Difficulty: Moderate
Estimated Time: 2.5 hours
Round Trip: 6.5km
Elevation Gain: 140m
Season: Year-round
Car Travelling Time from Vancouver: 45 minutes
Public Transit: No
Credits: https://www.outdoorvancouver.ca/high-knoll-hike-minnekhada/
Note: This area has a lot of bears (and bugs). Please bring bug spray, bear bells and even bear spray. Travel in groups.
The High Knoll hike is located within Minnekhada Regional Park in Coquitlam, which is over 200 hectares large.
The Minnekhada Regional Park offers various trails to explore throughout, popular ones being the Quarry Trail, Mid-Marsh Trail, Lodge Trail and the Fern Trail.
The main points of interest in Minnekhada Park include the historic Minnekhada Lodge, and the High Knoll lookout, offering the best view of the Coquitlam environs. There is also a marsh, rich with wildlife, located in the middle of the park.
There are three entrance points to the park. We started from the main entrance at the parking lot off Quarry Road, which had a long stretch of overflow parking. The beginning part was rather flat, and there were many tiny toadlets on the hiking path.
The latter part consisted of several steep uphill sections which is definitely a good cardio workout!
While there are many trails within the park, we followed the signs which took us directly to High Knoll, which has the best vantage point, overlooking Pitt River and the Marsh. In the distance, in clear sunny weather, you can even see Mount Baker.
This was definitely a moderate hike with a stunning panoramic landscape view, recommended for a good workout and high ROI!