To map out our Fraser River Series of parks, we headed to Fraser Foreshore Park in Burnaby on a cloudy fall afternoon.
We were very confused by Google Maps because when we arrived at where it said the park was, it was just a long narrow road next to an industrial park. We weren’t sure which way to go, because Google Maps put a pin on either end of this road for Fraser Foreshore Park (pin 1, pin 2)!
This park map from City of Burnaby does a much better job at showing where this park actually is. It is a park with two faces: on the eastern end, there is a largely undeveloped Estuary Nature Area. The western half of the park is what people usually refer to as the Foreshore Park, with lush green fields, outdoor fitness circuit, and picnic areas.
We headed east and explored the Estuary Nature Area.
It was rugged and beautiful. The entire path was surfaced with loose gravel, but otherwise there were minimal infrastructure. After passing under an old wooden bridge, we entered a sparsely wooded estuary.
With the fallen yellow leaves on the ground, it was quite a beautiful walk in the fall.
We were curious to see what the end of this trail looked like, but it turns out to be a nondescript little area with some sad looking chairs.
The view of the Fraser River from this half of the park was quite limited as well. But as a stroller friendly nature walk, this is pleasant little area to explore.
We came back on a sunny February afternoon to visit the western half of the park.
It’s a completely different experience here, with the usual suspects that you can find in an urban park: playground, picnic tables, grassy fields.
The whole park was very stroller friendly, with minimal slopes. One could follow this AllTrails route for a 16km out-and-back walking or biking trip here.
It feels like the city had these narrow strips of land on the river that they didn’t know what to do with, and they ran out of names for parks so they just threw them in together. It makes for an interesting dichotomy though!
Fraser River Series: