- Difficulty Easy
- Time 1 hour
- Round-Trip 2.3km
- Elevation Gain minimal
- Season year-round
- Camping No
- From Vancouver 1 hour 30 minutes
- Public Transit No
- Dog Friendly No
Cheam Lake Wetlands consists of 93 hectares of land which was turned into a park in 1990. The park is a popular area for birdwatching, picnics, short walks, and family outings and is set amongst the scenic backdrop of Mount Cheam, just east of Chilliwack, BC.
The trails are divided into 3 sections and the longest two loops are only 1km each. The third trail is a short path that leads out to a viewpoint of the lake, passing over a couple of floating bridges. Each of the trails have very little elevation change and can be walked by all ages.
For a view of the Lake, walk to the right side of the parking lot where the gravel trail begins near the picnic area. Follow the gravel trail for a few hundred meters as it passes over a couple of floating bridges and brings you up onto a raised wooden viewing platform. This view is the best vantage point of the area.
The Creek Trail starts along the path to the viewpoint and follows a small stream through a forested area. The shade and the stream can make this route a cooler option during the hot mid-day temperatures of the summer. Cross over the wooden bridge and continue along side the stream until you meet a junction. You can choose to take either route as it will loop back around within a 100 meters or so and return you to this junction. After completing the loop, walk back down along the creek, cross the bridge, and follow the path until you return to the lake area.
Starting with the Loop Trail on the left side of the parking lot, walk across the grassy area and find the start of the trail near the edge of the lake. The gravel trail splits between two marsh areas before heading into the forest and reaching a junction. Go left at the junction to do the loop in a clockwise direction and a short distance later, you come up a wooden walkway next to a beaver pond. The large pile of wood sticks is a beaver lodge and sightings are common in the summer during the evening hours. Continue following the trail as it winds around, through the forest, over another wooden bridge, before passing along a straight stretch. Not much further and you reach the junction where you began the loop. Go left and return to the picnic and parking lot area.
How to get to Cheam Lake Wetlands
Estimated Driving Time from Vancouver
1 hour 30 minutes
Cheam Lake Wetlands Regional Park is located east of Chilliwack in the Fraser Valley. From Vancouver, drive east to Highway #1 and enter the highway heading eastbound. From here, it's a long drive along the highway through Burnaby, over the Port Mann Bridge, through Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack as you cover over 100km. Take exist 138 Popkum Road and after driving up the off-ramp, turn left and cross over the highway. Turn left onto Yale Road and follow the road next to the highway to the 3-way intersection with Popkum Road N. Turn right onto Popkum Road N and drive for half a kilometer before turning left onto Elgey Road. Follow this road until it arrives at the Cheam Lake Wetlands parking lot.
View a map of Driving directions to Cheam Lake Wetlands.
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