There are tons of Burnaby Parks and Recreation areas. If you are looking to enjoy the outdoors and explore a little bit of Burnaby, this blog is for you!
Learn about outdoor areas to visit and free activities offered to the public. Have an adventure in Burnaby BC today!
Burnaby Parks and Recreation
The City of Burnaby offers an amazing list of Burnaby Parks and Recreation areas. These areas have neighbourhood, district, natural and special purpose parks.
Deer Lake Park
Deer Lake Park Burnaby address: 6450 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby BC V5H 4R4
This park is full of scenic areas and lakeside trails. It’s a great place to enjoy solo, bring the family, or walk your dog.
Deer Lake Park has forests, fields, and trails. It also has picnic areas, a boat launch, a playground, and washrooms on site. In addition, boat rentals, canoeing, kayaking, pedal boating, row boating, swimming and boogie boarding are all available.
It is also the hub of the Burnaby arts community and many arts and culture destinations. It is home to Burnaby Art Gallery, the Shadbolt Centre, the Burnaby Village Museum, and Century Gardens Burnaby.
The park is also great for organized events as well. Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park is an excellent example. Enjoy live, outdoor concerts in a lawn-seating environment. Check out the website for details on upcoming events.
Restaurant dining is also available at the park. It is home to the Hart House Restaurant, known for fine dining and Sunday brunch. It’s great for weddings, private, or group events.
Deer Lake Park has easy access by public transportation. If you’d rather drive, parking is not a problem thanks to a large parking lot located on the premise.
Deer Lake Park is one of the most popular parks in Burnaby. Walk around or sit on one of the many benches offered and enjoy the natural beauty of Burnaby.
Central Park
Central Park Burnaby address: 3883 Imperial Street, Burnaby BC V5J 1A3
One of the best Burnaby parks and recreation areas available is Central Park. It is west of Metropolis at Metrotown Shopping Centre, right on the Burnaby/Vancouver border. It is 90 hectares and has beautiful walking trails through nice forested areas. The trees include Douglas Firs, Western Hemlocks, Cedars, and Maple Groves.
It’s one of the best Burnaby parks and recreation areas for playing sports. It has tennis courts, a baseball diamond, an outdoor swimming pool, and a cycling trail. It also has a lawn bowling green, pitch-and-putt, horseshoe pitch, and a playground.
Looking for more of a relaxing day? Central Park in Burnaby also offers casual and formal picnic sites and sitting benches.
In addition, the park is also home to Swangard Stadium. A massive, multi-purpose stadium used for soccer, rugby, football, lacrosse, and track and field. The stadium holds sporting events all year-round. It is a popular destination for residents all over the lower mainland.
Transportation to Central Park Burnaby is easy. There is public transit available via bus routes or sky train. Patterson sky train station is at the parks northeast corner.
Confederation Park
Confederation Park Burnaby address: 250 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby BC V5C 5E9
This is a large, family oriented Burnaby park and recreation area. The city provided this great map of the park illustrating how big the area is. Families spend entire days here because there is so much to do.
There are baseball diamonds, bocce courts, and tennis courts on site. Also a skateboarding area, lawn bowling and a lacrosse box. In addition, the park offers a running track for people of all ages to enjoy. Furthermore, an outdoor water park and playground make it a great place to bring the kids. Finally, it also has a model steam railway in operation during summer weekends.
The park is pet friendly so there are lots of dog owners bringing their dogs out for a walk. As an added bonus this park has an off-leash dog park and enclosure area also available.
The area has 33 picnic tables available for large groups between May and September. There are always nice spots to sit down on bench or lay down a blanket and relax.
Besides having fun outdoors, there are also indoor activities available. The park has an indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, library, youth centre, and seniors centre.
The park has washrooms on site and maintenance crews visit daily to keep the park in great condition.
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area address: 100 Centennial Way, Burnaby BC V5A 2X9
This park is right next to Simon Fraser University, east of downtown Vancouver. It is one of the most popular Burnaby parks and recreation areas. This is because of its stunning views of the water, mountains, and city.
Burnaby Mountain is a recreational park, popular among hikers and mountain bikers. There are beautiful green spaces and hills for throwing a frisbee or flying a kite. A playground also exists for young children and families to enjoy.
Looking to relax? There are picnic sites and benches available throughout the area as well. Evening views of the sunset are amazing and tranquil… great for date nights!
Other features of Burnaby Mountain include:
- Centennial Rose Garden – Over 900 thorn-bushes and flowers
- Playground of the Gods – Over 12 Kamui Mintara sculptures carved out of wooden poles
- Velodrome Trail – 1400 metre long hiking route that incorporates natural inclines and man-made stairs
- Tancho Crane Eco-Sculptures – 14 different animals sculptured into bushes using Topiary
- Horizons Restaurant – West coast cuisine paired with amazing landscape views
Kensington Park
Kensington Park Burnaby address: 6159 Curtis Street, Burnaby BC V5B 4X7
This is one of the best Burnaby park and recreation areas for sports lovers. It has baseball diamonds, soccer fields, and tennis courts. There is also an outdoor swimming pool and an ice arena. However, the most popular attraction tends to be the pitch-and-putt facilities.
Kensington Park is also the home of the Kensington Complex, an ice sports arena. This complex offers figure skating lessons, ice hockey practice, and children’s programs year-round. Lots of local events happen here. You can visit their Upcoming Events page to find out more.
