March 30, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Richmond, Sightseeing Tours
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Hey guys! Today I went out and hiked the Iona Pipeline with Bailey. The pipeline? Isn’t that connected to the Richmond Wastewater Treatment Plant? Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Well actually, it’s better than it sounds.
Iona Beach is a regional park that offers some great wild life viewing and a fantastic hike or bike ride if you’re up for it. If you’re not sure where it is, it’s located just north of Sea Island and the Vancouver International Airport. Yes, it’s close to the treatment plant, but keep an open mind and hear me out on this one!
It’s really not as bad as it sounds. The park is clean, well kept, and frankly looks like any other beach in the lower mainland. The treatment plant is located at the entrance to the park, but is so out of the way you barely even notice it. Iona is a great place for picnics and interestingly, stargazing too. It’s far away enough from the main parts of the city that you don’t get the light pollution and the entire sky is very easily visible. There are not too many other places around Vancouver where you can easily do this.
The really cool thing here though is the 4km man-made jetty that supports the huge outfall pipes that carry the treated water from the plant. At the end of this jetty, the treated water flows an additional 3 km in submerged pipes to deep water in the Straight of Georgia, where tides and currents disperse it into the ocean.
There is a great walking/jogging/biking trail that goes overtop of them with plenty of nice views and opportunities to see local wildlife. During my trek out there I saw all kinds of birds, eagles, and even a seal!
Be warned! The trek is deceivingly long! At first glance it didn’t seem that much of a hike. I took Bailey out there and it was a haul - roughly 8km there and back! (Especially carrying 40lbs of camera gear! Yikes!) That being said, it was very rewarding reaching the end and watching the sunset with my puppy at the observation deck. There were plenty of other people around enjoying it too, and it was nice to laugh about how much fun a waste treatment plant could be.
The Iona Pipeline is a great hike if you’re looking for a new route around Richmond! Check it out and try something new!
- VideoChris
March 03, 2011 | Tips from Travellers >
Richmond, Sightseeing Tours
Find more information about Richmond - Sightseeing Tours
Hey guys! Today I am going to give you a quick peek at the West Dyke Trail, part of Richmond’s extensive dyke system! If you’re up for a nice stroll, bike ride, dog walk, or just want to take in the natural beauty of the place, then the West Dyke Trail is for you.
The West Dyke Trail is a gravel pathway that offers excellent views of the Sturgeon Banks marshes, the distant Howe Sound mountains, and the Gulf Islands along a 5.5km path between Terra Nova and Garry Point Park. (Steveston).
It should be noted that this is only a tiny part of the Richmond’s entire dyke system, which surrounds the entire island and is a total of 49km in length (now THAT is a hike!). Richmond itself is only one metre above sea level, and located on a floodplain (as we are on the mouth of the Fraser River). These extensive dykes actually keep us from flooding during high tides and excessive rain and are a mandatory measure to keeping us nice and dry.
The West Dyke Trail, which is the western most stretch of this dyke system, is open to the public all year around and is a fantastic walk or bike ride filled with scenic landscape and plenty of wildlife. In fact, while I was there today I even managed to catch a glimpse of a coyote! I’ve lived in Richmond my whole life and I’ve never seen one up close before (about 10-15 feet away!). Unfortunately, I had my puppy Bailey with me, so I had to stop filming and grab him before the coyote realized what was going on! In hindsight, I probably could have gotten one of those great National Geographic hunting scenes on video, but Bailey is just far too cute for that. =)
Don’t fret though- The West Dyke Trail is an incredibly safe place for humans and dogs alike. This is the first time in my life I’ve come across a coyote, so this shouldn’t be a deterrent to enjoy the mountains and marshes. It’s just a friendly reminder that this is a wild living habitat to countless birds and other small animals. In fact, the Sturgeon Banks marsh is a major migration route for almost 1.4 million birds annually, including our famous snow geese!
Whether you’re here in the summer to enjoy it’s lush green marsh grasses, or make it in the winter to see it’s sepia, honey toned vistas, the West Dyke Trail is the ideal backdrop for some great recreational activities and wildlife to boot. Just don’t feed the coyotes!
- VideoChris