallery): fort.galtmuseum.com
- Galt Museum & Archives, Visit (paid admission; 6 and under free; the Galt Hospital opened in 1910): galtmuseum.com
- Galt Museum & Archives, Establishment of the Lethbridge Public Library (opened August 1919 in YMCA rooms with about 3,000 donated books; Carnegie-funded building completed in 1922 at the south end of Galt Gardens): galtmuseum.com
- Lethbridge Public Library, About us (Main and Crossings branches; Bookmobile): lethlib.ca
- City of Lethbridge, Henderson Lake Park (24-hectare man-made lake; fish; Rose Garden in the northwest corner; sledding hill near the Rose Gardens): lethbridge.ca
- Consulate-General of Japan in Calgary, Two Japanese Gardens in Alberta (October 5, 2023: Nikka Yuko means Japan–Canada friendship; opened July 14, 1967; Friendship Bell cast in Kyoto; rocks from the Crowsnest Pass): calgary.ca.emb-japan.go.jp
- Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, Admission and hours (paid admission; 5 and under free), Rules and FAQ (stay on the pathways; the moon bridge by the bell), and the 2026 pathway construction notice (regular season ended August 30; Winter Light Festival begins November 26): nikkayuko.com
- City of Lethbridge, Nicholas Sheran Park (man-made lake; train and coal-mining themed playground): lethbridge.ca
- City of Lethbridge, Nicholas Sheran Park history (first commercial coal mine in 1874; park developed in 1974): lethbridge.ca (PDF)