Hiking Buntzen Lake near Port Moody
Contents
Buntzen Lake Hike Information
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 10.50Km
Elevation Gain: 300m
Highest Elevation: 220m
Average Gradient: 5.70%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Low / Low
Time Needed:
– Slow: 3.5 – 4 Hours
– Moderate: 2.5 – 3.5 Hours
– Fast: 2 – 2.5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Buntzen Lake Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°20’15.7″N 122°51’23.5″W
Buntzen Lake Overview
Buntzen Lake is a very popular recreation area situated north of Port Moody and maintained by BC Hydro thanks to a reservoir they operate there. There are a number of trails within the park, but the most popular is the Buntzen Lake loop as described here. Other popular trails include the Diez Vistas trail (which generally includes half of the Buntzen Lake loop as well), Eagle Ridge and the Lakeview trail.
The Buntzen Lake loop is a very accessible hike for all abilities, with mostly flat and undulating terrain throughout, and few steep sections. The terrain is mostly made up of gravel, loose rock and compact dirt, with little in the way of technical challenge. Indeed this is a very popular hike for families, newcomers to the city, tourists, dog walkers, trail runners and every other recreationalist you can imagine. You can be sure you’ll see people along the trail each and every day, and in the peak season on a sunny weekend the park will generally be packed.
The Buntzen Lake recreation area operates with opening hours as indicated on the BC Hydro website. Since the recreation area is so popular, especially on sunny weekends, the parking lots can often fill up within an hour or less of the gates to the park opening, so an early arrival is almost a necessity. In recent years the park has dabbled with a reservation system and paid parking during the peak season to try and handle the traffic volume, otherwise once the parking lots are full it is not uncommon for the gates to be closed with vehicles turned away.
If you prefer to avoid crowds it is strongly recommended to avoid a summer weekend and instead go in the shoulder season or even the winter when it’s far easier to get parking. This is a fine hike for an overcast or rainy day since the only views are really the lake and the surrounding forest anyway.
Buntzen Lake is a dog friendly hike, though they should remain on leash. That being said, many dog walkers ignore this.
Maintaining this website requires a significant investment of both time and money, if you find this website a useful resource, please consider making a donation using this button.
Is Buntzen Lake worthwhile?
Buntzen Lake is a good hike for any newcomers to BC to get a feel for the area, or for any beginners looking to start out on their hiking journey. More experienced hikers will likely choose other more interesting hikes than this on a sunny day, but it does make for a decent outing to get some fresh air on one of those overcast or rainy days that we so frequently experience.
Personally I would not suggest doing this hike on a sunny summer weekend as the parking situation and crowds can put a dampener on the day, and in reality there are better hikes out there for a sunny day than Buntzen Lake.
How difficult is the hike to Buntzen Lake?
This is a pretty straightforward hike both physically and technically. The elevation gain is mostly undulating throughout the hike, and if you want to make things even easier you could simply follow the east side of the lake to North Beach, then return back the same way. This would reduce the hike to just 8km. A good amount of the elevation gain is on the west side of the lake, which is also the less scenic side as it remains in the forest away from the lake for larger portions.
Technically the hike is very simple and suitable for all parties.
Buntzen Lake Route Information
The trailhead for the Buntzen Lake loop is from a large parking lot at the south end of the lake (see coordinates), and as noted this can fill up very quickly on a sunny summer weekend, so get there as soon as the gates open (or earlier) to ensure a parking spot. BC Hydro has been dabbling with a reservation system during the peak seasons in recent years, so check their website to confirm whether or not you need a reservation before going.
Once parked you can either follow the loop clockwise or counter clockwise. Most parties go counter clockwise following the eastern side of the lake first, so we’ll start there.
From the parking lot, head north towards South Beach and follow any signs for the Buntzen Lake trail. If you find yourself on South Beach itself you can simply head east of the beach towards the washrooms where you should easily pick up the trail. You’ll now pass by the fenced dog off-leash area, crossing a bridge over Buntzen Creek.
Ignoring the trail up to Powerhouse Road, you’ll now be on the Buntzen Lake trail and the first 600m or so remains adjacent to the lake, offering plenty of viewpoints and shore access along the trail. There will be a number of bridge crossings over a variety of creeks that are flowing down from Eagle Ridge, and after a kilometer or so you’ll briefly climb up and away from the lake to a signed junction. Here you can either go left to a viewpoint of the lake (not really worthwhile), or go right and climb a little further while continuing on the Buntzen Lake trail.
After this brief climb you’ll remain high above the lake for a few hundred meters, before dropping back down to the lakeshore, crossing several more creeks in the process.
The next 2 kilometers will be much the same forest travel, again offering plenty of opportunity to get close to the lakeshore for some photos. You’ll eventually reach a point where the trail momentarily connects to Powerhouse Road, before descending a staircase down to the North Beach, passing a memorial plaque for those that passed away during the construction of the Buntzen-Coquitlam tunnel.
At North Beach there are washrooms and picnic tables, with plenty of hikers stopping here for a rest. The beach itself is mostly dirt and rock.
Hikers can now decide whether to return back to the trailhead the way they came or continue along the loop. Returning back the same way will be 4km and, and continuing forward will be around 6.5km, with more elevation gain. Since we’re covering the full loop here we will assume you continue ahead.
Back on the trail hikers will now hike over a small suspension bridge to the west side of the lake, where the hike along the other side of the lake begins. The first kilometer or so on the west side of the lake will offer some pretty open views and perhaps some of the better photo opportunities of the lake since you’ll have a little bit of elevation to benefit from as well. Many parties stop here if they have hiked the loop clockwise.
Back on the trail you’ll now begin the longest climb of the day, up into the forest and away from the lake. Over the next kilometer you’ll ascend around 70m to a high point, before descending all the way back down to the lakeshore over the next kilometer. After one more brief climb and descent you’ll eventually find yourself on Pumphouse Road, a wide, spacious road that follows the southwest point of the lake. You’ll follow this road for another kilometer, which might feel like dragging on by the time you reach the bridge back over to the other side of the lake. This bridge offers some nice views to some marshy surroundings.
On the other side of the bridge make sure to keep left and follow the signs to South Beach / Main Parking Lot, and one more kilometer ahead you should find yourself back at the large parking lot where you began.
When should I hike Buntzen Lake?
As suggested I would save Buntzen Lake for a lower ambition day when the weather may not be the best. This is a good hike for when it’s overcast or light rain, since most of the trail is forest covered. If you don’t mind crowds and busy parking lots, a sunny summer weekend may be fine too.
Top Tip
If you want to knock off a couple of hikes at once I would suggest combining Buntzen Lake with Diez Vistas for a more fulfilling outing.
If you want to make life easier just follow the east side of the lake to North Beach and head back. The western side of the lake is less scenic, longer and has more elevation than the east side.
