Jug Island Trail at Belcarra Regional Park

Jug Island Trail is located at Belcarra Regional Park in Port Moody, B.C. and is a beautiful moderate hike for those who want something in the two-hour range. It winds through the forest until the end when it opens up to Indian Arm. You can then walk along the ocean shore and look for crabs and fish and I recommend going at low tide if possible.

Jug Island Trailhead is about 40 minutes from our home in Surrey and is near Bunzten Lake and Sasamat Lake. We parked at the far end of the Bellcara Regional Park picnic area and the trailhead was just across the road from there. The hike is 5.5 km total and takes about one hour in each direction. I would consider it an intermediate hike and would liken it to Quarry Rock. There is about 100 meters in elevation gain and the return trip goes a lot quicker.

For those that enjoy geocaching we found three en route which always keeps the boys motivated!

There are very few ocean views along the way. We did carry bear spray as there are bears in the area. Our family also makes a lot of noise and sticks close together so that helps.

Most of the geocaches are not right on the trail so they did some exploring.

The beach itself is beautiful and a great place to have your snack on one of the logs. We didn't have enough time to explore but the kids enjoyed looking for crabs under the rocks. There is also an outhouse about 50 meters up from the beach.

And of course you get to see Jug Island (which is located behind us in the photo) which is where it gets it's name from.

The mosquitoes are bad this year so make sure you have some bug repellent on when you go hiking.

Our six-year-old was able to do this hike easily so I would say that it is family-friendly for kids ages 4 and older (younger ones in a carrier of sorts). Dogs are allowed on leash but we did not see any.

The terrain is continuously changing from flat paths to cliffs to stairs and roots so it keeps the hiking interesting.

I have heard that this trail can get busy which is why we went on a weekday morning. We didn't encounter many people other than one big day camp group of kids. My advice would be to arrive early and make sure to pack a lot of water.

Have you been? Did you enjoy it? 

Love,

Louise