I can't believe we have such an amazingly beautiful spot like this in Greater Vancouver's backyard!…read moreIt's so peaceful, so gorgeous. Lots of benches to sit and talk or meditate. Amazing for photos.

Pitt Lake is truly a beautiful place only an hours drive from downtown Vancouver. I was moved by…read morethe mountain vista, the vast wetlands, and the gorgeous lake. In addition, in our short time up there we saw two swans, six herons, four falcons, two eagles, and many other feathered creatures I have no idea what their names are. This place is for the birds and bird lovers. As Louise G. said you can rent canoes here, but be careful of the currents in the narrows. If you do rent a boat make sure to ask the very helpful Katzie Development Corporation staff members how to get to the waterfalls and more private beaches. They will also have information on how to rent the cute little cabins you can see from the boat launch. There is a really well maintained dyke with a trail which cross the south side of the lake. So bring your walking shoes or a bike and start exploring.

Absolutely in love with this place. So serene!!!! Sasamat Lake has some of the most peaceful views…read more Loved the easy hike around the lake as well as the bridge on the water. Pretty shady for most of the trail and there are also some stairs. Super nice beach at the beginning of the trail head near the parking lot too! Cannot wait to come back, definitely worth visiting.

I was so happy and excited to find this hidden gem spot. My only regret was I didn't bring a…read morebathing suits. At 8:30am, the first parking was full. But please be patient. Other parkings might have spots and better than street parking. Or after 3pm, you can find parking spots easily. No life guard is working. No motor sports neither. But paddle boat is ok to use. Two beaches with clear water which is very warm. A concession store opens maybe around 10am and they serves hot food like fish and chips and burgers. That's very convenient for swimmers or cyclists. My impression for those beaches were for family or a group. If you walked into the trail, you will find a small groud(beach) for 1-3 people. I preferred to stay there for chil...

Beautiful hidden gem in Bellingham. Also called "Emerald Lake." Great spot for fishing, swimming,…read moreand relaxing on hot summer days. Gorgeous views and scenery. It's one of Bellingham's lesser-known spots, but it's worth the visit. It's a little bit harder to find, but this video lays out the directions and talks about the lake and activities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiOIBOnmLJQ. Definitely recommend checking it out.

A nice place for swimming and relaxing on a hot day. Follow Toad Lake Road straight to Toad Lake…read more Discover Pass is required for parking. This seems to be a popular swimming area for locals, especially the young ones. There's a dock for fishing and small beach type areas for water access. Boats are not permitted, which allows for peaceful water. A portable toilet is in the parking area. No grills, picnic areas, or playgrounds available.

Diablo Lake is undoubtedly stunning. It's most notable feature is its gorgeous turquoise color,…read morecaused by the reflection of "rock flour". We saw the lake in its full glory both on a sunny and cloudy day - and it is spectacular in any weather. We accessed the lake in two ways - once directly to the lake via campground, and then the second time (drove around it) to the vista point where you can get a full view. Enjoy!

We were up there about a month and the water is gorgeous. The drive to Diablo lake is also really…read morepretty. Great spot.

Buntzen Lake, located in the Village of Anmore near Belcarra Regional Park, is named after Johannes…read moreBuntzen, the first general manager of BC Electric Company, predecessor to BC Hydro. The lake is a BC Hydro reservoir and the lake and surrounding area is maintained by BC Hydro. There are beaches and many hiking trails, making the Buntzen Lake recreation area a very popular destination. Due to its popularity, a parking pass is needed from mid-May to Labour Day in September. The parking passes are free, but it can be extremely difficult to get one. However, in the summer, from the end of April to Labour Day, the #179 bus departs from Coquitlam Central Station (Bay 12) every half an hour and goes to Buntzen Lake, but only on weekends and holidays. (It would be so nice if there was year round transit, or at least from March to October, and if during the summer, it wasn't limited to only weekends and holidays.) Due to the limited parking, it's actually far easier to bus there in the summer instead of driving, and you can park for $3, all day, at Coquitlam Central Station. Just take transit! The Buntzen Lake Loop is 10km and approximately three hours, and there is a beach area with picnic tables and clean outhouses along the route. I started a transit accessible hiking group in the summer of 2023, and I went hiking at Buntzen Lake for the first time in May 2024. Due to transit only being available in the summer months on weekends and holidays, I am limited as to when I can go, and so far I have gone seven times -- twice in 2024, twice in 2025, and three times this year. Apparently people go counter-clockwise around the lake, but the first time we went, none of us knew where exactly the start of the trail was located, and we ended up going clockwise. However, we all enjoyed hiking the trail clockwise, so we always go clockwise, which has its benefits: the hardest part is at the beginning, not the end; the west side is more exposed so it's better to do the east side, which has more tree canopy, last, when the sun is hotter; the beach, where we stop for lunch, is at the two hour mark, instead of one hour; and we don't get caught up in other groups of hikers, since everyone is going in the opposite direction. The first six times I have gone to Buntzen Lake, we have done the Buntzen Lake Loop. However, this last time, which was August 22, 2026, we tried the Lakeview Trail. The Lakeview Trail parallels the west side of the Buntzen Lake Loop Trail, and while the trail isn't terribly difficult, it is slightly more difficult and longer than the west side of the Buntzen Lake Loop Trail, and because we were taking our time exploring a new trail, it took us three, instead of two hours, to get to the beach area, making our total hiking time four hours. It was such a nice hike and far less busy than the Buntzen Lake Loop Trail. I can't wait to do this hike again next summer! There are so many other trails in the Buntzen Lake recreation area, such as the Diez Vistas Trail which is very popular, but I need to work my way up to that. [Yelp collections: Hiking]

