Surrey’s Redwood Park recently came up in conversation when I recently spoke with Jack Christie, author of 52 Best Day Trips From Vancouver. My father took us there when we were young and now my sister takes her kids out there to enjoy the playground, trails, and most of all the wide selection of trees. I thought it would make a great candidate for the latest post in my Metro Vancouver Park Series.

How to get there
The park is located between 20th and 16th avenue and 180th street in Surrey. You can come in on Highway 15 (176th street), turn onto 20th, then turn and head South on 180th, follow signs for the parking lot. [Google Map].

History
The name “Redwood Park” comes from the giant Sequoias (Coast Redwoods) that you can find within its boundaries. “It was once part of the homestead of early pioneer, David Brown. When his twin sons, David and Peter, were 21 he gave them each 40 acres on the hilltop which had been logged. They immediately began to replant it with exotic species of trees from around the world.” [source] The boys planted 32 species of trees native to North America, Europe, and Asia.

Photo credit: roland on Flickr

The twins lived on their land until 1958 and the treehouse is a replica of their home. I found out from Jack that it can be even rented out from the City of Surrey for functions.

Features
Grassy meadow, treehouse, arboretum, over 5kms on nature trails, accessible playground, covered picnic areas, washrooms. The round-trip on the trail will take about an hour. Dogs are allowed but I don’t know the official word on leashes (I think many just go off-leash anyway).

Photo credit: juicebox_hero on Flickr

While there is no watering hole, you can cool off under the canopy on warm summer days and enjoy the serenity of the meadow at any time of year.

Find more parks by browsing all 36 entries in my Metro Vancouver Park Series.

This weekend I posted a photo on Twitter of a lake in Surrey (Green Timbers) and after several people asked me where it was located, I decided it was time to highlight some of Metro Vancouver’s lakes in a post.

These urban watering holes provide recreation options for the whole family. There aren’t many suited for swimming but the natural settings and marshland are great for bird-watching, fishing, biking, hiking or an afternoon stroll.

Surrey
1. Green Timbers Lake Trails, fishing, cycling. No swimming.
2. Surrey Lake Trails, fishing, cycling. No swimming.

Burnaby
3. Burnaby Lake Trails, cycling, rowing (boat launch). No swimming.
4. Deer Lake Trails, cycling, picnicking, playground. No swimming. Concert series.

Trout Lake. Photo credit: ernestvr2001 on Flickr

Vancouver
5. Trout Lake Trails, cycling, dog off-leash area, swimming. Farmer’s market.

Port Moody
7. Buntzen Lake Trails, cycling, picnicking, boat launch, swimming.
8. Sasamat Lake Trails, cycling, picnicking, swimming.

Pitt Lake. Photo credit: GerryT on Flickr

Pitt Meadows
9. Pitt Lake Trails, cycling, rowing (boat launch). Swimming, camping in Golden Ears.

North Vancouver
10. Rice Lake Trails, hiking. No swimming.

I omitted a few lakes (like Coquitlam Lake watershed) as they are not open to the public. In case I missed any though, please feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments.

The following was contributed to Miss604.com by Jodi McIsaac Martens.

One of the best things about raising a family in Vancouver is that our mild climate lets us get out and enjoy nature pretty much year-round. And there is no shortage of places to go! With over 150 parks in the City of Vancouver alone – not to mention a few hundred more options in the rest of the Lower Mainland – urban-dwelling families don’t have to go far to be surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty and lots of room for kids to run, explore and fall in love with the great outdoors.

So if you and the kids are feeling a little stir crazy, start by checking out these five family-friendly parks in Vancouver. I’ve chosen these parks in particular because (a) they’re parks that mom and dad can enjoy too and (b) they offer more than your average neighbourhood playground – these parks are great for exploring, hiking, running and observing. Pack a picnic and head out into nature.

