From its pristine setting on Burrard Inlet, Port Moody offers unlimited opportunities for outdoor recreational activities, breathtaking nature and hiking trails, and rewarding wildlife observation. Visitors and locals alike enjoy the beautiful mountains and forests of coastal British Columbia, or the protected waters that surround Port Moody.
The Gold Rush of 1858 triggered the development of the Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody region. In that year, Colonel R.C. Moody arrived at Mary Hill with 400 Royal Engineers to help establish what was supposed to be the capital city of the province. This honour, however, was bestowed upon New Westminster, as it was more easily defended.
The area saw its first major development in 1885, with the imminent completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the first trans-continental railroad in Canada, for which Port Moody was the western terminus. The terminus was later moved to the City of Vancouver, a more practical port for docking ships.
Not long ago, it used to be easy to distinguish Vancouver from its neighbours. Bridges spanned Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River to connect with communities to the north and south, while buffer zones of undeveloped land defined where the Big Smoke left off and all else to the east began. By the 1970s, such distinctions had blurred to the point where one hardly noticed a transition from one city to the next, particularly between Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, and Port Moody.
Observe the delicate balance of nature at Noon's Creek Fish Hatchery near the Civic Recreation Centre.
With 27 kilometres (17 miles) of waterfront in the region, boating and sailing are very much a part of Port Moody's leisurely lifestyle. Every kind of watercraft or activity is available here, whether your idea of fun is super-charged waterskiing or just floating around in an inner tube.
There are several fishing spots in the area, including Belcarra Park, Buntzen Lake, Lafarge Lake, Sasamat Lake, Pitt Lake and along the banks of the Coquitlam River. Fishing in Como Lake is open to children and seniors only.
Explore Port Moody's well-known Foreshore Park, a scenic four-kilometre shoreline trail offering great bird watching, beaches, a boat launching ramp, and the pier at Rocky Point Park. A scenic, paved pathway wraps itself around the east end of Burrard Inlet and runs for several miles to Old Orchard Park. Paralleling it is a pedestrian-only walkway through the park. Rocky Point Park's lengthy pier runs out into the shallow waters of Burrard Inlet's eastern end. There's swimming here, both in the ocean and in a freshwater pool. A boardwalk section of the walking trail passes over a marshy area of Burrard Inlet around Rocky Point. In spring and fall this is an excellent location for bird-watching.
Belcarra Regional Park lies enticingly close across Burrard Inlet to the north. In hot months the beaches at Belcarra's Sasamat Lake and at nearby Buntzen Lake are extremely popular, so an early start is essential. On a calm day, paddle over to explore the area around Belcarra's Admiralty Point. Just be mindful of the occasional large freighter that may be gliding slowly into one of the nearby oil terminals. Anglers and crabbers use the dock at Belcarra Park and the pier at Jericho Beach as an excuse to spend some time in the outdoors, and divers consider this the place to head to for underwater exploration in Indian Arm. Besides wading in from the beach beside Belcarra's pier, there's a small street-end park at Whiskey Cove on Coombe Road where divers also put in, located a 5-minute walk east of the picnic area. The park boasts numerous easy and moderate hiking and walking trails ranging from 2.5 to 7 kilometres in length.
Mundy Park in southeast Coquitlam is one of the Lower Mainland's largest forested parks at 435 acres. Mundy Park's walking trails and two scenic lakes attract visitors year round.
Historic Minnekhada Regional Park in northeast Coquitlam has almost 5 miles (8 km) offers a recreational lodge, picnic facilities, abundant wildlife and expansive trails, most of which are of the gentle-walking variety. These trails lead through a wooded area surrounding two large marshes. You can walk the perimeter of the park in two hours, experiencing the moods of the seasons. For those with enough energy, High Knoll Trail will get your heart rate up in a hurry. Although not a long trail, its ascent is steady from the marsh to the viewpoint that overlooks the Pitt and Fraser Rivers and the farm fields.
