Minnekhada Regional Park is the most rewarding piece of countryside in Coquitlam — a Metro Vancouver park on the Pitt River floodplain with a network of trails through wetland, forest and across the dyked marshes, with viewing platforms over flooded fields where wintering raptors and waterfowl gather in numbers.
Burke Mountain rises 1,200 metres above the eastern edge of the city. The summit trail from Harper Road is a steady 7-hour return walk through old-growth Douglas fir to subalpine meadows — the most accessible serious hike from central Vancouver.
Town Centre Park is the heart of civic Coquitlam, with Lafarge Lake — a five-hectare former gravel pit, now landscaped — at its centre. The lake hosts the city's free Lights at Lafarge winter festival (mid-November to mid-January, the largest free light display in Metro Vancouver) and an outdoor concert series in summer.
The Evergreen Cultural Centre at the south edge of the park is the city's main theatre and visual arts venue, with a 257-seat auditorium and a regular programme of music, theatre, dance and exhibitions. The free public art trail through the Town Centre area is worth following — substantial commissioned sculptures and installations punctuate the walkways.