Stanley Park
What doesn’t Stanley Park offer for families? This is a park families can go to again and again and still experience something new. There are over 27 km of nature trails to explore, a salmon demonstration stream, a beaver lake and two glorious beaches perfect for swimming. In the summer months, kids can also cool off at the Second Beach pool or the huge water park at Lumberman’s Arch. Older kids will enjoy biking or rollerblading along the 8.8-km seawall. Unfortunately, the Children’s Farmyard closed its doors in January, but the famed miniature train is still chugging away. If you plan on spending a lot of time in Stanley Park, consider getting an annual membership at the Vancouver Aquarium. It pays for itself in just two visits and is a great way to break up a day in the park, especially if you’re looking for a place to either cool off or warm up!

Jericho Beach
Another park that has it all. The beach itself can provide hours of entertainment – from digging in the sand, chasing the seagulls and watching the huge boats offshore. But there’s also a beautiful duck pond surrounded by willow trees and filled with dozens of friendly ducks. As if that wasn’t enough, there are trails to walk or ride bikes on, lots of open, grassy spaces for playing catch and Frisbee, and – in case you left the picnic lunch at home – a concession stand during the warmer months. But no matter what time of year you visit, there’s so much to do and see you’ll have to drag the kids away! at any time of year this is a great place for a family to spend the day.

Queen Elizabeth Park
For many kids, the highlight of Queen Elizabeth Park is the Bloedel Conservatory (which, I know, technically doesn’t count as “outside”). But especially if you’re visiting the park during the cooler months, it’s a great place to go to warm up! The tropical birds, massive fish and amazing plants captivate children – as does the giant water fountain just outside the conservatory! There are brightly-coloured gardens, exotic trees and grassy spaces galore (although some of them are “look-but-don’t-touch” spaces). As Vancouver’s highest point above sea level, it’s also a great place for star-gazing on clear nights.

Photo credit: popjon2 on Flickr

Pacific Spirit Regional Park – East Side
Pacific Spirit Park’s 763 hectares wrap themselves around the University of British Columbia. The two sections of the park – between the university and the city on the east side, and between the ocean and the university on the west – are so different (and yet both so great) they really need to be considered as two separate destinations. The east side includes 50 kilometres of trails for hiking, biking or horseback riding. These trails are smooth and stroller-friendly and come in many different lengths and combinations, so you can explore for as long or as short as you please. And if the kids want a little beach time, head to Spanish Banks, just to the north of this park.

Pacific Spirit Regional Park – West Side 
I know it might seem odd to include a park with a clothing-optional beach on a list of best family-friendly parks! But this section of the park is one of our favourite winter destinations – the trails (which are not clothing-optional, FYI) are rugged enough that you and your kids will have no problem keeping warm, and the weather is chilly enough that even if you do decide to head down to the beaches, your chances of running into clothing-optional sunbathers are pretty slim. The hiking trials that wind along the shoreline are great for kids who love to climb and explore. They can climb over and under (and sometimes through!) the fallen trees, cross wooden planks over small streams and get wonderfully muddy head-to-toe. If you’re so inclined, you can also head down to the beach to watch the boats and play amongst the driftwood. But keep in mind that it’s a 478-stair climb down to the trails from the road – and what goes down must come up!

Jodi McIsaac Martens is a copywriter and business owner by day and a novelist by night. Somewhere in there she is also a blogger, wife and mother. Visit her at Inkwood Communications and on her blog. This post was inspired by Jodi’s original article about Kid-Friendly Parks in Surrey.

BC Parks is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year while it is also the 100th anniversary of Parks Canada in 2011. Although Banff National Park is 125 years old, Parks Canada was officially established in 1911 and was the first national park service in the world. In BC, we have 7 National Parks.

