Woodland Walks Hike in Coquitlam, BC

Distance from Vancouver: 42 km
Hike Length: 7.9 km
Elevation Gain: 340 m
Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes
Steps: 15,000

Woodland Walks is a beautiful trail for intermediate hikers, but good hiking shoes are a must – it’s an ankle breaker.

Driving to Woodlands Walks will take you through a subdivision – don’t freak out like I did, this is correct. After turning onto a service road, you can park along the street. This is a reasonably popular trail, so I wouldn’t arrive any later than 9:00 a.m. (though spaces will reopen fairly regularly since it isn’t a hugely long hike).

The biggest bonus of this hike is its diversity. There are sections in the forest with well-worn paths, steep sections that require picking your way up and down rocks, open areas with gravel roads and wider views, and an outlook or two with space to enjoy a cup of tea. I can feel myself starting to take BC’s beauty for granted, with one rainforest wonder after the other. I really appreciated a hike with open sky and views of snowcapped mountains as a change.

The downside to this hike is how hard it is on joints! There are a lot of roots and stones in the path, so it is a must to keep your footing. The elevation in this trail is also very compressed, so while much of it is flat and easy, the up sections are very steep. They are worth it, and take heart with the knowledge that these sections never last too long. It’s also worth noting that this is also a mountain bike trail, but we never came across any, so I cannot speak to how people share the trail.

Overall, I really enjoyed this hike and would definitely do it again! It is just long enough and challenging enough to feel like a workout, but it isn’t so long that you want to die.

The Out of Shape Hiker’s Statistics

Can you take your grandma on this trail? NO, there are extremely steep sections, and the easy parts of the trail still have roots and stone that could easily twist someone’s ankle.

Does the trail have Instagram-worthy locations? Yes. In particular, there is an open section where people have built little cairns of stones.

How many times did we get passed? ZERO! But that is more likely because we seemed to be going in the opposite direction as everyone else.

Is the trail dog friendly? Yes, dogs are allowed on leashes. We saw several well-behaved dogs off leash though, and no one seemed to mind.

Challenge Rating: This trail will make you sore the next day! Be prepared with ankle-supporting shoes and any necessary knee braces or hiking sticks.