Time: 10:00AM–12:30PM

The next SFURA walk is Wednesday, April 14 at 10:00 a.m., mostly on the Southwest Portion of the Poco Trail, in Port Coquitlam. David Ryeburn will lead it. The trail is in good condition, much of it is quite wide, and it is almost completely level, so runners are suitable. Vegetation will not interfere with umbrellas, but high winds in the open areas might be a problem for them. The walk can be extended along the Pitt River dyke Northeast of Shaughnessy Street, if participants are so inclined.

Direction to the meeting spot:
The walk will begin at a parking lot just south of the railroad tracks on Colony Farm Road. Take the Lougheed Highway (BC Route 7) Northeast from the Cape Horn interchange on Highway 1, or South from where the Lougheed Highway meets the Barnet Highway (BC Route 7A) adjacent to the Coquitlam Centre shopping mall. The Colony Farm Road intersection on the Lougheed Highway (much nearer to the Cape Horn interchange than to the shopping centre) is South of the Pitt River Road intersection and Northeast of United Boulevard and the Cape Horn interchange. BC Route 7 turns a bit between those two locations. There is a traffic light at the Colony Farm Road intersection. Do not make the mistake of driving further South along Colony Farm Road; the parking lot is on your left, immediately after you cross the railroad tracks (which are parallel to and adjacent to the highway). See road map.

The route we will walk:
(See trail map.) We will take the Mundy Creek Trail a short distance until it meets the North end of the Home Farm Dyke Trail and the South end of the Sheep Paddocks Trail, at which point we will be on the PoCo Trail. Here we can turn left and walk a short distance along the Sheep Paddocks Trail to a barrier. We will continue South along the Home Farm Dyke Trail until it crosses the impressive Millenium Foot Bridge. Now on the East side of the Coquitlam River, we will walk along the Wilson Farm Dyke Trail and then a short connecting trail until we arrive at the intersection of Shaughnessy Street and Mary Hill Bypass. The one-way distance to this point is about 3 km, all level except for the bridge. If the group wants to see more, we can cross the Mary Hill Bypass road at the Shaughnessy Street traffic light and continue on dykes: first along the Fraser River and then along the Pitt River. Douglas Island will be to our South as we pass the Citadel Landing area. The next reasonable turn-around point is about 2 km. later at the foot of Pitt River Road, and the next one after that is at Peace Park, about 1.5 km. more. The walk is rated Easy, or Easy/Moderate if people choose to continue along the Fraser and Pitt Rivers.
If you have questions, you can email David Ryeburn, or phone him at 604-298-7913