Glacier National Park

Rogers Pass. Photo credit: Alaskan Dude on Flickr

Yoho National Park of Canada

Emerald Lake. Photo credit: Jasmic on Flickr

Kootenay National Park of Canada

Kootenay River. Photo credit: aa440 on Flickr

Mount Revelstoke National Park of Canada

Photo credit: Lake Revelstoke. Photo credit: meinronke on Flickr

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada

Thrashers Cove. Photo credit: BigA888 on Flickr

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada

Saturna. Photo credit: teamscuby on Flickr

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site

Kat island. Photo credit: ah zut on Flickr

You can find out more about Canada’s National Parks this weekend (until March 6, 2011) at the BC Home and Garden Show. There you can visit the Canada Pavilion at the Convention Centre to learn more, and even do some trip planning for the warmer months.

Follow @ParksCanada on Twitter for national parks and heritage site news.

Today is the 100th anniversary of BC Parks, upon creation of the first provincial park, Vancouver Island’s Strathcona Provincial Park. Throughout the rest of the year, BC Parks is hosting events across the province, from family snowshoe outings to bird watching, star-gazing, and learning to cave.

Growing up in the Lower Mainland, exploring BC parks was one of my favourite activities. Our family would go for a drive every Sunday, which usually led to a muddy hike through a regional park, and we would also camp each summer either in the Thompson-Okanagan, Cariboo, Kootenay, or Gulf Islands. The following are just a few BC Parks that are accessible for day trips or within a few hours of Vancouver.

Photo: Su-Laine on Flickr

Mount Seymour
Website
Park Size: 3508 hectares
Distance from Vancouver: 31km
Amenities/Activities: Cycling, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, camping, and winter recreation. Mount Seymour also has the Old Buck trailhead, Baden Powell trailhead, the Vancouver Picnic Area lookout, Deep Cove lookout, and Mount Seymour trailhead. Pets are allowed on-leash.

Chilliwack Lake
Website, My Post
Park Size: 9,258 hectares
Distance from Vancouver: 148km
Amenities/Activities: Canoeing, fishing, cycling, hiking, camping, water recreation, picnicking, playground.

Photo: FortGirl on Flickr

Manning Park
Website
Park Size: Over 70,844 hectares
Distance from Vancouver: 217km
Amenities/Activities: Canoeing, fishing, cycling, hiking, camping, horseback riding, picnicking, winter recreation, winter camping.

Photo: Razvan Marescu on Flickr

Alice Lake
Website
Park Size: 396 hectares
Distance from Vancouver: 79km
Amenities/Activities: Canoeing, fishing, cycling, hiking, swimming, playground pets allowed on-leash.

Photo: candianveggie on Flickr

Golden Ears
Website, My Post
Park Size: 62,540 hectares
Distance from Vancouver: 67km
Amenities/Activities: Canoeing, climbing, hiking, horseback riding, water recreation, picnicking, camping, playground, winter camping.

You can get out and explore BC Parks anytime and for camping, make sure to book your reservations right away before the hot summer season kicks in and campfire bans go into effect. You can search all BC Parks online either alphabetically, by region, or by specific amenities.

Update May 3, 2011: Premier Christy Clark declares free parking in BC Parks.

It’s too hard to resist a stroll in the sunshine when the clouds part over Metro Vancouver which is why there were so many families, joggers, dog-walkers, cyclists, and bird watchers along the Traboulay PoCo Trail this past weekend.

View PDF

How to get there
The three main entrance points for the trail are through Gates Park, Lions Park, and DeBoville Slough. Port Coquitlam is about 30-40 minutes outside of Vancouver heading East via Highway 1, Barnet Highway & Lougheed Highway, or Lougheed Highway 7.

Features
The Traboulay PoCo Trail network is 25 kilometers long and circles all of Port Coquitlam. The flat pathway is paved in some sections or covered in gravel and passes through a forest, over creeks, through meadows and along the riverfront. A large portion is also a part of the Trans Canada Trail.

Dogs are welcome (on-leash although I didn’t spot one that was) and there are waste baggies at several stations along the route. You can also find structured ‘lookout points’ and information placards. The trail is great for a run, walk, ride or for spotting wildlife namely about 150 species of birds that can be found along the trail.

