Golden Ears Provincial Park

Yesterday we headed out to Golden Ears. Usually it's around 45 mins East of Vancouver, but we got lost when the sign posting lamed out and it took us much longer. Not to worry we got to drive around the burbs of Coquitlam which we've never seen. Aside of the cookie-cutter strip malls and parking lots we did enjoy a housing area up the mountain with truly epic views of the Fraser Valley and the mighty Mount Baker in Washington State (US).

Parking up the car we hiked through the woods, following the river to Lake Allouette...

We came across some guy panning for gold ...

The river was great, a mixture of rapids and calm areas with a deep green hue. We saw a bunch of families sheltering in the shade from the heat and swimming the river.

We stopped for a picnic, then carried on into the woods..

Checking out the trees, plants and fungus amongst us ...

Arriving at the lake we sat around admiring the views, checking out the way the mountains fall into the lake. In the distance, the inner Coast Moutain Range tower the lake. There was several groups of people relaxing , some boating others bathing in the dwindling sun.

After a great afternoon we headed back down the trail, into the park lot and headed back into the city feeling energized by the fresh air and majestic nature.