SANCTION: PT 021
START POINT: South Delta Recreation Centre, 1720 56 St, V4L 2B1
DISTANCES: 5/6/7/10K                          RATING: 1B, 2B, 3B
REGISTRATION: Daily: 08:00 – 20:00
CONTACT: vancouverventurers@gmail.com
SPECIAL WALKING PROGRAMS: Boardwalks, Famous Canadians, Moving Waters
DIRECTIONS: By car: Take Highway 99 going South. Take Exit 28 for Highway 17A towards Ladner. Turn left onto 56 St, left onto 18 Ave. Left again into Rec Centre parking lot. Rec Centre is on your right. By transit: From Bridgeport Station (Canada Line), take bus #601 (South Delta). Stop at South Delta Exchange. Walk 350 m (3 mins) to Rec Centre.

INFORMATION: Walk materials are inside the unlocked metal walk box located on the exterior wall of the recreation centre, on the right side, just before main entrance doors. 

There are four routes:

1. Beach Grove Rambles Walk 6k & 10k (rating 1B/2B)  This walk goes through the very old community of Beach Grove in Tsawwassen, South Delta. Beach Grove originated as a cottage community before the George Massey tunnel was built. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, it was considered a remote location – you had to take a ferry to get there! We will pass by some of the original cottages, as well as walk a scenic dyke, some mud flats and briefly visit Boundary Bay Regional Park.    The community has grown a lot since the “olden days” but provides a unique charm with lots of shady pathways on those hot summer days! We will also see the award-winning “Flandez House” (complete with rooftop piano) – an unexpected and stunning piece of modern architecture amid our “rambling” route!
2. Central Walk 5k & 10k (rating 1B/2B/3B). Discover what makes Tsawwassen so livable. Walk through Beach Grove where life is “in the slow lane”, pass by golf courses and through nice neighbourhoods. You will be challenged physically and rewarded visually with farm and mountain views. Sunny Tsawwassen awaits exploration.
3. Heron Rookery Walk 5K & 10K (rating 2B): This walk includes 4 Tsawwassen Neighborhoods, First Nations land, and the largest blue heron rookery in B.C. The neighborhoods include: Seaside (built 2020), Tsawwassen Springs (built 2010 to 2020), Imperial Village (1990’s), Candlewyck (1970’S/80’s). The Tsatsu rookery is particularly active between February and May each year. This walk also features a small walkway adjacent to an organic farm and some bee hives. Check out the crops on offer this year (usually potatoes or cabbages) but beware of manure smells in May – it is “organic” after all!
   Note: There are two 5K routes. (i) Starts at the South Delta Recreation Centre – does not go to the rookery (ii) Starts at Pat Quinn’s Restaurant & Bar, 5133 Springs Blvd #100 – goes to the rookery.
4. Tsawwassen FN – Farm & Industry Walk 5k, 7k & 10k (rating 1B):  Register at Start Point & drive to start at Entrance #3, Tsawwassen Mills Mall, 5000 Canoe Pass Way. Malls and crops and oceans…oh, my! This walk has it all. We walk the length of the Tsawwassen Mills Mall, passing by a gigantic bear sculpture and ending at the giant “Bass Pro” aquarium. We then venture outside and follow a shady path bordering farmland. Our journey continues through the new Tsawwassen Shores and Peregrine South housing developments, through the Tsawwassen Reserve then eventually onto a boardwalk where we enjoy a scenic view of the foreshore and Georgia Strait intertidal zone. In the distance, you will see the Roberts Bank and Deltaport shipping terminals, two of the major terminals for exports from our country. We loop back to our start point, passing by a very old aboriginal cemetery and some walkers may wish to pause and pay their respects. Old and new – this is a walk of great contrasts. The 7k goes through the residential section of the TFN and also incorporates a lengthy boardwalk over the salt marshes.