Spring has sprung and the rains have stopped in Burnaby. Now that the air is warming up, the flowers are in bloom and the days have finally gotten longer I have found myself with a little more free time. Since my classes have ended and I am currently in the clinic Monday to Friday, my evenings and weekends have opened up. And for the first time in a while they are only partially filled with studying.
Once I realized this was the case, I decided to finally take some time to explore the city around me. I have lived in Burnaby or close to Burnaby for over 12 months now and am shocked at how little I have explored the area. This goes to show how much time school really takes out of the day! Not to mention how limiting the winter weather can be when it comes to exploring outdoors.
Here are a few spots I have started to visit and really enjoyed. I am an outdoor adventurer so most of the spots are locations in parks, of which Burnaby has many!
Burnaby Mountain – I found it hard to believe, living so close to Burnaby Mountain, that I have never been there. So far I have gone twice and tried a few different combinations of hiking trails! The view from the park at the top is beautiful and the Velodrome trail, which consists of 500 stairs, is a pretty good glute workout.
Deep Cove – One of the difficult things about being a student is the lack of finances. My lack of finances limits me from owning a car so it was extremely exciting to discover that I can easily bus to Deep Cove in approximately an hour! From BCIT you can take the 130 to Phibbs exchange and transfer there to the 212 to Deep Cove. Deep Cove is an adorable little town with a fairly touristy but still enjoyable hike to Quarry Rock as well as options to hang out at the beach, in the park and rent kayaks and paddle boards! I plan to go back there for a swim when it gets a little warmer.
Deer Lake – If you like to run, Deer Lake is the perfect destination from BCIT. I have established both a 9km and a 6.5km loop from BCIT! The walking paths there are never too busy and the scenery is very nice!
Burnaby Lake – From BCIT, Burnaby lake is a good biking distance and there are bike paths the entire way. You will reach it from the Central Valley Greenway bike path heading east. This same bike path can take you all the way to downtown Vancouver from Burnaby if you head west. It is approximately 10 km from there to Broadway and Cambie.
Confederation Park – I have only been to Confederation Park once but was pretty impressed. There is an off-leash dog train, lawn bowling, a skatepark and an indoor pool and recreation centre.
At this point I feel like there is a lot more to discover. I am hoping, in the upcoming weeks to walk a few more trails at Burnaby Mountain, including the Trans Canada Trail from one end to the other and I am considering making a trip out to Belcarra, another destination that is reachable via transit from BCIT!