Burnaby Lake Regional Park

Burnaby Lake is a Metro Vancouver lake located within Burnaby Lake Regional Park which features walking trails, picnic sites, an off-leash dog park and a dock.

The park is popular for walking, hiking and non-motorized water sports. If you’re looking for a nice two-hour walk in nature, and you want something without any hills, Burnaby Lake is a great place to visit.

A number of events happen at Burnaby Lake Park including a couple of fundraising events in June. There is the Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis History as well as the Father’s Day Run/Walk for Prostate Cancer.

This article includes the following information about Burnaby Lake:

Location | Hiking | Burnaby Lake Walks & Running Events | Other Information

Metro Vancouver’s Burnaby Lake

Located in the heart of Burnaby, Burnaby Lake is technically one of the largest lakes in Metro Vancouver (although there are bigger ones north of West Vancouver, the Tri-Cities and Maple Ridge). The lake itself covers about 770 acres in the centre of the park. There’s no beach, and nowhere to go swimming. There’s a lot of nature though and beautiful scenery.

On a map, Burnaby Lake appears to be a fairly large body of water. The lake itself isn’t actually so big, however, as much of its area is marshland.

At the lake there is a dock/boat launch for those wanting to do some water sports. There’s also a course suitable for various kinds of non-motorized boating including kayaking, canoeing and rowing training.

Dogs are permitted in the park when on leash. Cycling is not allowed, however, but horseback riding is, but only on designated trails.

Where is Burnaby Lake?

Burnaby Lake Regional Park can be found not far from Deer Lake Park. Deer Lake actually flows into Burnaby Lake. The park is bordered by Highway 1 to the south and rail tracks to the north.

The park is easily accessible by public transit since the SkyTrain stops at the Sparling-Burnaby Lake Station along the Millennium Line. This is just a short walk away from Burnaby Lake.

Main access points to the park by car are via Avalon Avenue (near Gaglardi Way), Glencarin Drive and Piper Avenue. The Rowing Pavilion is accessed via Roberts Street which is off Sperling Avenue and just south of the Burnaby Sports Complex. The sports facility is at the western end of the park and its address is 3677 Kensington Avenue.

Walking Around Burnaby Lake — Burnaby Lake Trails in Autumn

Hiking at Burnaby Lake

There are several options for hiking and walking around the park. The main trail is a 10-km round-trip loop around the lake. The walk takes about two hours and is fairly flat and paved with gravel. There are several access points to the trail so folk can enter and leave as they choose.

The park also has several smaller trails that branch off the main trail. Burnaby Lake Regional park has a total of 19 km of trails including 6 km for horseback riding.

Burnaby Lake Running Races & Walking Events

A number of events take place at Burnaby Lake Regional Park including a couple of running races. In March there is the Shamrock ‘N Race which is an Irish-themed run on a weekend close to St. Patrick’s Day. In October there is also the Rubber Ducky Race. Both events are part of the Try Events‘ series of races.

Another great running race at Burnaby Lake is the Big Jungle Run which is part of the Big Fun Run series of runs. It’s a family-friendly run and takes place in March.

The Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis History is a fundraising event that also takes place at Burnaby Lake Park, usually in May. With it, people walk for about 3.5 km instead of running. The event also includes food and fun after the walk. There is also the Father’s Day Run for Prostate Cancer which happens in mid-June.