Minnekhada Regional Park

A 219-hectare regional park on the Pitt River floodplain, with wetlands, forest and excellent winter birding

Minnekhada Regional Park covers 219 hectares of low forested ridges and dyked wetlands at the edge of the Pitt River, on the north-eastern outskirts of Coquitlam. The Halkomelem name Minnakhada means "place of berries" — the marshes here are dotted with cranberry, salmonberry and other plants that the Kwikwetlem First Nation harvested for centuries.

The park has about 10 km of trails. The Lodge Trail (1.7 km loop) is the easiest, passing the historic Minnekhada Lodge, the cattail-fringed High Knoll viewpoint and the lower marsh. The High Knoll Trail (2.7 km loop) climbs the central rocky ridge for good views over the Pitt and Fraser river floodplains. The Lower Marsh boardwalk is the best stretch for birdwatching; in winter, large numbers of trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes and bald eagles use the flooded fields.

The park is on Quarry Road in north-east Coquitlam, about a 20-minute drive from the SkyTrain at Coquitlam Central. Free parking, no admission charge. Allow two to three hours. The trails can be muddy after rain.

things to do sight nature
A story
The lodge at Minnekhada was built in 1934 by Eric Werge Hamber, a future lieutenant-governor of British Columbia, as a private hunting retreat — a Scottish-style baronial pile that hosted King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939. The provincial government bought the estate in 1958, and the lodge is still in use for weddings, conferences and very occasional public tours. The marsh below the lodge is one of the best places in Metro Vancouver to see wintering raptors, with up to nine eagle species recorded over a single season.