Plan Pinecone Burke Park near Coquitlam and Maple Ridge with Widgeon paddling, Burke Mountain hiking and biking, Pitt Lake fishing, camping rules, and wildlife.
Pinecone Burke Park covers about 38,000 hectares in the Lower Mainland, south of Garibaldi Park and west of Pitt Lake and the Pitt River. BC Parks says it includes Burke Mountain in Coquitlam and Pinecone Peak, the park’s 2,027-metre high point.
Park operations are limited, and recreation information is not as complete as in more developed parks.
Why Visit Pinecone Burke Park
Pinecone Burke is a large backcountry park for hikers, paddlers, mountain bikers, climbers, anglers, campers, hunters, and winter travellers. Widgeon Creek and Defrauder Falls are boat-access day-use areas, and Widgeon Creek also has a backcountry campground. Widgeon Slough is unique waterfowl habitat, while Pitt Lake is known for cutthroat trout and fall salmon.
The park protects the western shore of Pitt Lake, North America’s largest freshwater tidal lake. It also includes old-growth forests, alpine lakes, remnant icefields, Widgeon Slough, Widgeon Lake, and habitat supporting all five Pacific salmon species. Wildlife includes black-tailed deer, mountain goats, black bears, grizzly bears, tailed frogs, great blue herons, Vaux’s swifts, Huttons’ vireos, shrew moles, and Pacific jumping mice.
Things To Do
Hike with caution on poor or incomplete infrastructure, paddle Widgeon Slough from Grant Narrows, fish with a licence, watch birds, mountain bike only on roads and designated trails, climb the Five Fingers, hunt where legal, and snowshoe or tour ski in winter.
Planning Notes
Camp only on designated tent pads at Widgeon Creek. Use the food cache to reduce bear conflicts. Off-road vehicles, drones without permission, and harvesting are prohibited. Hunting in Widgeon Valley is effectively impossible because access crosses Widgeon National Wildlife Area, where hunting, trapping, and carrying related equipment are not allowed.