7 Things To Do At Deer Lake Park

Photo: Burnaby.ca

Deer Lake Park provides a unique nature escape in the middle of Burnaby. While the skyscrapers of Metrotown rise above the lake, it’s a great place for hiking, boating, spotting wildlife, and learning about history and culture.

How to Get to Deer Lake Park

From Vancouver, take Highway 1 east. Use exit 33 to Kensington Avenue. Turn left on Canada Way, then right on Sperling. There are several options for parking. Continue on Sperling for another block to a large parking area. Or turn right onto Deer Lake Avenue. This road runs through the east side of the park and leads to parking areas next to the Burnaby Village Museum, the Shadbolt Centre, and the Burnaby Art Gallery.

You can also get to the park via the 144 bus route.

Tips for Visiting

• Use the park map to find your way around.
• The park is closed at night. Check the sign at the park entrance for current gate closure hours so you don’t get locked in.
• Dogs must be on-leash in the park and are not permitted on the beach or in the picnic area.
• Smoking, vaping, cannabis, drones, alcohol, and collecting plants are not allowed.
• There are washrooms at the Sperling Avenue parking lot.
• Be safe in the park. AdventureSmart recommends bringing a backpack with essential safety and first aid gear on every hike. Check the forecast and pack extra clothing for the weather. Leave a trip plan so someone knows where you are going and when you will be back.

Enjoy the Gardens

Spring is the perfect time to visit Deer Lake Park to enjoy the gardens in bloom. Visit Century Garden next to the Burnaby Art Gallery to enjoy many different flowers, including Burnaby’s official flower, the rhododendron. You can also visit the Eagles Estate Heritage Garden on the southeastern shore of the lake. It dates back to 1929 and includes Japanese maples, rhododendrons, and magnolias.

Century Gardens. Photo: Burnaby.ca

Explore the Trails

Deer Lake Park is home to a variety of easy hiking trails that circle the lake and wander through the nearby forest and marshlands. Be sure to climb the viewing tower near the southwest corner of the lake. And watch for endangered Western painted turtles basking on rocks in the ponds. Use the park map to plan your route.

Get in Touch With History

Head to Burnaby Village Museum on the east side of the park to step back in time. Costumed interpreters bring the early 20th century to life as you tour heritage buildings that include a farmhouse, shops, and a blacksmith forge. Don’t miss the restored carousel. The museum opens for the summer in early May. Admission is free.

Photo: Burnaby Village Museum

Admire the Heritage Homes

The area surrounding Deer Lake Park is home to Burnaby’s best-preserved heritage homes. Constructed between 1904 and 1935, the houses were designed to mimic the English countryside. You can visit them all on a self-guided heritage homes walking tour.

Paddle a Boat

Get out on the water in the heart of Burnaby. Rent a canoe, kayak, rowboat, or pedal boat and explore the lake. Launch from the dock at the east end of the lake. You can reserve a boat online.

Photo: Deer Lake Boat Rentals

Watch for Wildlife

Deer Lake Park is an important part of Burnaby’s system of waterways and is home to lots of wildlife. Look for lots of birds including great blue herons fishing in the shallows and many species of ducks. You can also spot turtles sunning themselves on logs. If you visit at dawn or dusk you might be lucky enough to see beavers building dams in the marshes at the west end of the lake.

Immerse Yourself in the Arts

Deer Lake Park is the epicenter of the art scene in Burnaby. Visit the Burnaby Art Gallery which includes over 6000 works and is the only public art museum in Canada dedicated to works of art on paper. Or head to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts for live music and dance performances or classes in dance, music, media arts, sculpture, and more.

Photo: Burnaby.ca

By Taryn Eyton
Source Inside Vancouver