The three classic Belcarra Regional Park walks that define weekend life in Anmore, Belcarra, and Heritage Mountain. Admiralty Point. Jug Island Beach. Cod Rock. Three distinct headlands on one of the most underwalked stretches of Indian Arm — mapped, timed, and honest about the parking reality.
Quick Answer
Which Belcarra walk should you choose?
For an easy outing, take the 1.2 km Bedwell Bay Trail or the 3.2 km Sasamat Lake Loop. Admiralty Point is the classic shoreline walk — about 1.5 hours, or 2 hours if you continue to Burns Point. Jug Island Beach is about 6 km return with steep sections. Dogs must be leashed on every trail.
It's technically a Metro Vancouver Regional Park. Locally, it's the reason families move to Anmore and Belcarra in the first place.
Most people know Sasamat Lake inside the park. Far fewer know the three shoreline walks that make Belcarra one of the most quietly valuable outdoor assets in the Lower Mainland.
~5 km return · ~100 m cumulative · 1.5–2 hours
Admiralty Point is the walk locals just call "The Point." Starts at the Belcarra Picnic Area parking, drops through arbutus and cedar forest, and opens onto a series of small rocky coves along Burrard Inlet. The namesake Admiralty Point headland is a rocky outcrop at the end with views across Burrard Inlet to Deep Cove, Mount Seymour and Burnaby Mountain.
The trail passes Maple Beach, Cod Rock (a lateral spur), and Admiralty Cove before reaching the point. You can swim off the rocks on warm days. Arbutus trees along the exposed coastline give the trail its distinctive Gulf-Islands feel.
Best for: a classic "real walk in nature" that a family with kids 8+ can do on a Saturday morning. Not stroller-friendly — there are roots and stairs — but very doable with a confident walker.
~5.5 km return · ~200 m cumulative · 2–3 hours
Jug Island is the most-loved walk in Belcarra Regional Park. Starts at the same Belcarra Picnic Area trailhead, climbs a forested ridge north, and descends to a secluded pebble beach facing a small rock island named for its shape — the "jug." The last descent is steep, so treat this as an up-and-over, not a flat walk.
At the beach, you're looking across a narrow stretch of water at Jug Island itself, a bit further north is Indian Arm opening up, and the feel is distinctly remote — even though you're 20 minutes from a Port Moody SkyTrain station. Locals swim here in summer; the beach has almost no shade so bring it with you.
Best for: families with kids 10+, or anyone chasing a "real destination" walk. The descent to the beach is the hardest part of the round-trip on the way back up.
~2 km return via spur · minimal elevation · 45 minutes
Cod Rock is a lateral spur off the Admiralty Point trail — a short detour to a small rocky headland that looks directly at the mouth of Indian Arm. Most walkers miss it on the way to The Point and double back on a longer round-trip. It's worth doing as its own short outing if you have an hour.
The rock itself is a flat, wide shelf that drops into deep water — one of the better "just sit and look at the inlet" spots in the park. Not a swim spot (too deep, too exposed), but a classic picnic-and-think spot.
Best for: a quick local outing, a stop on a longer Admiralty Point walk, or a sunset spot if you're already in Belcarra.
Burns Point sits on the quieter south side of the Belcarra peninsula and gets a fraction of the foot traffic of the three walks above. It's reached by continuing past Admiralty Point on the same trail — about 30 minutes further. Views across Bedwell Bay and Deep Cove are quietly spectacular. Locals who want Belcarra without the weekend parking scramble come here.
Why it's worth knowing: if Admiralty Point or Jug Island is maxed out, Burns Point gives you 80% of the experience with 10% of the crowd. Families who live in Belcarra or the far end of Anmore walk here most mornings.
| Trail | Return distance | Time | Difficulty | Bikes? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedwell Bay Trail | 1.2 km | 20 min | Easy | No |
| Woodhaven Swamp Loop | 1.2 km | 30 min | Easy | No |
| Sasamat Lake Loop | 3.2 km | 1 hr | Easy | No |
| Springboard Trail | 8 km | 2 hr | Easy | Yes (yield to walkers) |
| Admiralty Point Trail (to Burns Point) | 6 km | 1.5 hr to Admiralty Pt · 2 hr to Burns Pt | Intermediate | No |
| Jug Island Beach Trail | 6 km | 2 hr | Intermediate | No |
| Woodhaven Trail | 4.2 km | 1.5 hr | Intermediate | No |
| Buntzen Ridge Viewpoint via Buntzen Ridge Trail | 5.2 km | 2 hr | Challenging | No |
| Buntzen Ridge Viewpoint via Sugar Mountain Trail | 6.6 km | 2.5 hr | Challenging | No |
Source: Metro Vancouver Regional Parks, təmtəmíxʷtən/Belcarra Regional Park brochure (Dec 2022), 'distance to return' column. Leashed dogs permitted on all trails.
