Trail: Williams Park
Distance: Any length
Location: Langley
Distance from Vancouver: Approximately 45 minutes
Directions with a link to google map: Click here
Ages of Children hiking: 2,3,4,6,7,9,10
Adults: 2
Stroller friendly: Yes
Dog friendly: Yes, on leash
Bathrooms:
Time it took to complete: 15 minutes
Jelly Bean Rating: 1/5
Month: July 2018
Swimming hole, clay banks, a rad playground and fun forest discovery all in one place? Can you say “AWESOME”??
Williams Park in Langley, British Columbia has all that (and a bag of potato chips if you’re so inclined to bring one)!
When you get into the parking lot there are washrooms. There’s also a great building that you can rent out if you ever need to! It would be a pretty cool spot for a birthday party.
You can make your way into the park or you can go to the COOLEST playground. This playground is made mostly of natural materials and is really impressive!
Usually, I make the kids wait for the playground until after our adventure but I really wanted to check it out:)
After a while (and with a great level of bribery) we started to head to the swimming hole. Now, there are TONS of trails you can follow at William’s Park. It’s absolutely full of them. We’ve explored some of the others, but the kids have always had a great time at the swimming hole so we decided to go there for the day.
To get to the swimming hole at Williams Park:
Go back towards the washrooms (last chance-there aren’t any within the park that we’ve come across). If you go behind the building and past the picnic benches there are some stairs.
Go down those stairs.
When you get to the bottom take a left. There’s a neat little gazebo area with some graphics showing the ecosystem of the park. The nature nerd in you will want to stop here and check it out, but the parent in you will see the children have no interest so you’ll carry on without satisfying your hunger for information.
Once you’re through the gazebo take a right towards the bridge. Stop for a second on the bridge and look at the creek. It’s so inviting!
You’ll find yourself between two bridges. Don’t go over the next one if you want to get to the Williams Park swimming hole. Take a left to go through the forest. The trail is a little more narrow than the main trail, but it’s a trail nonetheless.
Keep going along this trail. If you’re lucky you’ll get to stop and pick some delicious blackberries along the way. There’s a slight fork-take the right way here.
You’ll know that you’re close to the Williams Park watering hole when you see the very cool hollow tree. It’s entirely likely that you’ll try and take a cute photo of your kids here but they’ll insist that they take a not so flattering one of you, instead!
You’re almost at the swimming hole! If you keep following this trail you’ll end up seeing this:
The inner pool is approximately 9′ deep. There’s a rope swing on the far side that kept the kids entertained for a realllllllly long time. The outer part of the swimming hole is quite shallow and was perfect for the little kids to splash around in.
When they were done swimming they wanted to head over to the clay banks. From where you’re standing at the swimming hole you’ll be able to see a little beach if you walk in the opposite direction of the bridge. This is a GREAT spot to set up shop. The banks of the creek are clay and it is so much fun to play with (even as an adult!).
There’s also just enough water here to keep everyone cool and cleaned up after clay play, but not enough that you have to worry about littles going in too deep. In fact, you may find yourself comfortable enough to make a nice cup o’ jo and relax for a few minutes!
There are quite a few spots that are decently secluded if you need to do anything that requires privacy.
When the kids are finally pooped out make your way out the same way you came in:)
***Please note: there are other access points off the roads close by. These are residential neighbourhoods as well as “No parking” zones. Please don’t park here. Park in the parking lot and make your way down through the park. This is better for the folks living in the area and it also gives you and your littles a chance to explore the park!
Jellybean Rating Summary for Williams Park
This park will rock your socks. It’s SO much fun and there’s so much to explore. We’ve been wading through the creek and followed a trail that way, and that was equally as entertaining. We brought a bit of the park home with us in the form of some clay in a container-this park provides a lot more than just a day trip. If you’re in the area of Williams Park I really recommend heading here for a spell at the playground or to explore the beautiful park!
Have fun!
Sam
XO