Ladner Harbour Park and the South Arm Marshes

Rather than take our radios, Ralph and I took our cameras to a park. We had visited the area a year ago and thought back then that it would be worth a return visit. That day arrived and we left my home with a lighter than normal load of equipment. We made good time to Ladner and then the parking lot of the park. Ours was the only car parked there. It is nice coming mid-week. Parking in the shade we grabbed our lunches and walked over to the picnic and kids play area. Selecting a table in the shade we sat down to enjoy some fresh air and a quick lunch before heading out on the trails.

While we ate our meals, I noticed some thick bark on the Poplar trees which needed some photos taken. The bark is incredibly thick and broken giving interesting patterns. Once lunch was eaten, we dropped our kits off back at the car and started out on a pathway south leading to the Ladner Harbour Point Viewing stand. The point is on the south tip of the peninsula which is separated from Ladner by a small slough that has been built up with numerous marinas. The walkway was well gravelled and had numerous people taking their dogs out for a walk. It was well shaded for almost its entire length making it an ideal location for a summer walk. We wandered along the route. Taking an exit mid-way to view some marina buildings, the trail actually follows along the road for a short distance. The entire path is only about 1km and offers an alternate path for half of the way back.

Once we passed the marinas. The trail resumes and passes through an open field, along the edge of, there were several sets of chairs and tables set up. A few people were using them while watching two people tossing sticks and balls into the water for their dogs to retrieve. I enjoyed a few minutes of watching the dogs. We then continued on to the view point. We returned on the other part of the loop. This brought us closer to the actual marsh and we were able to follow a few spurs that gave us some lovely views. The Fireweed was out in full bloom giving the marsh a lot of purple colour to enjoy.

We returned to the picnic area and then continued along another part of the trail called Shirley’s Walk. It is a loop which is wheelchair accessible, named after a woman who spent much time here and who needed a wheelchair in the last years of her life. It was a nice 1.2km loop and it was along here that we found some nicely ripen blackberries along the trail and roadway that were very sweet and very more-ish. Returning to the car we decided to head to the west end of the marsh and walk those trails.

The western trail area is only about a 1km loop but it is also a nicely shaded walk through the upper marsh and again was well travelled by leashed four leggers. The main trail area was not overly scenic but it led to an elevated look out built back in 1992 and offered some spectacular views across the marsh and the Fraser River. Again, the fireweed brought out some amazing contrasts to the green of the bullrushes and other marsh plants. We were there at a perfect time for seeing so much colour in the marsh.

One interesting feature of the area is the number of wood carvings scattered along the trail. There were lots of forest carvings in stumps and other deadfall that have been carved into Forest Spirits placed in fun places along the trails. It is a fun side adventure of the area and would be an ideal place for children who want to discover the Sprites placed there. For adults, they are interesting in their uniqueness and variety of like-like forms. Some of the faces were amazingly life-like.

Having completed the loop along the Spirit Trail enjoying the marsh views and the carvings, we returned to the cool car A/C and contemplated our next destination. Though shaded we were still getting warm in the summer air and decided to head for the Starbucks in downtown Ladner. It was only a few kilometers from where we were and we were soon pulling into the busy parking lot. Cool drink in hand we rested at a table in the store before starting the long journey along the highway back home. Fortunately, traffic was still light and we made good time. A very lovely day out with the camera and seeing new sights for us.