This is the part every guide skips. Belcarra Picnic Area parking fills up brutally on summer weekends and you need a plan.
The Belcarra Picnic Area lot is at the end of Tum-tumay-whueton Drive, off Bedwell Bay Road, and it fills early on warm weekends. On a hot July Saturday it's full by 10am and Metro Vancouver rangers start turning cars away at the entrance.
Arrive before 9am or after 3pm on summer weekends. Midweek mornings are reliably open. Rainy days and shoulder seasons (April, late September, October) are empty and honestly better walking conditions.
There is no public street parking in the Village of Belcarra — it's permit-only for residents and their guests — and no parking on Bedwell Bay Road near Sasamat Lake. Illegal parking gets ticketed and the Village of Belcarra enforces aggressively. If the lot's full, go to White Pine Beach (Sasamat) or drive home.
If you live in Anmore or Belcarra, you can walk or bike in without fighting the lot. Heritage Mountain residents can time the drive to beat the rush. Burke Mountain is ~35 minutes — plan accordingly.
The official source: Metro Vancouver — Belcarra Regional Park.
There are two genuine luxury rural-residential markets in the Tri-Cities: Anmore and Belcarra. Anmore’s detached benchmark is $2,987,300, against $1,962,100 for Port Moody (August 2026). A big part of the draw is that both villages sit beside Belcarra Regional Park, Sasamat Lake, Buntzen Lake and the trails described on this page.
A family buying in Belcarra Village isn't paying for a larger house than the same money would buy in Coquitlam. They're paying for a lifestyle enclosure — forest, inlet, trail access, and a community small enough that the kids in Cubs are the same kids on the trail Saturday morning.
Heritage Mountain is the closest non-Anmore, non-Belcarra neighbourhood with 20-minute access to all of it. You buy Heritage for the schools and the lot size. You stay in Heritage because the Belcarra walks are still your Saturday.
Metro Vancouver lists the Jug Island Beach Trail at about 6 km return and 2 hours, rated intermediate, with several steep sections before you reach a pocket beach looking up Indian Arm. Vancouver Trails measures it at 5.5 km return with roughly 100 m of elevation gain. The final descent to the beach is steep, so the climb back out is the hardest part. Jug Island itself isn't accessible — the reward is the beach facing it.
Plan about 1.5 hours return to Admiralty Point and about 2 hours if you carry on to Burns Point, according to Metro Vancouver, which rates the route intermediate with some rocky shoreline sections. Vancouver Trails measures the Admiralty Point return at about 5 km with minimal elevation gain. Burns Point is roughly 30 minutes beyond the Admiralty Point junction, and it's usually quieter than the point itself.
Cod Rock is a short side track off the Admiralty Point Trail, not a separate trail — Metro Vancouver's trail list doesn't count it on its own. It's a quick detour to a rocky viewpoint over Burrard Inlet, so it fits into the Admiralty Point walk without adding much time. If you're walking with kids, it's a natural turnaround spot if the full walk to Admiralty Point feels too long that day.
Metro Vancouver rates four trails as easy: the Bedwell Bay Trail (1.2 km, about 20 minutes) from the Picnic Area to the Bedwell Bay tidal flats; the Woodhaven Swamp Loop (1.2 km, 30 minutes) around a drowned forest; the Sasamat Lake Loop (3.2 km, about an hour) with its floating walkway; and the Springboard Trail (8 km, 2 hours). Admiralty Point and Jug Island are rated intermediate, with roots, rocks and steeper sections.
Yes — dogs are welcome on Belcarra's trails, including Jug Island and Admiralty Point, but must be leashed everywhere in the park. Metro Vancouver notes that even well-trained dogs can frighten or injure wildlife and other visitors, and the park is extensive bear and cougar habitat. Bag your dog's waste and use the dog-waste bins. Off the trails, dogs aren't allowed at White Pine Beach or on the Floatwalk's swimming and fishing decks.
Only on the Springboard Trail. Metro Vancouver permits cycling on Springboard — a hardened path shared with pedestrians, with some sections following the road — and cyclists must yield to people on foot. The shoreline walks to Admiralty Point, Burns Point and Jug Island Beach are hiking-only. Springboard is listed at 8 km and about 2 hours on foot, so it's the one route in the park that works for a family ride.
Yes. Metro Vancouver rates two routes as challenging: the Buntzen Ridge Viewpoint via the Buntzen Ridge Trail (5.2 km, about 2 hours) and via the Sugar Mountain Trail (6.6 km, about 2.5 hours), which follows a power line right-of-way. If you continue on to the Buntzen Lake Trail, allow roughly another hour to return. These are the routes to choose if the shoreline walks feel too short.
