If you live in the greater Vancouver area, or are staying at the Anmore RV Park (as we are, lucky us!), there is a great hiking trail right nearby. It’s the Energy Trail, and it starts and ends at the boat launch area of Buntzen Lake. This trail is short (1.2 km or 0.75 miles), and it has a lot of ups and downs. It’s spectacularly beautiful, and it’s suitable for the whole family. Any able-bodied person aged about two and upwards can manage this trail. We did it with our 17-year-old daughter Celena and our 2-year-old grandson Hunter (Celena is his aunt, not his mom!)
To get to this trail, first get to the car park of Buntzen Lake. You can get there by bike, car, or bus. From the car park, walk as far left as you can, which gets you to the boat launch area. Then just look around until you find the big signpost that introduces the Energy Trail.
The fun thing about this trail is that it is intended to be educational. To that end, there are information posts scattered along the trail, telling you all sorts of things. Such as, what nurse trees are, and how tree stumps get hollowed out (hint … critters eating bugs in the rotten wood). It was fun to stop along the way and get an understanding of what we were seeing. And it was also fun to stop and play in the hollow trees – fun for the under-20’s, anyway!
The best thing about this trail is that it offers spectacularly beautiful views. Of course, there are the usual views of a mixture of old and new forest growth. Always beautiful, and very typical of Canadian hiking. It is always very calming to hike under trees that are more than a hundred years old.
But there are also stunning views of Buntzen Lake, through the trees. My favorite is when the trees are reflecting on the lake.
Bottom Line: The Energy Trail near Buntzen Lake is a great place to hike with the whole family, and enjoy nature and spectacular views, while learning about the powerful forces that work together to make beautiful forests.
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