Barnet Marine Park

One of my favorite Vancouver area «secrets». Few enough people actually know this place exists that, despite it being Burnaby’s only real beach, that it’s rarely too crowded, even in peak season. My favorite times to visit are spring and fall, when it’s mostly just you, the woods, and the views of the mountains.
That being said, it’s not pure woods. It’s about half woods, half landscaped, and has plenty of well-​kept trails and picnic tables along the shoreline. There are bathrooms here, and they’re open all season.
The best part of this place is that it’s extremely easy to get to, even if you don’t have a car. As of the time of writing this, you can take the bus 160 right from downtown and it will drop you off at the park entrance. It doesn’t look like the bus stops here, but it does, and it will pick you up as well.
If you’re feeling energetic, you can also walk here via the Trans Canada Trail either from the west on the Burnaby entrance on the left-​hand side of Barnet Highway, on the Port Moody side from Short Street, or from SFU from a number of trails that lead off from the north end of the campus down to the Trans Canada. Keep in mind the terrain is hilly and the trails are windy, so it’s only for the reasonably fit.

As the Vancouver area grows, there are fewer and fewer places you can go that feel comfortably remote, but are just off the path. Barnet Marine Park, found by turning off a lonesome stretch of Barnet Highway and winding down a narrow treed driveway, is still one of those places. Which is not to say you’re going to have the place to yourself on a summer evening, but you could probably still get a parking spot.
Personally, I like the upper parking lots, both for the chance to walk the overpass over the train tracks and down to the park — and for the convenience of escape if a long train happens to go by.
The park features an expanse of shady, grassy picnic tables and a long stretch of beach. Directly in front of the beach are some old industrial ruins — some of which you can climb on and others which you might only be able to reach at low tide. Some people might consider it an eyesore, but I am weirdly charmed by such relics.
After that, you can walk a fair distance out along the path west, past another stretch of beach and grassy open fields, all the way over to some rocky outcroppings, good for listening to the Inlet slap against the rocks while taking in the sea view. You can’t even really see the city from here, which can be nice. It’ll be there when you get back.

After seeing the park from the other side of the inlet a few months ago, finally made it there today when we had nothing else to do.
Because of the cloudy weather, the park was very quiet. A few dogs and their owners, including us. Good areas for dogs to go off leash and run around.
Not sure how busy it gets when sunny out, but will try to come back on a day that is with a good picnic packed to enjoy!

Not a super large park, however, one of Vancouver’s hidden treasures. The park is well maintained, well laid out and there is some awesome walking areas in and around the park itself. Great for pic nics and playing badminton with some friends. It’s not transit accessible but it’s not a bad walk from the stop itself.

Very nice park tucked along a hidden part of Burnaby. Not too many people know about this one.
Parking is available along 2 large parking lots. If these fill up, there is a much larger overflow lot on the other side of the highway. You may want to drop off your stuff first at the drop-​off area, as the overflow lot is quite far (probably 500m) away.
The park is split into a picnic area with a playground and washrooms, and a grassy «field» area, with a path along the shoreline joining the 2 halves. As the park is located on the other side of railroad tracks, there’s also a neat little pedestrian overpass where one can enjoy some train watching. Because the park is the site of the former Barnet township logging mill, the ruins are still around for everyone to enjoy. This is where the name comes from.
When the weather is good, this parks is definitely one of the nicest in the Lower Mainland.

Barnet Marine Park was never a favourite of mine because of the former gun range which was located inside this tranquil green space. For decades, people had to endure noise that sounded more like a Western movie gunfight. Luckily, the gun range doesn’t exist anymore, and this park is more like a real place to enjoy some peace and quiet.
I’m starting to like this park again. There are a lot of tall trees which provides a lot of shade during the warm summer months. It’s the perfect park for a nice summer BBQ. There is a nice clean cement walkway along Burrard Inlet which is great for walking or jogging. For those who own dogs, there is a off-​leash area too.
This is even a fishing pier. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t go fishing or crabbing at this park due to the oil spills from nearby Chevron refinery. Take my word on it. Luckily, the air is always fresh and crisp and this park doesn’t smell like an oil refinery. There are boat launch areas and swimming areas for those who are interesting in other water related activities too.