Burnaby, Vancouver

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Deer Lake Park is one of those beautiful parks that are enjoyable to visit any time of the year. We live fairly close to this park and I hadn't been here for a very long time. Since then we do go frequently to walk with our little girl and to feed the ducks here. It's one of those places that locals really enjoy and that are usually missed by tourists.

Deer Lake Park is situated in a peaceful natural environment that serves as the cultural precinct for the City of Burnaby’s arts and heritage amenities. Leisurely walking trails with scenic views connect the lake, the Burnaby Art Gallery, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby Village Museum and Hart House Restaurant. During the busy summer festival season, the park is a bustling hub of activity.

You can access this park from several areas and there is plenty of parking at each access point. We usually start from the area near Sperling Avenue and Canada Way.

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Burnaby Lake Regional park is located in the city of Burnaby which is a part of the Greater Vancouver area and about 5 minutes driving from my place...so I visit here quite frequently with Ava. This park includes a beautiful lake, hiking trails and is a great spot for bird watchers.

Burnaby Lake Regional park is one of the best spots in the Vancouver area for bird watching, you may find great blue herons, bald eagles, belted kingfishers, osprey and the rare green heron and much more. In the summer time you can rent a canoe at one of the access areas of the lake to have a closer look at the ducks, beavers and marsh-dwelling turtles.

There are 4 places where you can access the park and start your walk. You can circle the lake for example which is about 19km (12mi). On the way you'll find the Wildlife Rescue Association or BC with a beautiful garden that's home to many wild birds. On the North side (Piper Avenue) of the lake is the Nature House which is open in the summer for displays, talks and interpretive nature classes. The fresh air, outdoor exercise, city views, and plenty of wildlife of the two and four-legged variety make this a great spot to enjoy. Burnaby Lake was created by a glacier 12,000 years ago and its shores were home to sawmills in the late 1800's. Now it is a beautiful protected area for us to enjoy.

I mainly visit the Piper Avenue area as there is a nice wooden boardwalk along the lake to walk on and it's easy to feed the ducks from here. They sure know when you're coming with seeds. The views from here are wonderful as well and the access is very easy. It's a great place for photos as well, especially at sunrise or sunset

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Barnet Marine Park is one of those places I can reach within 15 minutes driving from our home. It's a wonderful park with a 3km path along the water, picnic areas, beaches and more. We love to come here with our daughter for a walk and on warmer summer days it's a great place to be on the beach as the main beach is in de shadow of the trees in the afternoon.

This wonderful park is located alongside the Barnet Highway on Indian Arm and was once a thriving village that supported the prosperous lumber mill which was located there for most of the early 20th century. Now, all that remains are thousands of bricks along the western beaches, the remnants of the smoke stack and a concrete structure. The park encompasses picnic tables, a trail along the water, docks and beaches.

Barnet Marine Park is a long and narrow Park sandwiched between the railway tracks and Indian Arm. It's a popular summer destination especially for locals and not well known by tourists. It's a great place where you can enjoy lunch at one of the dozens of picnic tables strewn throughout the park or spread out a blanket and umbrella at the beaches while enjoying views of the fjord, tankers and other marine vessels sailing by. The nearby pier is popular with fishers and crabbers and the grassy lawn is also a welcome spot to sit and enjoy the park.

Barnet Marine Park is best known for its historic remnants that once were a small community and one of the largest lumber mills in the region. The skeleton of the scrap burner is now a recognized heritage site sitting on a dock where visitors can roam through the dilapidated brick structure and one of the mil structures still sits among picnic tables. Thousands of bricks from the old buildings create the shore along the western edge of the Park - most still falling from the remnants of the mill.

A tranquil Park with plenty to see and enjoy, Barnet Marine Park on the foreshores of Indian Arm in Burnaby is the city's only saltwater beach and is a popular and interesting place to explore all year round.

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Burnaby Mountain Park is located in the city of Burnaby a city which belongs to the Greater Vancouver area and about a 10-15 minute drive from downtown Vancouver. This place is a great place to visit on sunny days as you really get a great idea of the surrounding area including the mountains, the Burrard Inlet, downtown Vancouver, Indian Arm (an 18km/11mi long fjord) and as far as the Vancouver Airport and Vancouver Island. This is a fairly popular destination for visitors and locals alike, but it's still a bit of a hidden gem. The green hillside offers room to throw a frisbee or send a kite soaring and in the winter it's great for tobogganing/sliding down the snowy hills. There is a network of trails which offer a variety of hiking, walking and jogging options. There is also a playground tucked away in the upper hillside and recently they build a small play area near the parking lot

The Centennial Pavilion area features the Rose Garden, with its vibrant colours in season and a great variety of roses. Nearby is the acclaimed Horizons restaurant which may be a good spot for lunch/dinner while you are visiting here. A bit further you can see the tall Kamui Mintara (Playground of the Gods) sculptures towering over the city. The Kamui Mintara is more than a dozen carved poles created by Japanese sculptors Nuburi Toko and his son, Shusei. These impressive sculptures commemorate the goodwill between Burnaby and its sister city, Kushiro, Japan.

Burnaby Mountain is a great place to enjoy in any season (it's fantastic up here in the fall) as there are always the beautiful views over the city, the mountains, the Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm (a coastal fjord of about 18km/11.25mi long).