Surrey Bend Park

In mid May of 2016 Surrey Bend regional park opened to the public. Access to the park is off 104 Ave. just near the ferry terminal to Barnston Island. The park is still being added to with new plantings and lawn areas under development, but should be done soon.

There are three trails to walk and two of them are also open to bicycles. All three trails are level and easily walked.

The Spirea Loop Trail is 1.7 km long and follows Beaver Loop Channel that is home to young fish. We also saw some geese nesting along the water's edge. Bicycles are permitted here.

The Pacific Trail is a straight road that runs from 104 Ave. to Centre Creek and is also open to bicycles. This trail is three km long. Centre Creek supplies the wetlands of the park with tidal water. The wetlands are not accessible and are strictly there as a natural habitat for wildlife refuge purposes.

At Centre Creek the trail becomes Parsons Trail is is open only to pedestrians. It has a length of 3.2 km. It winds through the trees along Parsons Channel and is quite narrow in places. Also there are a lot of exposed roots trying to trip you up. The trail crosses the Spirea Channel with a metal bridge that has a remarkable bench on it.

At the parking area are three covered meeting places for large groups to picnic along with a play area for the kids and a handful of single picnic tables. There is also a nice clearing at the channel's shore with a viewpoint to watch the activity in the channel. Another viewpoint is along the Parsons Trail.

We had a beautiful sunny day and we walked all the trails in about 80 minutes. Over the next few years this park will really fill out nicely. New trees have been planted along the Beaver Channel. There is ample parking, but if needed more cars can be parked at the ferry terminal. A path is in place from the ferry terminal to the park.

We were also impressed with the waste disposal bins at various locations. Another fine day! Life is good...

 

Posted with Blogsy