The Semiahmoo Peninsula offers a host of parks and natural spaces for residents and visitors alike to enjoy, so whether it’s natural beauty, playgrounds, views, waterfront access or pet-friendly sights that appeal, there are plenty of options for everyone.
For a complete listing of White Rock parks, visit www.whiterockcity.ca; for Surrey’s offerings, visit www.surrey.ca
Here’s a few to get you started:
Barge Park
13689 Malabar Ave. A place to relax with a good book while children play on the playground.
Bayview Park
14586 Marine Dr. (at Bay Street).Located at the west end of White Rock’s popular promenade, this is a perfect site for an outdoor meal with the family. Pack a picnic basket, spread out a blanket and enjoy.
Bob Rutledge Park
5448 148 St. Play some tennis or have a picnic in this 2.8-hectare Panorama-area park. Located south of Highway 10, it also features a playground and nature trails.
Bryant Park 15150 Russell Ave. Picnic tables and a meandering walkway make Bryant Park one of White Rock’s hidden jewels. The park is also dog-friendly, provided the family pet is leashed.
Centennial Park/Ruth Johnson Park
14600 North Bluff Rd. White Rock’s largest park offers amenities including tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, an off-leash dog area, a horseshoe pitch and a running oval. There are also shaded forest trails, for a more serene experience, as well as the new Generations Playground, an outdoor, all-abilities facility.
Cloverdale Athletic Park
6330 168 St. This 20-plus hectare park offers sports fields, playgrounds, a water park, a bike park, picnic area, washrooms, ball diamonds, games court, lacrosse box, tennis courts and walking paths.
Crescent Park
2610 128 St. This park offers sports fields, baseball diamonds, fitness track, picnic areas, playgrounds, trails and tennis courts. Small ponds on the west side are a draw for ducks
Darts Hill Garden Park
1633 170 St. Gifted to the City of Surrey by Francisca and Edwin Darts, this gem showcases an array of botanical and unusual plant life. Open to the public on specified dates April through July. Photography is encouraged. Due to the garden’s sensitivity, dogs are not allowed, and visitors are asked to remain on designated walking paths. Wheelchair access is limited.
Don Christian Park
6220 184 St. Enjoy a recreation centre, youth centre, playgrounds,sports fields, games court, volleyball court and walking paths at this park.
Dr. R.J. Allan Hogg Rotary Park
15400-block of Buena Vista Avenue. Stretching between White Rock’s Roper and Buena Vista avenues, this park offers more than two acres of beautifully landscaped green space and gardens.
Glades Garden Park
561 172 St. This park boasts more than 1,600 mature rhododendrons, azaleas and more. Gifted to the city by Jim and Eldfriede DeWolf, improvements have included a new parking lot, fencing and new trails.
Totem Park
Marine Drive and Cypress Street. One of the most popular spots on Marine Drive’s East Beach, the plaza, located on traditional homelands of the Semiahmoo First Nation, is best known for its two totem poles. Designed by Haida artist Robert Davidson and Coast Salish artist Susan Point, the poles were raised in 1999. Ten years later, the plaza was dedicated to the memory of SFN Grand Chief Bernard Robert Charles.
White Rock Promenade
Marine Drive between Maple Street and Bay Street. With an ocean view, the wheelchair-accessible promenade stretches 2.2 kilometres on White Rock Beach.
Semiahmoo Trail
This gem was first used during the Gold Rush and was later established by European settlers, becoming the main wagon route between Blaine and Fort Langley. Listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places, the eight-kilometre South Surrey stretch of the trail runs from the Nicomekl River south to 20 Avenue. Start from 20 Avenue at 151A Street and head north, or from 144 Street at Crescent Road and head south.
Mud Bay Park
13030 48 Ave. This park includes a nearly three-kilometre nature trail that offers a scenic opportunity to view some of the hundreds of thousands of shorebirds. Visitors can take their explorations even further, by continuing along the Dyke Trail – 20 kilometres of shoreline – to Boundary Bay Regional Park in Delta.
Note: dogs, bikes and horses are not permitted from fall to early spring.
1001 Steps
12500-block of 16 Avenue. Tucked away behind Ocean Park, this spot features trails and a staircase that ends at the waterfront of Crescent Beach. Also check out 101 steps, at the foot of 24 Avenue, which has access to the waterfront.
Hiking in Campbell River