Christmas Day is expected to be bright, sunny and cold and what better way to prepare for turkey dinner than with a walk?
After several dark, damp days, a walk at one of the Tri-Cities' local parks will be a joy for many between brunch and dinner. Here are some great local parks to visit for a bit of a stroll.
COQUITLAM
• Como Lake Park, 700 Gatensbury St., Coquitlam, parking available, playground for children, 1 km loop that's easy to do with beautiful views of the lake and the north shore mountains.
• Coquitlam Crunch, a fitness challenge for those who want to get their heart rate up. It can be accessed from Eagle Ridge Park, Guildford Way, Lansdowne Drive, David Avenue and Bramble Park at Panorama Drive. Consists of 400 timber stairs, 2.2 kms of trail, following the BC Hydro right-of-way to the top of Westwood Plateau, a 242 metre elevation game.
• Mundy Park, 641 Hillcrest St., Coquitlam. The park’s 5.5 km multi-use community pathway encircles the park and can be completed on foot within an hour. Shorter walks on the interior trails will guide visitors on a scenic loop around Mundy Lake or to the viewing benches at Lost Lake.
• Town Centre Park, Lafarge Lake, 1299 Pinetree Way, enjoy the loop trail around the park and visit the seasonal lights display, from dusk to midnight to the New Year. With over 60,000 lights, it's one of the largest free seasonal displays in the Lower Mainland.
PORT COQUITLAM
• Traboulay PoCo Trail, a 25.3 km route that encircles the community. Trail maps are available on the city's website at www.portcoquitlam.ca under Recreation and Culture/Parks Also check out this link for trail maps for several easy trail walks.
PORT MOODY
• Shoreline Trail, this is an easy, accessible trail with minimal elevation gain that takes walkers around Part Moody Inlet and through Rocky Point Park. It takes approximately two hours to do the 6 km (round trip) route. Beautiful views and a scent of the ocean makes this trail a must-do.