Yes — Metro Vancouver describes the park as extensive bear and cougar habitat and reminds visitors that the animals are wild and unpredictable. Practically, that means keeping dogs leashed, keeping children close on forested sections like the Jug Island ridge, and using the park's bear-proof garbage bins. If you're new to the area, it's the same wildlife reality residents of Anmore and Belcarra live with year-round.
Yes — homes in the Village of Belcarra surround the regional park, and residents can walk or cycle in rather than relying on the park lots, which have no public overflow because the village is permit-parking only. Belcarra trades too rarely for a Greater Vancouver REALTORS® benchmark, so I value it sale by sale. Next door, Anmore's detached benchmark was $2,987,300 for August 2026. Book a strategy call to see what's realistic.
Licensed Coquitlam REALTOR®, with clients who've bought into Anmore and Belcarra off the strength of these three walks alone. The parking notes are lived experience. The real-estate read is what families tell me after three years in their Belcarra-adjacent homes — the walks are what held them there.
Anmore and Belcarra are their own villages with their own bylaws, separate from Coquitlam. Belcarra Regional Park, Buntzen Lake, and the waterfront are the features families move here for — verified below.
External links open in a new tab. I'm not affiliated with these organizations — they are cited as independent authorities. Any time a number on this page differs from the authority, the authority wins.
If the Admiralty Point and Jug Island walks are part of why you're looking in Belcarra, Anmore or north-shore Port Moody, here's how I narrow the search.
The shoreline walks all start at the Belcarra Picnic Area lot off Tum-tumay-whueton Drive. I map how each home you're considering connects to that trailhead — on foot, by bike, or by car along Bedwell Bay Road — so you know whether the walks are a daily habit or a weekend drive.
I suggest walking the route from a short-listed home at the times you'd actually go — an early weekday or a summer Saturday. You'll see the parking pressure, the gate times and the traffic on Bedwell Bay Road yourself, instead of relying on a listing description.
Belcarra has no published benchmark, while Anmore and Port Moody do. I pull comparable sales in each so you can see what trail-adjacent homes have actually sold for, and whether a home a bit further out gives you the same walks for a different price.
Belcarra's streets are permit-parking only, and the park is bear and cougar habitat. I flag the municipal, servicing and lot details worth confirming with the village or an inspector before you firm up, so nothing about daily life here comes as a surprise.
For examples of how I've planned moves like this, see my Tri-Cities case studies. Read the Tri-Cities case studies →
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“As first-time home buyers, we had a myriad of concerns. Craig immediately put us at ease by taking the time to address each of our questions thoroughly and patiently. At no point did I feel pressured or rushed into making a decision. Instead, Craig empowered us with all the facts and options.”
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More on Belcarra & Tri-Cities luxury
Craig writes the Tri-Cities coverage most REALTORS® won't. Every page below is built on the same ground-truth data and the same negotiation playbook Craig uses for every client.
Continue your research
Master guide
Indian Arm waterfront, the regional park, low-turnover inventory.
Price bands
Indian Arm waterfront — the honest tier-by-tier read.
Lifestyle
Dock, foreshore, the regional park as backyard.
Access types
The structural choice between Belcarra waterfront types.
Belcarra rewards a little planning. Six notes to get the best of its trails and beaches.
Sasamat Lake
One of the area’s warmest swimming lakes with a sandy beach and easy loop trail — a classic family outing on a summer day.
Jug Island
The Jug Island Beach trail winds through forest to a quiet cove looking out to the island — moderate effort, memorable payoff.
Admiralty Point
The Admiralty Point trail hugs the shoreline with viewpoints over Burrard Inlet — gentler walking with plenty to look at.
Port Moody side trip
Across the inlet in Port Moody, Rocky Point Park’s Old Mill Boathouse and the Shoreline Trail pair easy, flat walking with the city’s sawmill history. It’s a short drive from Belcarra.
Timing
Belcarra’s parking fills fast on warm days. Arriving early — or midweek — is the difference between a relaxed visit and circling for a spot.
Come prepared
Facilities are limited and weather off the Inlet shifts quickly. Bring water, proper footwear and a layer, and pack out what you pack in.
A little planning turns a good Belcarra day into a great one. Check the forecast, start early on warm weekends before the lots fill, and match the trail to the group you are with — Sasamat and Admiralty Point suit almost everyone, while Jug Island rewards those ready for a longer walk. Treat the park with the same care it gives you: stay on the trails, pack out everything you bring, and give the shoreline and wildlife room. Do that, and Belcarra stays one of the quiet privileges of living in this corner of the Tri-Cities — a stretch of coastline and forest most cities would envy, ten minutes from home.
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