port moody

Port Moody’s Shoreline Trail

The Shoreline Trail boardwalk during low tide at the Port Moody Arm of Burrard Inlet in Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada.

shoreline trail in port moody

Shoreline Trail Boardwalk in Port Moody (Purchase)

Another location I visited in search of some fall foliage in 2021 was the Shoreline Trail area of Port Moody. I’d previously visited Port Moody and photographed some nice color in Rocky Point Park to the west. The Shoreline Trail itself runs from Rocky Point Park around the Port Moody Arm of Burrard Inlet all the way to Old Orchard Park on the north side of the inlet. In the first photograph you can see the somewhat iconic view of a park bench on the boardwalk of the Shoreline Trail with some nice fall foliage provided by Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) trees in the background (with fresh snow on Mount Seymour). I’ve mentioned finding fall foliage during moments of sunshine before, as that is sometimes elusive here at that time of year. This particular afternoon yielded exactly one sunny break which lasted just a few minutes but luckily I was in place already and made the first photograph above. Compared to the photograph below, the colours really light up in the sunshine!

fall leaves at shoreline trail lookout in port moody

Fall at the Shoreline Trail Lookout in Port Moody (Purchase)

The second photograph here shows the wooden viewing area near Old Millsite Park across Burrard Inlet. The pilings in the mudflats are from an old mill site that burned down in 1949. Much like the nearby Barnet Marine Park, this area shows some relics of a more industrial past here and there along the trail. Noons Creek empties into Burrard Inlet near the right side of this photograph and many shorebirds feed on the old bits of salmon and other nutritional items deposited into the inlet by the creek. Consequently, one of the exposures I made of this composition had a bit more of a Seagull element than I’d anticipated!

apartment towers in port moody

Apartment/Condo Towers in Port Moody (Purchase)

After photographing from the south side of Burrard Inlet I headed along the trail to the same viewpoint as above. The apartment/condo tower photo above shows one of the views from that lookout.

For more photographs of the Port Moody area visit my Port Moody Gallery.

Sasamat Lake on a Fall Day

Two hikers walking over the floating bridge at Sasamat Lake in Belcarra Regional Park – Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada.

two hikers on the sasamat lake floating bridge

Two Hikers on the Sasamat Lake Floating Bridge (Purchase)

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   One of my destinations for fall foliage this year was the Buntzen Lake and Belcarra Regional Park areas of Port Moody, BC. I hadn’t originally intended to stop at Sasamat Lake, but when I saw the sign at the turnoff I headed that way as it wasn’t very far to drive. Sasamat Lake has had a few names over the years, but was renamed Sasamat in 1941 as it was rumored to be the local aboriginal word for the nearby North Arm of Burrard Inlet. I stopped by the roadside at one end of the floating bridge and walked down to the water to see if there was any fall leaves to photograph. Most of the color was in this one large Bigleaf Maple tree, but there were some other smaller ones around as well. This first photograph shows the view from the boardwalk (along the Sasamat Lake Loop Trail) on the east side of the lake looking towards the floating bridge. There was a lot of mist and moisture in the air and this created some interesting views looking into the sun. I made this photograph with one of my longer lenses of two hikers crossing the floating bridge with their small dog. I am not sure if the lines formed by the sunlight are from the tree tops or the power lines above, but I enjoyed the effect regardless.

two hikers view fall maple leaves at sasamat lake

Viewing Fall Maple Foliage at Sasamat Lake (Purchase)

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   The second photograph here was shot from the west side of the floating bridge. The fall foliage colour on this particular Bigleaf Maple was so bright you could watch almost every person walking by stop and enjoy it. This couple stood there for probably 5 minutes, which made it easy to get a photo I liked of them viewing the leaves.

   During my university days at SFU I went on an optional field trip in my Limnology class to this floating bridge. We were taking various temperature readings, Secchi depths and other measurements. I had ventured down the bridge a distance from the main group when a bus load of Japanese tourists walked onto the eastern side of the bridge. Once it was discovered that I was engaged in some scientific activity they all insisted on taking individual photos with me. Selfies – long before they were called such a thing (and with film cameras). This puzzled the rest of my biology group but it would probably allow me to put “internationally famous scientist” into my bio if I were into that sort of thing.

   Sasamat Lake’s main attraction is White Pine Beach, which is situated at the northeast end of the lake. Sasamat is one of the Metro Vancouver areas warmest lakes, so that probably explains some of this beaches popularity. The nearby Buntzen Lake is very cold even on a hot summer day! I didn’t walk all the way to the beach along the Sasamat Lake Loop Trail, but did go as far as this wooden boardwalk next to that one Bigleaf Maple tree.

fall maple leaves at sasamat lake

Fall Maple Leaves at Sasamat Lake (Purchase)

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   This day was relatively calm and this gave the opportunity for this reflection photo of the floating bridge over Sasamat. One of the few times that afternoon there were no people walking across it.

floating bridge at sasamat lake

Floating Bridge at Sasamat Lake (Purchase)

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For more photographs of the Port Moody area visit my City of Port Moody Gallery.

Fall at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody BC

Sunset lights up a Bigleaf Maple Tree (Acer macrophyllum) on a fall day at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada.

rocky point park port moody fall foliage

Sunset at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody (Purchase)

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   One of my many stops this year to photograph the fall colours was Rocky Point Park (map) in Port Moody. I was very happy that Vancouver and the Fraser Valley had a great year for fall foliage! I had not visited Rocky Point Park (other than looking at it from the Murray/Moody Street overpass) since approximately 2001 when I walked from the main parking area over to Ioco Road. That is a walk I need to do again, but last week I mainly visited the area around the pier and walked up the trail a short distance. The first photograph above shows the pier as well as a Bigleaf Maple that was brilliantly lit by the setting sun.

rocky point park pier port moody

The Pier at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody (Purchase)

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   The second photograph here shows the pier in more detail, along with the houses and mountains in the background. It really is a nice view from Rocky Point. The main peaks in this photo are Mount Seymour and Mount Bishop. I walked to the end of the pier and there was a photographer there doing portraits. Twice last month I ran into photographers who were yelling encouraging (and over the top) words at their subjects. “OMG you are the most photogenic family I’ve ever seen!” etc. I don’t know if this is a normal thing for a portrait photographer to do publicly, but I know it decreases the enjoyment for others using the area. I’ve always thought those who think their photography is an excuse to unduly disturb others using a park are good candidates to ask about their photograph permit.

old mill site park in port moody

View of Old Mill Site Park (from Rocky Point) in Port Moody (Purchase)

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   The above photograph here is the view of Old Mill Site Park across Burrard Inlet from Rocky Point. I’ve been there before, but it looks interesting from afar so I should photograph it soon (and walk from Rocky Point). You can see what I presume is a platform for viewing Burrard Inlet, and the fall foliage surrounding it is probably just past it’s peak for the year.

rocky point park pier port moody

The Seawall at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody (Purchase)

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   This last photograph is from the pier looking back at that same Bigleaf Maple from the first photograph. Our fall foliage can be spectacular (mostly due to a few Maple species) but it only reaches that level maybe once every 4-5 years. This year was very good, and this one maple tree is an example of why. The leaves have turned a bright yellow/orange, and very few of them have gone from green to a yellow/brown as occurs in poor fall foliage years.

For more of my photographs from this and other nearby areas visit my Vancouver Coast & Mountains Gallery.