Trail: Cheam Wetlands
Distance: 0+ km
Location: Chilliwack, British Columbia
Distance from Vancouver: Approximately 1 hour 20 mins
Directions: Click here for Google Map
Adults: 3
Ages of Children: 11, 7, 4, 2
Stroller Friendly: Yes
Dog Friendly: No. This is a protected area.
Bathrooms: Yes
Cell Service: Yes
Jelly Bean Rating: 1/5
Nestled among the Fraser Valley mountains lies a beautifully preserved marshland that involves a series of trails, picnic areas, a floating walkway, a platform, and incredible views.
When you first arrive in the parking lot there are some washrooms. Take advantage of them here because there aren’t any on the trails.
You have the option to take a few different routes here. If you head right towards the information sign you’ll be going towards the floating walkway. We decided to start there.
Truthfully, I didn’t get any photos on the floating walkway because I was too focused on keeping my two year old out of the water. That kiddo is trouble…and she likes to climb over things like rails that keep people out of water.
At the end of the floating walkway is a platform. Heading up to the platform will give you a magnificent view of the entire Cheam Lake, as well as Bridal Falls and all the mountains surrounding the lake.
We checked out the platform for a while and then made our way back to check out the other trails. We decided to skip the trail that offshoots before the parking lot (The Creek Trail) and head to the Loop Trail to see if the beaver dam was still intact.
You have to cross the grassy part in front of the parking lot to access the Loop Trail. There’s a beautiful gazebo here with picnic tables if you wanted to stop and give the kids a snack here (you probably do because you’ve been listening to them whine about how hungry they are since they last ate 20 minutes ago.)
Once their done their snack you can cross the grass and walk towards the other side of the lake.
The trail begins quite open and is nicely levelled.
After a short while you come to a fork. Take either direction as it’s a loop:)
The trail is nicely treed and there are a few cool things along the way to see:
-an old, rusted washing machine
-a “nurse log”
-a beaver dam (we didn’t end up finding this, though
-a couple bridges to cross
When you get back to the parking lot you can once again enjoy a snack at one of the picnic tables. The Cheam Wetlands is a great place to look for birds, frogs, and Garter Snakes. Bring a picnic and spend the day exploring the Cheam Wetlands and Bridal Falls, which is just a few moments away!
Happy adventuring!