Beecher Creek contributes to the beauty of Kensington Park. It’s one of the streams seen winding through the area. The City of Burnaby and UBC have been working together to protect it from land development. It’s one of the many natural beauties seen around this park.
Taylor Park
Taylor Park Burnaby address: 7599 Mission Avenue, Burnaby BC V3N 5C7
This park is a family oriented Burnaby park and recreation area. A playground and sandbox make the perfect spot to bring young children to play. An off-leash dog park is also included, making this a great area to bring your dog. You can explore the many trails the park has to offer as well.
There is a youth area with various equipment set up for family and sports activities. The space has a casual picnic area, bike park, basketball court, ball hockey court, disc swing, and sports field.
The City of Burnaby says “buried beneath the sand are artefacts made of concrete and resin”. Things such as cans, dolls, baseballs, and other treasures.
One other unique feature is a mosaic art picnic table created by a local high school art class. It’s a nice display of the community involved in bringing the park together.
Public transit to Taylor Park is available. It’s walking distance from the 22nd sky train station. There are also washrooms on site.
Robert Burnaby Park
Robert Burnaby Park address: 8155 Wedgewood Street, Burnaby BC V3N 1C4
This park has a wide combination of outdoor activities. There are many hiking trails and picnic areas in the quiet and tranquil environment. Although it has slightly less sports activities to offer than some of the other parks, it is a beautiful place to visit.
The area is surrounded by forested creek ravines and other beautiful pieces of nature. You can explore the trails alone or with company. Either way the natural habitat provides a relaxing experience.
Near the centre of the park there are some sports activities available. The park includes a baseball diamond, playground, Tennis Courts, and an outdoor swimming pool. These activities make it a great park to bring the kids and release some energy.
Finally, Robert Burnaby Park also has an off-leash dog area. The trail that allows off-leash dogs is between other trails seen in the park. All the trails incorporate trees and greenery, making it the perfect area for dogs to explore.
Washrooms are available on site.
Burnaby Recreation
Golf Facilities
Burnaby has two golf courses: Burnaby Mountain Golf Course and Riverway Golf Course. Both are classic 18-hole courses with beautiful views and terrains. They range in size from 5,400 – 7,000 yards and both incorporate driving ranges as well.
The golf clubs associated with them are luxury private clubs. The golf courses are designed for year-round playing conditions. This keeps them challenging, but fun for seasoned players.
There are also two pitch-and-putt locations inside Burnaby parks and recreation areas. The two locations are Central Park and Kensington Park. These are less competitive than the classic courses. Most of all, these facilities provide a fun introduction to golf for players of all levels.
Fine Arts & Cultural Facilities
Burnaby is rich in fine arts, heritage, and culture. There are many music, drama, visual, literary, and visual showcases displayed throughout the year. The city offers various public classes, workshops, exhibits, performances and events as well.
Since Burnaby has such diverse people, their arts programs are diverse as well. There are lots of cultural sites, heritages sites, art galleries, and museums to visit. Here are three notable Cultural Facilities to check out:
- Burnaby Art Gallery – See exhibits by diverse local, regional, national, and international artists.
- Burnaby Village Museum – An outdoor collection of heritage and replica buildings. See what life in Burnaby was like back in 1920’s.
- Shadbolt Centre for the Arts – Arts classes, theatre performances and festivals. Check out this award-winning, multi-purpose community facility.
Community Centres
Burnaby parks and recreation facilities also include local community centres.
There are 6 community centres in the city:
- Bonsor Recreation Complex
- CG Brown Memorial Pool
- Cameron Recration Complex
- Edmonds Community Centre
- Eileen Dailly Leusre Pool and Fitness Centre
- Willingdon Community Centre.
In addition to community centres, Burnaby has a lot of Seniors and Youth Centres. There are also many centres focused on specific talents and abilities. View this list of Burnaby recreation facilities available to you.
Festivals and Events
Burnaby parks and recreation also include community festivals and events. Burnaby is such an active and supportive community, they have hundreds of events.
Here are a few annual events that you should check out:
- Rhododendron Festival (May) – Mini-workshops, nature tours, and interactive art activities. Buy plants and pottery or participate in the silent auction.
- Symphony in the Park (July) – The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs a free concert at Deer Lake Park.
- Culture Days (September) – Fun and free public programming. Visit Burnaby Village Museum, Burnaby Art Gallery and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.
- Haunted Village (October) – Wear your costumes and explore the Village at the night. Witches, ghosts and storybook characters come to life at the Haunted Village.
- Heritage Christmas (December) – Thousands of Christmas lights and decorations to see throughout the village.
Wildlife
Burnaby parks and recreation areas wouldn’t be the same without the wildlife BC has to offer. Everything from bears, cougars, fish, birds, squirrels, turtles, deer, ducks and so much more! Most of these animals have made themselves right at home in some of Burnabys parks and forests.
A popular past time in Burnaby is bird watching. This is popular at the Burnaby Lake Regional Nature Park, which has a great rating on TripAdvisor. Residents and tourists watch from hiking trails, quiet picnic spots, or from kayaks on the water.
The City of Burnaby has also made a commitment to preserve green spaces, most of all wildlife. They make it an priority to ensure a healthy balance for the wildlife population. As a result, Burnaby residents get to enjoy all that Burnaby parks and recreation areas have to offer.
In conclusion, Burnaby parks and recreation areas are a major selling point for real estate in Burnaby. Visit Burnaby today and explore the outdoor beauty it has to offer!