Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Maple Ridge (Canada). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Blanshard Peak, Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, and Alouette Lake. Also, be sure to include Kanaka Creek Regional Park in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Maple Ridge (British Columbia).
Table of Contents
Blanshard Peak
Peak in British Columbia, Canada. Blanshard Peak also known as The Blanshard Needle by local climbers is a distinctive rock pinnacle in Golden Ears Provincial Park that is visible from many places in the Lower Mainland. Named for the first governor of the colony of Vancouver Island, the name of the summit and area is the subject of some confusion due to the labeling of the entire Golden Ears Group on the published maps for the area. Mount Blanshard is the proper name of the Golden Ears massif, and later became attached by authors of climbing guides to the summit at the southern end of the group.[1]
Malcolm Knapp Research Forest
Woods in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. The Malcolm Knapp Research Forest is located in the Coast Mountains, about 60 km from Vancouver, in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. The forest is approximately 5,157 hectares and has many different types of terrain. The forest is home to some 400-year-old trees, though the vast majority of trees are 70–120 years old. It was a site of major logging from the 1800s to 1931, but was officially established as the UBC/Malcolm Knapp Research Forest in 1949 because of the major influence from the late UBC professor Malcolm Knapp. Although today it is dedicated to research and education, it is also a popular destination for trail hiking and camps.[2]
Alouette Lake
Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Alouette Lake, originally Lillooet Lake and not to be confused with the lake of that name farther north, is a lake and reservoir in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. It is located at the southeast foot of the mountain group known as the Golden Ears and is about 16 km in length on a northeast–southwest axis. It and the Alouette River, formerly the Lillooet River, were renamed in 1914 to avoid confusion with the larger river and lake farther north, with "Alouette", the French word for "lark", being chosen as being melodious and reminiscent of the original name in tone.
Most of the basin of Alouette Lake has never been logged and its north flank is protected as part of Golden Ears Provincial Park (formerly part of Garibaldi Provincial Park until that park's division). A small portion of the lake and its largely inaccessible northwestern shore, near its narrows, are actually part of the District of Mission due to the rectangular shape of that district's boundary. North of the portion of the lake that is in Mission, the rest of its northern end is not in either municipality.[3]
Kanaka Creek Regional Park
Ecological park in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Kanaka Creek Regional Park is a regional park of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, located in the city of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, flanking both sides of Kanaka Creek from its confluence with the Fraser River just east of Haney and extending approximately 11 km up the creek to just south of the community of Webster's Corners.
The 400 ha. park has three main areas. The Riverfront area adjacent to the Fraser and BC Hwy 7 has picnic tables and a boat-launch, suitable for launching canoes and kayaks for navigating the slow-moving waters of Kanaka Creek up as far as the 240th Street bridge. The Riverfront Trail winds along this stretch of the creek and has a number of three-story wooden viewing towers. Above 240th Street the stream is shallower and full of snags and not suitable for boating. Above that a popular swimming hole with slickrock slides is at Cliff Falls. There are twin falls on Kanaka Creek, one on each of its upper fork. Much of the upper area of the park is heavily forested, though hiking along the creek beds is feasible and a number of wooden walkways through the forest and along the creek have been established in the area.
The Maple Ridge Fairgrounds are just east of the lower regions of the park, beyond them is the community of Albion. Derby Reach Regional Park is just across the Fraser in Langley[4]
Evans Peak
Peak in British Columbia, Canada. Evans Peak is a peak to the Northwest of Alouette Lake in Golden Ears Provincial Park, British Columbia.
The peak is named for a father and son, Leslie and John Evans, who vanished in the valley between Edge Peak and Blanshard Peak in the spring of 1966. An extensive search failed to find them and are presumed dead.[5]