Richmond Trails and Dykes

by Dad

Activity:

Our family has discovered the Richmond dykes as an excellent place for walking and biking.  Richmond is very flat which means I can save my back by not having to push the kids up hills, and the dykes that surround Richmond provide miles and miles of effortless riding.

Here are the main areas:

East Richmond: North foot of No. 6 Rd to Boundary Road (10 km) along the North Arm of the Fraser River.

The South Arm of the Fraser:  Starting at the south foot of No. 2 Road to the foot of Shell Road (6 km) with the following points of interest:  London Heritage Farm, Sports Fishing Pier, Finn Slough (Ethic Adventures - Finn Slough - Steveston), and Horseshoe Slough.

Steveston: Trails and dykes in and around Steveston, with opportunities to visit attractions such as Garry Point Park, Steveston Museum, and the Britannia Heritage Shipyard.

West Dyke: A 6 km path from Steveston to Middle Arm of the Fraser, with view of the tidal flats and wildlife.  We usually bike on this dyke because it's close to Steveston where we have our lunch.  Some things to look for are the turtles sunning themselves in the ditch running alongside the dyke, the hereford style cattle grazing by the dyke, and the information marker for the old Fort Steveston army base.  Points of access at western foot of the following roads:  Westminster Highway, Blundell Road, Francis Road, Williams Road, and Steveston Highway

Middle Arm:  A 5.5 km path along the middle arm with great views of Vancouver International Airport, and aircraft landing and departing.

Sea Island:  Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island.  Great biking, and walking at Iona Beach Regional Park, and McDonald Beach Park.

Age group:

All ages

Expense rating:

Free

:

Over 40 kilometres of effortless pedalling, great for kids of all ages.

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Details:

For more information call Richmond Parks and Leisure Services at (604) 276-4107.

Area:

Richmond

Season:

All seasons

Educational highlights:

Richmond is situated on two islands (Lulu Island and Sea Island) at the mouth of the mighty Fraser River.  These islands are surrounded by dykes to prevent flooding.  Heritage sites (Britannia Heritage Shipyards, Gulf of Georgia Cannery), sloughs, the Fraser river, Vancouver International Airport, wildlife, and fishing fleets are just some of the educational attractions. 

Fun for the adult?:

I like not having to worry to much about the kids getting in trouble when they're riding on the dykes.