Trail: Harry’s Trail at Hayward Lake
Date completed: Early June
Distance: Less than 1 km to lake
Elevation: Less than 100 metres
Location: Mission, BC
Distance from Vancouver: Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes
Directions: Click here for Google maps
Adults: 2
Ages of Children: 1, 2, 5, 8
Stroller friendly: Not on Harry’s Trail, but the main trail is stroller friendly
Dog friendly: Yes
Bathrooms: Yes
Cell Service: Yes
Time to complete: 15 minutes to get to lake
Jellybean rating: 1
Hayward Lake in Mission, BC is one of the most awesome places to go!
While it can get busy in the summertime, there’s plenty of beach to accommodate everyone. The beach is close to the parking lot so if you have a lot to haul you won’t have to go far.
For those of us who have pups or who love spending time with pups there’s also an off leash dog beach at Hayward Lake! There are two trails leading to the dog beach; a gravel one and a forest one. We decided to take the forest one! This is also a great little trail if you need a walk before heading to the water, as the trail that you end up on can lead you to the dog park or to the main beach.
When you get to the parking lot start walking towards the maintenance buildings. You’ll see a sign where the trail starts.
The trail opens up. It’s gravel for the first bit and then you’ll reach a little bridge just around the corner.
The trail begins a gradual incline after the bridge. You may be so lucky as to find an odd bug here, so you’ll become well acquainted with the trail while your kiddos inspect a creepy crawly.
This trail isn’t long. You “should” be out in 20 minutes max. Harry’s Trail is more of a roundabout way to get to the dog beach. You could go down the main trail parallel to the beach. We just think this way is more fun!
The trail spits you out on the main trail. You can head left here to get back to the main beach or you can head right to get to the dog beach. We went right (being led by our excited dog)!
After a short distance you’ll get to the dog beach! Remember, dogs are OFF LEASH here. There are picnic tables, washrooms, a water fountain and a sizable beach for you to enjoy, as well as a large grassy area.
This is a great place for kids and dogs to burn off some steam (you’ll kill two birds with one stone…and it doesn’t get much better than that)!!
Jellybean summary for Harry’s Trail at Hayward Lake
This is a great little trail so that you can get some time in the trees before soaking up the sun at the beach. The best part is that you don’t even have to take the trail to get to the beach if you’re having “one of those days” and don’t want to test your luck.
Hayward Lake itself offers loads of space and a warm lake for swimming, paddle boarding, or kayaking. There’s tons of space, even on a busy day!
Remember the sunscreen and have a fun time adventuring!