Hike of the Week: Campbell Valley
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Campbell Valley
BC’s Campbell Valley is Hmmm Hmmm Good!
by Craig Romano
photo by Craig Romano
produced by Michael Fagin
Quick Facts
Location: Langley, Lower Mainland, British Columbia
Land Agency: Metropolitan Vancouver Regional Parks District
Roundtrip: Up to 10 miles
Elevation gain: level to a few hundred feet
Contact: Metro Vancouver Parks; http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/parks_lscr/regionalparks
Notes: Dogs must be on leash
Access: From Blaine follow SR 543 north to Canadian Border. Continue north on BC 15 for approximately 1 mile turning right onto 8th Ave. Follow 8th Ave east for approximately 3.5 miles to South Valley Entrance of Campbell Valley Park.
Located just mere minutes north of the 49th parallel (a half hour drive from Bellingham when there is no border wait) Campbell Valley is one of the nicest parks in the British Columbia Lower mainland. Administered by the Vancouver Metropolitan Parks District, don’t let the word “metropolitan” throw you off. The Campbell Valley and its environs in south Langley are quite rural.
The park protects over 1,300 acres of attractive forest, old farmland, productive wetlands, and historic barns and dwellings. With over 10 miles of well marked and well built hiking trails and several more miles of multi-use trails you’ll have plenty of terrain to explore. Highlights of this sprawling preserve include extensive marshlands traversed by boardwalks and an old farmstead and one room schoolhouse. There are acres of fields to roam, small ponds to explore, and plenty of wildlife to watch for.
Children will especially like the 1.5 mile Little River Loop. A virtually flat trail, much of it on boardwalks, this interesting loop allows up close and personal viewing of the Little Campbell River which flows directly through the heart of the park. You can access this trail from the park’s North Valley Entrance or follow the South Valley Trail from the South Valley Entrance. Be sure to allow time to visit the old Lochiel Schoolhouse. And if you want a long walkabout around the park and you don’t mind sharing the way with horses, take to the Shaggy Mane Trail.
A popular trail to the residents of Surrey and Langley, this gem of a park is virtually unknown to hikers south of the 49th Parallel. Have fun discovering it!
Looking for more places to Hike?Click here and check out his line of Northwest guidebooks.
