Sasamat Lake is a beautiful Metro Vancouver lake that people can walk around at Belcarra Regional Park. It’s just a 12-minute drive from Port Moody.
White Pine Beach is one of the region’s most popular parks. It’s located on the east side of the lake.
This article includes the following information about Sasamat Lake:
Getting to Sasamat Lake | White Pine Beach | Sasamat Lake Video | Activities at Sasamat Lake | Other Information
Sasamat Lake at Belcarra Regional Park
One of the warmest bodies of natural freshwater in Vancouver, Sasamat is a very popular lake. It is located in Belcarra Regional Park which is a short distance northwest of Port Moody and Anmore.
The lake is a popular destination year-round, especially from June until early September. With its inviting water and sandy beaches, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a summer lake day!
Other activities to do around Sasamat Lake include hiking, fishing and non-motorized water sports.
Getting to Sasamat Lake
For visitors driving in cars there is a parking lot at the northeast end of the lake. The only way to get into the park is via Bedwell Bay Road. To get to Sasamat Lake, take the first right turnoff after you enter the park.
Parking is free for half the year, but there is pay parking from April 1st to September 30th. During that time it costs $3 an hour to use the parking lot or $17.50 for the full day (from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm).
There is a bus stop that serves the TransLink 150 bus line. This is a seasonal bus that runs on weekends and holidays during the year, plus every day from June until around the beginning of September. Folks also have the option of taking bus route 182, but then have to walk up White Pine Beach Road.
White Pine Beach at Sasamat Lake
White Pine Beach is one of the most popular areas in Belcarra Park. There are two sandy beach areas that are perfect for swimming and enjoying the warm weather around the lake.
Fair warning, White Pine Beach can get extremely busy in summer months. There is often a lineup to get into the park, unless you arrive very early in the day. Once the parking lot is full, park staff sometimes close the gates. We have heard that the lineup can start as early as 10:00 am!
If you don’t want to go that early, we’d recommend you visit more in the later afternoon or early evening rather than in the middle of the day. If you show up at around 1:00 pm on a hot day, finding parking would likely be very difficult (and maybe even impossible). But if you show up around 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm, you might have better luck.
At the main White Pine Beach area there is a concession stand and picnic areas. There are regular picnic benches scattered around as well as an undercover reservable shelter that seats up to 50 people.
White Pine Beach is perfect for families with children as the water is shallow and warm. However, there is no lifeguard on duty so visitors swim at their own risk.
The beach area is equipped with both change rooms and showers, as well as public bathrooms.
To learn more about the beach see our article about White Pine Beach.
Video of Sasamat Lake
The following video is of Sasamat Lake in autumn. It starts near the parking lots as you walk down to White Pine Beach. From there it goes around the lake in a clockwise direction.
As you’ll see in the video, most of the trees in the area are evergreens, which means there isn’t much in the way of autumn colours in the fall. The scenery remains nice and green in winter though (when places with nothing but deciduous trees can look kind of bleak). Sasamat Lake is a beautiful place to walk around every month of the year!
Also as you’ll see in the video, the route around the lake includes hard-packed gravel trails, a few stairs, and a floating dock that goes right across the lake (and from which people often fish). There are also beautiful views and lots of forest.
Other Activities at Sasamat Lake
Sasamat Lake has a floating bridge running across the lake at the south end. The bridge has wharves to jump off of and fish from, although for fishing you need a non-tidal angling licence. The floating bridge also connects the two sides of the Sasamat Lake Trail.
Non-motorized water sports are allowed at Sasamat Lake. This includes kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding. There is no rental place at Sasamat Lake though, so folks have to bring their own equipment.
There is also a trail that goes around Sasamat Lake. It’s a very easy hike, at just over 3 kilometres long and with minimal elevation gain. The trails are quite flat but not wheelchair accessible as some bridges and other areas have steps.
Dogs are welcome on-leash on the Sasamat Lake Trail but not at White Pine Beach or any other beach along Sasamat Lake.
Other Information
To learn more about the region, see our articles about Belcarra Regional Park and Port Moody.
For information about hiking in the area, see the vancouvertrails.com website.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Metro Vancouver’s Top 100 Places
- Vancouver’s Top Beaches
- Lower Mainland Parks and Nature
- Vancouver on a Budget