The PoCo Climb: Port Coquitlam’s Stair Workout, Step by Step

The fact sheet

Port Coquitlam finally has its own stair climb

For years, if you lived in Port Coquitlam and wanted a stair workout, you drove to the Coquitlam Crunch. The PoCo Climb changed that. The City started building in March 2024, asked residents to name it (more than 1,600 suggestions came in), and opened the first phase on July 10, 2024. When it opened, the City said it hoped the PoCo Climb would become as familiar a name as the Grouse Grind.

What makes it different is how it fits into everyday life. The stairs start across Shaughnessy Street from ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park, climb into Citadel Heights and link up with neighbourhood parks and the 25 km Traboulay PoCo Trail. That means you can do a 17-minute burst before work, or turn it into an hour-long loop with a playground or an off-leash park in the middle.

The three loops, and which one to pick

The PoCo Climb, broken into three sections

Section 1 — The timber stairs: the wake-up call

From Shaughnessy Street you’re climbing almost immediately. Phase 1 added more than 150 timber stairs up the wooded slope between Shaughnessy Street and Eastern Drive. It’s steep, shaded and quick, so most people feel it in the first couple of minutes. The green 1.1 km loop turns around near the top of this section and drops back down to the start.

Section 2 — Skyline Park and the scramble: the signature

Phase 2, which opened on June 19, 2025, carries the climb through Skyline Park toward Western Drive. When construction started, the City described a rising rock section of 122 continuous stairs with a granite boulder scramble running beside it, ending at a summit landing with unobstructed views of ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park. The scramble is the part you won’t find on the Crunch: take the stairs if you want rhythm, or the boulders if you want to use your hands.

Phase 2 also improved the pedestrian crossing on Eastern Drive into Skyline Park and added wayfinding signs and bridge crossings built from natural materials. The blue 2 km loop runs through this section and comes back down the stairs.

Section 3 — The neighbourhood loop and the river: the long way home

The orange 5 km loop keeps going. From Skyline Park it passes Settlers Park, follows Colonial Drive down through Citadel Heights, crosses Citadel Drive into Castle Park, then crosses the Mary Hill Bypass and follows the city’s south edge by the Fraser River before heading back north up Shaughnessy Street to the start. It’s gentle after the stairs, and it shows you more of Citadel Heights in an hour than a week of driving through it.

How it compares with the Coquitlam Crunch

They’re different workouts, not rivals. The Crunch is a long grind; the PoCo Climb is short and punchy, with a scramble and a choice of loop lengths. If you live in the Tri-Cities, it’s easy to use the PoCo Climb for quick weekday sessions and save the Crunch for the weekend.

Getting there, parking and what’s nearby

• Start: 1500 Shaughnessy Street, across from ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park. A crosswalk with flashing beacons links the stairs to the regional park trails.
• Parking: street parking on Shaughnessy Street, Eastern Drive and Western Drive. There’s no dedicated lot. On busy mornings, park at the top on Eastern or Western Drive and start the loop downhill.
• Bikes: the City added bike racks with Phase 1, so you can ride in on the Traboulay PoCo Trail.
• Washrooms: none at the Shaughnessy start. When the route was announced, the City pointed to washrooms at Argue Street, Settlers Park and Castle Park on the longer loop.
• Dogs: on leash on the trail. Skyline Park Off-Leash Dog Area (1305 Eastern Drive) and Castle Park Off-Leash Dog Area (2252 Castle Crescent) are right on the routes.
• With kids: Castle Park has a spray park, which makes the 5 km loop an easy sell on a hot day.

Tips before you go

• Wear shoes with grip. Timber stairs and granite get slick in the rain, and this is the Lower Mainland.
• The scramble is optional. The stairs run right beside it. Skip the boulders with small kids, dogs or wet weather.
• Go down carefully. On the short loops you descend near the stairs; take it slow if your knees complain.
• Turn it into a circuit. Repeat the blue loop two or three times for a hill workout that takes under 90 minutes.
• Add the flats. Cross to ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park for a cool-down on the Traboulay PoCo Trail.

How the PoCo Climb was built

• March 12, 2024: construction began, and the City opened a public naming contest.
• July 10, 2024: Phase 1 opened with a ribbon cutting. Reported cost: $400,000, on time and under budget. The name “PoCo Climb” came from more than 1,600 public suggestions.
• Fall 2024 to spring 2025: Phase 2 was delayed by late material deliveries and bad weather, including an atmospheric river.
• June 19, 2025: Phase 2 opened at the new stair section in the 1200 block of Eastern Drive. The first 100 people to finish it got a commemorative towel.

What it means for buying or selling nearby

The PoCo Climb is the kind of amenity that quietly changes how a neighbourhood is described. Before 2024, Citadel Heights was “close to the river trails.” Now it has its own signature workout, an off-leash park at the top of the stairs and a direct walking link to ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park.

• For buyers: homes in Citadel Heights near Shaughnessy Street, Eastern Drive and Western Drive put the stairs within a few minutes’ walk. If you’re comparing PoCo with Westwood Plateau because of the Crunch, this is worth a look.
• For sellers: if your home is within an easy walk of the stairs, it belongs in the listing description with the actual walking distance, not a vague “close to trails.”
• Be realistic: one trail doesn’t set a home’s price. It helps a home stand out, but price still comes from recent comparable sales. My Port Coquitlam home value guide is a good place to start.

Frequently asked questions