Trail: Aldergrove Lake Park- Pepin Brook Trail
Location: Aldergrove, British Columbia
Distance from Vancouver: Approx. 50 minutes
Directions (with a link to a Google map): Click here for directions
Time it took us to hike: 2 hours
Ages of children hiking: 1
Stroller friendly: Yes!
Jellybean rating: 2/5
You know those places that you drive by thinking “there’s no way this is a decent sized park”, and then you go inside the park and it’s MASSIVE?!
Aldergrove Lake Park in Aldergrove, BC is one of those places.
While there once was a lake here, there is no longer. The lake needed too much repair and it was decided that it would be filled in. So, the moral of that little story is: Don’t go looking for the lake at Aldergrove Lake park!
I take all my kids here quite often. However, this time it was just my youngest, a friend, and me. We got here through the 8th avenue entrance that’s linked in the Google map above. We parked right by the gazebo here.
Now, of course, we made our first stop at the picnic table there and filled our bodies before we made our way through the trails!
Once we were finished we headed South towards the little bridge. Once you cross that bridge it opens up to a big ol’ parking lot. If you take a right you’ll find some washrooms. There are no more restrooms along the Pepin Brook trail, so you should probably go now!
Go left towards the trail. You’ll see the entrance to the trailhead. It looks like this:
We went in May, so the Spring foliage was plentiful. My nearly 2-year old was excited to look at all the different plants. I was excited to constantly remind her not to put anything in her mouth. *Sigh*
Carrying on you start to go up a little hill. Periodically, you’ll see signs pointing you in the right direction for Pepin Brook trail. Keep following the signs to stay on track.
There are tons of ways you can go in this park. You don’t necessarily have to follow one trail, but this time we decided to just do Pepin Brook. You could spend HOURS at this park.
You’ll go around a couple bends and up and down some hills. If you’re feeling so inclined, you may want to stop and do a happy dance to celebrate your little adventure!
After a while (maybe half an hour) you’ll reach a bridge. We stopped here for a little drink of water.
Once you cross the bridge and go a short distance further you’ll reach a fork. If you have a pooch that needs a bit more running around off-leash-take a right to the off-leash dog area. Otherwise, take a left here and start trekking up the hill.
It was here that my little one starting to fatigue a bit. Fortunately for me I have a friend who offers great methods of transportation! She hitched a ride for a bit and then continued on her way:)
There are a couple little bridges along the way. They’re nothing spectacular to look at, but my kids just seem to care that there’s a bridge. I often tell them that they can have their jellybean bribes, I mean, treats once we reach the second bridge.
After this the hike just leads up for quite some time. I usually have to motivate my kids HARD at this point. This little lady was starting to fade and slow down considerably. Unfortunately, we were on a bit of a timeline this time, so I offered her a piggy back in the Ergobaby carrier which was a well received idea.
Carrying on the trail, once you reach the top of the hill the trees open up a bit. You’ll go through a forested area until it opens up to a small field. At this point you can either take a right and keep going through another section of the park, or you can turn left to get back to the parking lot.
Once you cross over the field the trail begins to wind down. This part in the past has been my kids’ favorite! It’s here where you gain physical momentum when you need it! It’s also here that my little one finally conked out.
Once you’re at the bottom of the trail, you’re back at the parking lot. Good thing there’s a great big field here because my kids have a habit of getting their second wind at the bottom of a trail and needing to run around a bit to release some energy…
Jellybean rating summary for Pepin Brook Trail, Aldergrove Lake Park
I give Pepin Brook Trail in Aldergrove Lake Park a 2/5. It’s a fairly easy adventure to go on in terms of physical exertion, but it’s pretty long. The trail itself is about 3 km/3829394 km when you have unmotivated kids. While there are a few different landmarks, they’re pretty similar.
You could easily spend time here exploring the other trails or having a wonderful little picnic, however. There are lots of options and Pepin Brook trail is just one of them!