History
Plans for the PoCo Trail began in 1967 as a part of a Canadian centennial project. Taking shape in the 1970s, upgrades were made in 1997, and in 2001 it was renamed the Traboulay PoCo Trail in honour of the late Mayor Len Traboulay.

Should you have a suggestion for the Metro Vancouver or Fraser Valley Park series, please feel free to contact me or drop a note in the comments below.

Most parks in Vancouver are named after former Parks Board members or royalty – but not Emery Barnes Park in Yaletown. The grass, stone walkways, water features and new playground on Davie is named after a man born in New Orleans in 1929 who made his way to Canada, into BC Provincial Legislature and is forever in our history books.

Photo credit: venturevancouver on Flickr

In 1952 Emery Barnes was an alternate for the US Olympic high-jump team, while he also played football for the University of Oregon and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1954.

I was just out of the army, with a young family to support. I had a college degree but could not get a job. In fact I asked for help from an Oregon Alumni Booster Club Member who had tried to recruit me with athletic scholarship a few years earlier. I could not get to see him personally but was told they would try to get me a job as a Red Cap at the local train station. I had always believed in the United States, its constitution and the principles it stood for. I may have been naive but I believed all the slogans. When I left to play football in Canada I felt like a political refugee. [1987 Interview with Barnes]

It was football that led him to Canada, and ultimately Vancouver. His time in Green Bay wasn’t long and he found himself in the CFL, playing with the BC Lions when they won the Grey Cup in 1964 (although he was sidelined during the actual championship game). During this time he also attended UBC and received a bachelor degree in social work, which was a passion of his.

In the years following his football career, Barnes opened a nightclub at Harrison Hot Springs, visited Victoria and was pitched NDP and Social Credit party membership, then became the Director of Children and Teenage programs at the Killarney Community Centre.

It was Dave Barrett who encouraged him to move into politics. The first time he ran for the BC Legislature, Emery was not elected. At that time, the city of Vancouver was not as culturally diverse as today so he had less chance of success. Emery did not talk much about the barriers he faced even though, particularly during his childhood in New Orleans, he had suffered harassment which prompted his family’s move to the West Coast. [Reflections on Emery Barnes]

Emery Barnes – Source

It wasn’t until 1972 that he was elected to the BC Legislature and there he was re-elected for four consecutive terms and served our province until 1996. He and Rosemary Brown (NDP) were the first black politicians elected to a legislative office in British Columbia.

I see politicians as catalysts. Though not elected Martin Luther King was as much a catalyst as a leader. He happened to appear on the scene at a time when a little old black lady said she was tired and wanted a seat on the bus. Many people thought that was a reasonable request. [1987 Interview with Barnes

Barnes worked with the BC Black History Awareness Society (established 1993) to develop the Greater Victoria School Board's curriculum, to build a cultural community in Vancouver for those of African heritage, and was the first president of the BC Black Cultural Association.

In 1994 he was elected Speaker of the Legislature in BC, the first black person in any Canadian province to hold this position. Barnes passed away on Canada Day, in 1998.

I am a Canadian citizen and have no regrets. Over the years I have come to realize that prejudice is not limited to the USA. There are different kinds of people in all societies. None is perfect. I am less quick to condemn anyone and have probably mellowed a bit. With age and experience I have come to believe that we are the architects of our own destiny. I am more interested in the evolution of society and of my situation as an individual than in blaming any group or any society for all the evils on earth. [1987 Interview with Barnes]

Emery Barnes Park opened in 2003 and recently expanded to fill up the entire block of Davie between Seymour and Richards.

Jumping between mud puddles and crunchy multicoloured leaves on the forest floor, Fall is my favourite time of year to enjoy the trails and scenery of our local parks. It’s not too late to leaf peep around Metro Vancouver as lush green leaves slowly turn to fiery orange on rain-soaked branches. One of the best places to enjoy the season is Queen’s Park in New Westminster.

