Iona Regional Park

Last week while the weather was good I took Mojo over to Iona Regional Park.  This park is situated just North West of the airport and has some beach areas as well as a long trail built on the top of a pipeline which leads out to sea and makes for an interesting walk and change from the forested North Shore mountain trails.

We park the car and get these views back over Vancouver’s Westside with the North Shore beyond.

A closer view of Grouse Mountain with a ski run and the wind turbine visible.

Then a view of Cypress Bowl and it’s ski runs

Looking back at the nearby airport.

At the sight of Mojo lots of ducks take to the water.  Unlike our previous less successful visit to this park with Mum and Dad in July this time the tide was in so Mojo was quite content watching the ducks from the trail rather than racing off across the mudflats after them.

We continue on the trail.  It is a very long, completely flat completely straight gravel trail.  If all walks were like this it would be pretty boring but just occasionally it makes a nice change from the North Shore trails.

The view South as we continue along the walk.

Views North, wisps of marine cloud form and dissipate.

Views North West showing Bowen in the foreground and the Sunshine Coast beyond.

Eventually we reach the 4km mark which is the end of the causeway. These views South.  It is really quite a strange feeling being quite so far out and surrounded by sea and waves, yet walking on dry land back to the car.

A different angle of the airport from this far out

This is a panorama video of the view from the very end of the causeway.

Mt Baker looms in the distance over the top of the Richmond Oval, the site of the speed skating for the Winter Olympics.

Views towards West Vancouver and Howe Sound.

After stopping at the end of the causeway for lunch we turn around and head back continuing to enjoy the sea breeze and sun.

The airport had been very quiet for us during the walk as landings on the nearest runway had been coming in from the South East while departures were well away from us on the furthest runway.  As we approach the end of the walk they turn departures around so we see this Air Canada flight take off quite close.

The sun sparkles on the sea and Vancouver Island just visible on the horizon as we head back towards the car.