The best gravel rides in Coquitlam Watershed

The Alouette River was formerly known as the Lillooet River, but the name was changed since there is a larger, more well known river that had the same name. The name Alouette was chosen for the simple reason that it sounds similar to Lillooet, but French speakers will recognize that it means lark.

The Hyde Creek Salmon Hatchery is a small powerhouse of local conservation, run entirely by volunteers who raise thousands of coho and chum salmon each year. Its story began in the 1980s with a homemade backyard hatchery, complete with an old bathtub! Drop by on a Saturday morning when volunteers are usually around, and you may get a glimpse behind the scenes before heading back out to watch for salmon in Hyde Creek itself.

This stretch of the PoCo Trail slips into the greenery of Hyde Creek, with dense forest and plenty of wildlife close to the path. Look for trilliums and huckleberries under the trees, listen for woodpeckers and kinglets, and in salmon season keep an eye on the creek itself. Plus, it isn't uncommon to run into black bears around here, so keep your eyes open.

The view opens onto a slow, meandering river cutting through wide-open farmland — a mix of grassy fields, wetland patches, and hedgerows rather than dense forest crowding the banks.

This brigde was built through community fundraising efforts led by the Colony Farm Park Association, working in partnership with Metro Vancouver, to give walkers and cyclists a direct river crossing within the park's trail network. It serves as a key junction point: crossing it lets visitors extend a walk into a longer loop, linking the western side of the park near the Community Gardens to the eastern Wilson Farm area, rather than backtracking the way they came.

This section of the Trans Canada Trail follows the wooded banks of the Coquitlam River through Coquitlam. The mostly gravel path runs through forested river habitat, offering a quiet stretch of trail where the sound of the river accompanies much of the walk. It’s a multi-use route popular with hikers, runners, and cyclists, and several bridges and viewpoints along the way provide good views over the river as it flows through the valley.

This beautiful river is a major tributary of the Fraser River that flows south from the Garibaldi Ranges, through Pitt Lake, before joining the Fraser River near Port Coquitlam. The lower stretches of the river are tidal, and the surrounding wetlands are home to a rich diversity of wildlife. The river also holds cultural significance for the Kwantlen First Nation, serving as a natural corridor that connects the coastal region with the interior of the province.

The Traboulay PoCo Trail is a beautiful multiuse 25.3-kilometer loop surrounding Port Coquitlam that winds through diverse landscapes including forest, marsh, riverfront, and urban areas, with fantastic views of the Pitt and Coquitlam Rivers along with abundant wildlife. The trail is mostly flat and well-maintained, with a mix of gravel and paved sections, and is an ideal location popular with walkers, runners, cyclists and families.