Photo credit: waferboard on Flickr

Getting Here
Coming from the Valley, take the Pattullo Bridge’s Royal Ave exit. Loop around and then turn right on 1st Street then right on 3rd Avenue. From Vancouver, you can take the Canada Way exit, following it all the way down to McBride and turning right into the park before you get to the Pattullo exit. You can also come up from Queensborough or Richmond via Royal Avenue, turning left at 6th then right on 3rd Avenue. By transit, you can take a 155 bus from the Braid Millenium Line SkyTrain station.

Features
Queen’s Park has one of the best adventure playgrounds around and when I was little, we would play hide and seek with wild bunnies (or those that escaped the childrens farmyard). Within the park’s 75 acres there are sports fields for soccer, rugby (with uprights) or baseball, a waterpark, washrooms, rose gardens, a bandshell, tennis courts, and the arena (home of the Salmonbellies). There are also picnic shelters and a concession stand.

Photo credit: DennisSylvesterHurd on Flickr

Photo credit: nucksfan604 on Flickr

The trail network connects to the New Westminster Greenway system. I found an interesting self-guided walking tour outlined on this site that includes a stop at Irving House, the arena, and the park.

The neighbourhood around Queen’s Park (on the West side) is a great place to view Christmas lights during the holiday season as well. There are some beautiful homes that are always lit up in style.

1918 – Lovers Walk, Queen’s Park, New Westminster
Photographer: W. Brown, Archives Accession Number: 3165

History
New Westminster Parks & Recreation was established in 1861, while the city was still the capital of BC (and five years before they moved the capital to Victoria). Queen’s Park was established in 1886, the same year that Vancouver was incorporated as a city.

Should you have a suggestion for the next Metro Vancouver or Fraser Valley park profile, please feel free to leave a note in the comments. I also accept guest posts should you wish to contribute your own piece about a local park.

Metro Vancouver recently released an iPhone application to feature its 22 regional parks. Since I have been profiling Metro Vancouver Parks for a few years now (city, regional, or provincially-run) I thought it would be worth checking out.

Parks managed by the region range from Bowen Island and Lynn Headwaters to Aldergrove Lake and the Matsqui Trail.

The application can pinpoint your current location and provide directions via a Google Map. It also shows which activities and facilities are available at each location and provides alerts with information about wildlife, traffic, or construction.

It’s a great start but I would like to see a search by activities or facilities function like they have on the main website. Also, there are no events yet in the listings but once they’re filled in it should add a lot to the app.

You can try the free iParks Explorer application for yourself from the iTunes app store.

This week’s park series profile features Confederation Park in Burnaby, a hidden gem that is full of facilities and activities for families.

How to get there
Head north on Willingdon from Hastings to find the park located at 240 Willingdon Avenue. You can take the C1 community shuttle from Kootenay Loop to get there by transit, or walk in two blocks from Hastings.

Features
There is a waterpark, a playground, the Eileen Dailly Leisure Pool (indoor) and Fitness Centre, soccer pitch, lacrosse box, lawnbowling, skate park, dog-friendly loop trail, and a track. The area has some steep hills that provide views of Burrard Inlet, 5.5km of walking trails, and there is an enclosure within the park for off-leash dogs. Beach access can be found across Penzance Dr.

Photo credit: David Drucker on Flickr

You’ll also find the Burnaby Central Railway within the park, a fully operational miniature railway that offers rides daily from 11:00am to 5:00pm for $2.50.

Photo credit: wasme on Flickr

Events
Next month the train will become a Halloween attraction, remaining open October 30th and 31st.

Confederation Park is one of Burnaby’s largest and is definitely worth exploring with the family. From the picnic area to the playground and miniature train, there’s plenty to do on fall afternoon.

Photo credit: wasme on Flickr

Should you have a suggestion for the next park series profile, or if you would like to write and contribute your own, please feel free to contact me.