Gorgeous and peaceful lake. The perimeter around the lake has a 3.5 hour easier moderate trail that…read moreis mostly shaded. Toilets at the start (main beach/waterside area) and at the midway point (outhouse at small beach). Thr main beach area has an enclosed off leash area for dogs, ehoch also has a waterside section. There is a doggie washing station, which is very convenient. The good and bad part about this place is the required reserved parking. The good part is that you know that you will have a parking spot. The bad part is that it's required and they won't let you into the area without it. It was free but had a time restriction.

Located in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, Rice Lake is an easy, 2km loop that takes under…read morean hour to complete. Anyone can do the Rice Lake loop -- it's actually wheelchair accessible! There are benches scattered around the lake, as well as an outhouse. You can access it from Dempsey and Lynn Valley Road (by The End of the Line General Store), near the entrance of Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, or from the park itself. Because it's a short, easy walk, I sometimes add it on after I hike Lynn Loop to make it a longer hike. [Yelp collections: Hiking]

Really nice lake in the Lynn Valley area…read more Parking is available in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve lot. Not sure if there is any closer parking. The lake itself is surrounded by trails. Nice and easy to walk around. There is also a dock that cuts across a section of the lake. Great for fishing. Apparently there are trout in here. Great place for photos too. I didn't see any rice here. Maybe it's named after some guy or a nearby sushi restaurant.

Pinecone Burke Provincial Park is a wonderful place to spend some time exploring. The park is…read morenamed after Burke Mountain and Pinecone Lake. Burke Mountain was once the location of a Ski Resort and if you poke around enough you can still find remnants of the old operation up there. Old Cabins to some old machinery are tucked away along the trail. It makes for a good treasure hunt. There are three main access points for this park and two minor access point for this park. The three main access points are as follows: by Car at the end of Harper Road at the Gun Club and Quarry Road just after Minnekhada Regional Park and through and by kayak or Canoe through Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area starting at Grant Narrows. The two minor access points are taking a water taxi to the far end of pit lake and accessing old logging roads on that side via bike or boot and on Mamquam FSR from Squamish (Mamquam FSR will get you to Pinecone lake). The portion of the trail near the Gun Club sounds like you are walking through WW3 and is a bit unnerving really but once you get around the corner and loose the sound the park comes to life with amazing forests and lakes to explore. The park is open year round but the higher elevations will require skis or snowshoes to access and care should be taken to not get into avalanche danger wile playing in the snow. Always check avalanche.ca before heading up into the back country in the winter!

Lovely trails all around and nice view. Clean area and beautiful tree, decent walk and a bit of a…read moredecent hike. Nothing too difficult but definitely not a flat ground so some trails aren't suitable for very young kids and elders. A couple lakes around the area too. Munro Lake, Dennett Lake and the Village Lake Trail. A parking lot and some street parking too. Not hard to find too

Super easy hike to a small lake. Probably not the best to swim but saw some others fishing and…read morethere's a small deck. Suggest a detour to small lookout on the way. Value 5/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Service 3/5 outhouse Quality 3/5

One of the best lake hikes! It's not the most well known, so not crowded. The loop around the lake…read moreis about an hour with great up and down, views of water, great places to take a dip. There is also a small island you can swim to in the middle of the lake, beach access, Tarzan swings. This little lake has it all. A true hidden gem! Value 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Service 4/5 has toilet but no flushing water nor running water Quality 4/5 18/20