The Fraser Valley is an agricultural region of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is gradually being transformed into suburbs of Vancouver.
Cities
- 1 Langley — the birthplace of British Columbia stretches from the Fraser River south to the US border in the south and is home to a wealth of parks, wineries, agriculture and historical sites.
- 2 Abbotsford — a major regional town with a significant commercial airport, and a hub of agriculture.
- 3 Pitt Meadows has a small regional airport and sits at the confluence of the Fraser and Pitt Rivers. Pitt River drains Pitt Lake, the only fresh-water tidal body in the world. It is a destination for boating and fishing, with a few small resorts on the lake and the option to do an overnight canoe trip up Widgeon Creek.
- 4 Maple Ridge hosts the only Lower Mainland location for Wild Play
- 5 Mission — home to a Catholic Mission that can be toured
- 6 Chilliwack — where the Fraser River emerges from the mountains
- 7 Kent — largely rural area along the north shore of the Fraser River
- 8 Harrison Hot Springs — a pretty vacation area next to the mountains
- 9 Hope — gateway to British Columbia's interior and the eastern end of the Fraser Valley
Other destinations
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- Cultus Lake near Chilliwack
- Lindell Beach — on Cultus Lake
- Chilliwack Lake
- 1 Golden Ears Provincial Park
— a rugged park set amid the Coast Mountains, used for hiking, horseback riding, camping, and boating
Understand
The Fraser Valley has lush fertile farmland, which contributes a large portion of the local produce. The Fraser is also the world's greatest salmon producing river, and a focus for the region's economy, transportation and culture. The towns of Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and Langley are transforming from agricultural to suburb. Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, and Hope remain closer to their agricultural roots, but are also transforming.
Get in
Transportation into the Valley is limited. TransLink provides transit service from Vancouver into Langley, and the West Coast Express[dead link] train offers very limited service to and from the north Fraser communities as far as Mission on weekdays.
Abbotsford is served by Ebus bus service from Vancouver, Kelowna, and Kamloops.
Abbotsford is home to an international airport with a few flights connecting to other parts of Canada, though no public transit travels to this airport.
Get around
The towns of Abbotsford, Mission, and Chilliwack have transit service to the most populated areas, including transit connections between these cities. Transit service from Chilliwack to Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs, and Hope are available, but infrequent. Transit connections with the Metro Vancouver's Translink network are available infrequently throughout the day via Langley. From Mission, commuter service to Vancouver is available on weekday morning rush hours and from Vancouver on weekday afternoon rush hours.
A rental car or other means such as a bicycle are needed to access more rural areas of this region or if unwilling to wait for buses, each which run every half hour or less frequently.
See
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Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada helps to tell the story of local fur trade and agricultural pursuits, as well as the colonization story and the ongoing history of the area.
The Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival is held in Mission on the third weekend of each November to view the third largest gathering of bald eagles in North America.
The Greater Vancouver Zoo in Langley is a mid-sized zoo with lions, tigers, giraffes, zebras, hippos and monkeys.
The Abbotsford International Air Show is held the second weekend in August. Flight demonstrations primarily by Canadian and US craft.
Do
Golden Ears Provincial Park near Mission and the Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park have plenty of easy to moderate hiking trails. Golden Ears is a major camping and recreation destination for Vancouverites, and has a day-use area for swimming and boating.
Wine tasting
Though it isn't quite the viniculture hotbed that the Okanagan is, there are a number of wineries in the Fraser Valley. See Domaine de Chaberton Estate, which started it all, and Township 7 Vineyards & Winery, Glenugie Winery, and Blackwood Lane Vineyards & Winery in Langley; The Fort Wine Company in historic Fort Langley; Blossom Winery (famous for ice wine and fruit wines) and Sanduz Estate Wines in Richmond; River's Bend Winery in Surrey; Lotusland Vineyards in Abbotsford; Blue Heron Winery in Pitt Meadows; and Kermode Wild Berry Winery in Dewdney; Westham Island Estate Winery and Wellbrook Winery in Delta; and St. Urban Winery in Chilliwack. Look for the handy Wine Map from the Fraser Valley Wine Association. Consider visiting only three to five wineries in a day, to give yourself time to enjoy the visit, available at most of these wineries. Many wineries will limit you to only three to five wine samples in one visit. Some may charge you a couple of dollars for the tasting, which might be waived if you purchase some wine.
Pottery
The Fraser Valley Potters Guild has a handy brochure listing area potters open to tours. Try Simpson Pottery in Aldergrove; Venema Pottery in Abbotsford; Rainforest Pottery, Schellenberg Pottery, and Driediger Pottery in Yarrow; Greendale Pottery in Chilliwack; and The Back Porch in Agassiz. A further list of potters are open by appointment. Call the studios to confirm they will be open.