Fraser Valley Park Series: Golden Ears Provincial Park
byWhen the temperatures hit record highs walking through cool forests and jumping into a glacier-fed lake sounds pretty tempting. Golden Ears Provincial Park is a great place to escape the city in summer or winter and as such, it’s my next Park Series feature.
Metrics At 62,540 hectares it’s one of the largest parks in the province.
How to get there The park is 11 km north of Maple Ridge on the north side of the Fraser River. You can get there through Maple Ridge, along Dewdney Trunk Road. View full directions and maps online. It can be a hiking, camping or day-trip/picnic destination on the weekend for Metro Vancouverites.
Features Network of trails for hiking and horseback riding, Alouette Lake for swimming, windsurfing, water-skiing, canoeing (boats for rent during the summer), boating and fishing. Alouette campground, Gold Creek campground, and North Beach campground. Picnic areas, playgrounds, and hot showers in the campgrounds.
History Established in 1927, the park was named after the twin peaks of Mount Blanshard near the peak’s western boundary. The lake and its forested surroundings were also the traditional hunting and fishing grounds for the Douglas-Lillooet (Interior Salish) and Katzie (Coast Salish) First Nations peoples.
Should you have a suggestion for the next Park Series feature (Metro Vancouver or Fraser Valley) please feel free to contact me. I also accept guest posts on this topic.
3 Comments — Comments Are Closed
Thanks for using my picture. I highly recommend the overnight hike up along gold creek. It’s a good one for beginners because there is hardly any elevation gain. At the 10km mark there is a nice spot to pitch tents along the edge of the creek. Best of all – no reservations required. I have more details here.
I feel lucky that I had moved to Vancouver!! There is so many gorgeous spots to discover.
Golden Ears is beautiful. The 12km trail that winds to the top of the mountain has amazing views of, what feels like, the entire province! For non-advanced hikers (like myself) it was a bit challenging.