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Buntzen Lake – True Zen & Best Swimming Lake Near Vancouver

Buntzen Lake – Find True Zen in One of The Clearest Swimming Lakes Near Vancouver

We get asked all the time by our friends: what is the best of lakes in bc for swimming? This is it! Buntzen it is! Buntzen Lake near Vancouver is one of the most peaceful, serene, clearest lakes in BC. The air is so fresh, and the energy of the place so strong, you get instantly recharged and rejuvenated the minute you step out of your car! The warm and clean waters make it one of the absolute best swimming lakes near Vancouver. Ok, maybe not one of the warmest lakes in Canada, but definitely the most beautiful lake. In the summer, Buntzen is very popular with families.

Personally, we love to visit Buntzen lake year-round. Our best experience is in winter when there are little to no other people around and you can truly enjoy all of this powerful energy of the Lake all by yourself.  

***All recommendations and feedback are ours and based on personal experience.
Please refer to our Disclosure Policy. 

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Directions

GPS / Google Maps anchor point: Buntzen Lake Park, 5000 Sunnyside Rd, Anmore, BC V3H 4Z2

If you are heading to Buntzen Lake from Coquitlam Centre, it will take you about 20 min to get there.

There is a large parking lot, yet if you come to Buntzen lake on the weekend on a hot summer day you may find the gates closed. Yes, the park staff actually closes the gates. Your best bet is to arrive before 10am, or otherwise after 4pm. 

Did you know that you can get to Buntzen Lake even if you do not have a car? There is a Bus route that takes you to Buntzen Lake from Coquitlam Central Station in about 40-45min. 

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Buntzen Lake near Coquitlam – Quick Facts

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The recreation area around Buntzen Lake is well developed. There is a large public beach right off the parking lot, with picnic tables and everything you’d need for a fun family BBQ. 

At the main beach, you’ll find a few sets of proper bathrooms with running water, that is open even in the winter. There are no food options though, other than a small convenience store right at the entrance to the park. 

The Northside of Buntzen Lake also has a small public beach with bio-washrooms and way fewer people. Understandably as to get to the other side, you’ll need to hike for 1hour or row a boat. 

The Buntzen Lake Park is open year-round. Each time we come, we see people fishing and floating in boats and kayaks.

If you are a dog lover, great news: Buntzen Lake has a special leash-free dog area right next to the beach where your dear pet can have much fun!  Be mindful, however, as dogs are not allowed on public beaches, and while hiking the park trails all dogs must be on a leash. 

Buntzen Lake trail loop is well-maintained and is partially stroller-friendly and wheelchair accessible.

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The Buntzen Lake Trail

There are a few trail paths you could take. Buntzen Diez Vistas is, of course, one of the most famous, but also most difficult trails. Below I’ll describe our favourite path – Buntzen Lake Trail Loop. Do not mix it up with Lakeview trail – that one is more difficult.

The whole Buntzen Lake trail loop is about 10.5km long, it usually takes us about 3 hours of actual relaxed walking.

For the ease of further guidance we will refer to two parts of the trail – the Western shore (marked orange below) and the Eastern shore (marked blue below), both lead to North Beach. 

The Western shore is longer part and has more elevation amplitude. It is a bit harder and has a few rough patches, few fallen trees and few larger boulders to climb over. In the winter there is quite a bit of snow here too. 

The Eastern Shore is a quite straight-forward and easier path. It is way more traffic, however. If you just take Eastern shore to the North Beach, it takes about an hour of walking time.

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Based purely on the length of the trail, if you do decide to do the whole loop, we recommend having a carrier backpack with you for when your little one is tired to walk. If your goal is purely to hike to the North Beach and picnic there, take the Eastern shore both to-and-back.

Our 3.5yo son Cosmos is not able to do the whole loop yet. But he can comfortably get to the North Beach and back hiking the Eastern shore all by himself. 

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The trail is partially stroller/wheelchair accessible. Should you decide to start clockwise from the main parking lot, and hike Western shore you could have a nice refreshing stroll with your babies all the way to Lakeview Trail trailhead. Should you decide to hike the Eastern direction – you can comfortably reach the first viewpoint with your stroller. 

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Buntzen Lake North Beach 

North Beach has one of the clearest lake waters in BC we’ve encountered. While sitting on a little boat deck you can see through to the very bottom of the lake and watch fish playing around in the sunny warm waters. It is a perfect spot for swimming in the summer! Bring your snorkelling equipment too!

Buntzen Lake North beach is where Buntzen Lake is connected with the small McCombre Lake. The two parts of the trail – Western and Eastern – are connected via a small but absolutely beautiful suspension bridge here. Check out more about this Buntzen suspension bridge and other cool bridges on our blog post:  Top “Photographer’s Dream” Bridge Sites That Will Make Your Instagram Fans Excited!

North Beach doesn’t have much, other than a bio-washroom next to it. …..But it also has access to BC Hydro Service Road. …What does it mean to you, fellow “stroller-mom”? You can ditch the trail and actually comfortably hike Service Road with your baby safely tackled in all the way from the main parking lot to enjoy a beautiful and crowd-less picnic on the other side! Roll-in your grandma in her wheelchair even! Let the whole family enjoy this beautiful, refreshing, one of the clearest lakes in BC!

See the Service Road highlighted in bright green on the map below:

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Fun Family Outdoor Learning

Swimming and playing on the beach of one of the most beautiful lakes in British Columbia are definitely fun! Want to have even more family fun outdoors? Check out our PerfectDayToPlay FREE printable Scavenger Hunt sheets!

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Buntzen Lake near Vancouver: Photo Gallery

We truly mean it when we say Buntzen is one of our absolute favourite places in the World. This not-so-little gem lake in Coquitlam is absolutely stunning all year round. We have our own large collection of all the swimming lakes near Vancouver. In this collection, Buntzen takes the confident first place as the Top clearest lake near Vancouver.

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More British Columbia beautiful Lakes and easy hikes

This year Buntzen Lake has made not one, but two of our Top lists:

Best Kids-Friendly Swimming Lakes Near Vancouver For Your Awesome Family Summer Experience!

Gorgeous & Easy Winter Hikes Near Vancouver To Absolutely Enjoy

Once your kids are older, or if you happen to have a child-free weekend, you might want to explore other Lakes of British Columbia, that have a “more challenging” location, for example, Mystery Lake at Mt Seymour, or Joffre Lakes and the Rohr Lake near Pemberton.

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Are you an outdoors enthusiast? Do you know of any other cool clearest lakes in BC?

Enjoy!

Cheerfully yours,

Alexandra, Alex & Cosmos

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Share your pictures on social media! tag #PerfectDayToPlayHike to be featured on our Instagram! 

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