Diez Vistas
Tunnel between Coquitlam and Buntzen reservoirs, at the north end of Buntzen Lake
Eight of us from the club met up on Saturday 28th August 2021 at the Buntzen Lake car park for this 14km walk around the Diez Vistas trail. The Spanish name references Spanish explorers in the late eighteenth century. The route features ten view points (vistas) although some of them are now views of trees rather than Indian Arm but those that remain as viewpoints are quite spectacular.
The first part of the walk, across a pond by a causeway and floating bridge is flat but it soon turns into an ascent to Sunrise Hill followed by a long gradual descent to McCombe Lake and Buntzen Lake. The high point of 550m (1820feet) is low for BC, nevertheless there is plenty of bang for your buck on this walk.
The trail was pretty busy with a lot of people out enjoying the scenery, the beach at Buntzen lake was full with people taking a day at the beach very seriously; tents, hammocks, barbecues, paddle boards, the works.
This was a straightforward hike, all the elevation gain in the first 3kms, mainly in the shade, which was appreciated on a warm day and only an hour or so from downtown Vancouver. We’ll be back to explore more trails in the area. Garmin route can be found here
