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Barnet Marine Park Paddle
Not to let Port Moody and Vancouver have all the waterfront glory, Burnaby also has a great park on Burrard Inlet: Barnet Marine Park. This park can get extremely busy on a sunny weekend in the summer. We have come here around noon in July, and couldn’t even turn off the Barnet Highway because the…
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Belcarra Paddle
Belcarra Regional Park encompasses two very popular paddling destinations: Sasamat Lake and Belcarra Picnic Area. When people say they are paddling in Belcarra, they usually mean the latter. An important recent update here is the introduction of paid parking during the peak season. For details: visit the metro van website. After hiking the moderately difficult…
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False Creek Paddle from Science World
False Creek is an iconic feature of Vancouver, and it’s quite accessible for kayaks and paddleboards. It is surrounded by the concrete jungle of downtown, crowned by the landmark metal ball at Science World, and there are lots of opportunities to watch interesting people on the Seawall. However, being right next to the densely populated…
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Rocky Point Paddle
Our good friend Johnny and Alison introduced us to Rocky Point Park last year, and we’ve come back several times since. It’s a great family-oriented park with a large grassy field, a spray park, a Pajo’s fish and chips semi-outdoor food stand, a full service Boathouse restaurant, and a very good walking trail. Most importantly,…
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Deer Lake Paddle
For a beginner-friendly lake 30 mins from Vancouver, Deer Lake is a great choice. The lake is only 850m end to end, and it’s surrounded by a well maintained network of trails, a great restaurant, and plenty to do for families. There is also a busy rental service right at the lakeshore, with a parking…
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Spanish Banks Paddle
Spanish Banks lies immediately to the west of Jericho Beach, making it a natural extension of my usual go-to paddle route. It’s closer to the open waters of Straight of Georgia, and it can get much windier such that kite boarders and windsurfers can sometimes be seen, so it’s a little intimidating for me as…
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Moraine Lake Paddle
If there is a lake that rivals and even surpasses Lake Louise in Banff in terms of fame, popularity, and beauty, it would have to be Moraine Lake. Surrounded by beautiful peaks, valleys, and glaciers, Moraine Lake is frequently called “the most photographed lake in the world” (not sure who counted) and for good reason.…
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Lake Louise Paddle
Ah, Lake Louise. The icon of Canadian Rockies in my books. This was the highlight and focal point of our 2020 Rockies Road Trip. I’ve visited Lake Louise many times with my family before, but we’ve never been on the lake due to time constraints and high cost of canoe rental here. I often wondered…
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South Thompson River Paddle
We definitely don’t recommend gunning for distance when taking two little ones on a road trip. For our outbound and homebound journey, we checked in at South Thompson Inn, 25km east of Kamloops, which breaks up the long drive from Vancouver to Lake Louise roughly into two 5-hour chunks. I was very excited to stay…
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Alta Lake Paddles
Difficulty – very easy in the morning, windy in the afternoon Boat traffic – I haven’t seen motor boats on Alta Lake. I think they prefer the larger Green Lake. View – great mountain views dotted with big expensive lakeside houses Facilities – Lakeside Park and Rainbow Park have flush toilets, grass fields, and hiking…