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White Rock Paddle
White Rock Beach is a popular tourist destination. It has a chill vibe of a seaside town, and the promenade houses many restaurants and shops. Due to the popularity, only paid parking is available here, for a hefty $4.50 per hour from March to October in the city lots. The Semiahmoo parking lot is on…
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Chilliwack Lake Paddle
One of our primary targets of camping at Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park is paddling the beautiful Chilliwack Lake. I booked campsite P26 in the busy Paleface Loop precisely so that I can get to the lake as easily as possible. On the first morning of our trip, I got up bright and early at 5am.…
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Hayward Lake Paddle
Hayward Lake in Mission is not quite as busy as Buntzen Lake, but it’s similar in several regards. They are both managed by BC Hydro as reservoirs, both prohibit motorized boats, and both have a wealth of facilities and walking trails for people who don’t want to paddle. They are both medium sized lakes, with…
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Deas Slough Paddle
Quick Facts Parking and Launching: Deas Island Regional Park (49°07’34.5″N 123°03’18.2″W) Launching type: dock and muddy beach Difficulty – easy, but with occasional boat wakes Boat traffic – usually infrequent View – muddy Fraser River slough and marshes, distant views of North Shore mountains Facilities: picnic tables, a regional park with trails, toilet about 100m…
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Burnaby Lake Paddle
Quick Facts Parking and Launching: Burnaby Lake Rowing Pavilion Launching type: dock Difficulty – very easy, beginner friendly Boat traffic – no recreational motor boats allowed View – wetlands, wildlife, North Shore mountains, and crops of high rise buildings Facilities – no public washrooms Overall score – 7/10 Located in the center of Burnaby Lake…
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Duffey Lake Paddle
Quick Facts Parking and Launching: Duffey Lake Viewpoint Launching type: pebbly beach Difficulty – windy and small waves made it more of an intermediate paddle Boat traffic – no motor boats View – majestic, snow capped Mt Rohr accompanies the outbound paddle Facilities: none. Overall score – 5/10 Duffey Lake sits on Highway 99, halfway between…
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Cultus Lake Paddle
Quick Facts Parking and Launching: Entrance Bay Picnic Area Spring Bay Picnic Area Maple Bay Picnic Area Launching type: beach Difficulty – generally easy especially in the morning before motorboats and wind pick up Boat traffic – many motor boats, jet skis especially on a weekend afternoon. Water-skiers get up surprisingly early. View – lakeshore…
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Buntzen Lake Paddle
Quick Facts Most updated Paddle report: July 2024 Paddle report: February 2021 On a previous attempt, we came to Buntzen Lake around noon on a Saturday to find the park entrance closed again even in January. We joked that we had the least amount of luck with Buntzen Lake out of all the places we…
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Deep Cove Winter Paddle
Deep Cove is one of the very first places where I learned to paddle. The protected harbour with a well-stocked kayak rental shop right on the water is famously friendly for beginners. There is also the popular Quarry Rock trail (closed during pandemic) that draws a big crowd. As a result, people come out in…
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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…