Pinnacle Provincial Park

Although Quesnel, situated at the junction of the Fraser and Quesnel Rivers had walkways along the rivers, I was keen to head six kilometres out of town to Pinnacles Provincial Park. Along the two-kilometre circuit were hoodoos which were not a patch on Drumheller’s, but still strange land formations.

Lillooet

Lillooet was two hundred and fifty kilometres north of Vancouver. I drove by the beautiful Lillooet River and Lillooet Lake but still had another hour’s drive on to Duffey Lake before I reached the actual town. The Coastal Mountains near Lillooet were parched that summer. The town sat on the western bank of the Fraser River where the area had originally been inhabited by the St’at’imc Lil’wat Nation. But an influx of miners hungry for gold in the mid 1800s brought changes to the region. Still today, the town can boast a population that is fifty percent St’at’imac—a rare statistic for the province.

The Coquitlam River

The Coquitlam River flows from Coquitlam Lake into the Fraser River — a distance of only fourteen kilometres. I’ve hiked its trails that span both sides of the river from Crystal Falls in its upper reaches to the estuary.

Richmond Hiking Trail

Richmond was almost devoid of parks in my view. One area set aside for a park was still being developed while along the Fraser River, a trail extended along part of the river.

Deas Island Regional Park

 

Delta’s Deas Island Regional Park was not accurately named. It wasn’t an island. The park was joined to the mainland by a narrow band of land. I crossed a wooden bridge over a stagnant creek and followed the trail that led to the tip of the so called island. On the way, I was faced with another contradiction.

Ladner

Ladner was the perfect place to escape the busy city buzz. The Delta fishing village was located between Vancouver and the U.S. border.

Westham Island’s George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary

South the Vancouver lies a bird sanctuary with the Fraser River on one side and the Salish Sea on the other. In the distance lies the Strait of Georgia and the Gulf Islands where the salty sea air washes over the exposed landscape. This is a bird watcher’s haven and although I’m not one of them, it’s still a pleasure to visit the island and come into contact with thousands of birds.