Pitt Meadows is a city of 18,500 people (2016) in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, on the north bank of the Fraser River at the confluence with the Pitt River. It's part of the urban edge, where bedroom housing for suburban Vancouver is displacing the small agricultural town of Pitt Meadows past — but the farms hang on.
Understand
The Municipality takes its name from the Pitt River and Pitt Lake, which were possibly named after former British Prime Minister William Pitt.
Aboriginal people resided in the Pitt Meadows area approximately 1000 years ago. James McMillan explored the area in 1874. Europeans started a settlement known as Bonson's Landing in the area in the 1870s. Early settlers were mostly Anglo-Saxon until after 1910.
In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was constructed through Pitt Meadows to Port Moody, British Columbia. In 1893, the first dyking district was organized. In 1914, Pitt Meadows was a small, agricultural community of less than 250 individuals which supplied Vancouver and New Westminster with produce and dairy products.
After 1910, many French Canadians and Japanese arrived as settlers. A large group of Dutch farmers reclaimed much of the low-lying land in Pitt Meadows after World War II.
Get in
By car
The most convenient access is by car, with two options. The first is by the Lougheed Highway over the Pitt River Bridge from Port Coquitlam. The second option is by the Golden Ears Bridge, a toll bridge that links with 200th St. in Langley and Highway 1.
Translink offers commuter-focused bus service to Vancouver.
By train
The West Coast Express commuter rail service, goes in to Vancouver in the morning and back out in the evening.
By plane
- 1 [formerly dead link]Pitt Meadows Regional Airport (ICAO CYPK), 100-11465 Baynes Road, ☏ 1-604-465-8977, fax: 1-604-465-4512, ✉[email protected]. 24h, daily. Has no scheduled commercial service, but the 4700' main and shorter secondary runways make a pleasant destination for the general aviation pilot flying a small plane. No landing fee.
Get around
Coast Mountain Bus Company, an operating company of TransLink, operates bus routes within Pitt Meadows, all of which connect to various West Coast Express stations. Route #701 is a major route that takes commuters from Coquitlam down to Port Coquitlam and into Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge.
See
A Heritage Preservation Area contains several buildings of significant heritage value, including the old General Store (now the Pitt Meadows Museum) and Hoffman and Sons Garage.
- 1 Pitt Lake. A short distance north of town, reaching into a steep valley where BC's mountains meet the Fraser Valley. Rent kayaks to explore the lake.
- Pitt Meadows Museum and Archives, 12294 Harris Road and 12277 Harris Rd, ☏ 1 604 465 4322, ✉[email protected]. W The Su 1PM-4PM. The Pitt Meadows Museum is made up of two sites, the Old General Store and the Hoffmann and Son Machine Shop, across Harris Road from each other just to the south of the CPR tracks. The General Store and Post Office Site (1908) is a heritage building and the oldest known structure in Pitt Meadows. The General Store houses permanent and temporary exhibits that tell the story of the early to more recent settlement history of Pitt Meadows. The building also houses a small community archives and reference library. The Hoffmann and Son Site is in an old machine shop that houses a collection of related tools, more than 60 restored stationary engines, and a working forge.
Do
- Blue Heron Winery tasting, 18539 Dewdney Trunk Rd (Lougheed Hwy east from Pitt River Bridge, left onto Dewdney Trunk Road, between Reichenbach and Rippington Roads), ☏ 1-604-465-5563, fax: 1-604-465-5513, ✉[email protected]. 10AM-6PM daily. White and red cranberry wine, and other fruit wines. Wine tasting and sales, with tours by appointment. Free.
- Pacific Rim Aviation Academy, 393-11465 Baynes Road (on the south side of Pitt Meadows Airport, via Ford Road and Harris Road), ☏ 1-604-465-3594, fax: 1-604-465-3664, ✉[email protected]. 8AM-6PM daily and by appointment. The exuberant Chris Georgas and his staff offer pilot training, including Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, and Instrument ratings in land and float planes. The fleet is small but immaculate, and the attention is personal. A great place to learn how to fly! Based at CYPK, Pitt Meadows Regional Airport.
- 1 The Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area (NWA). 125 ha near Pitt Lake.
Buy
- Meadowtown Shopping Centre, 19800 Lougheed Highway, ☏ 1 604 602-7711. 32 stores including Jysk, Winner's and Superstore.
Eat
- The Firehall Bistro, 104-19237 122a Ave, ☏ 1 604-460-7779. M-F noon-2PM; M-Th 6PM-10PM; F Sa 5PM-10PM; Su 5PM-9PM. Mains from $25.
- Stomping Grounds Cafe Bistro, ☏ 1 604-460-0111. 10931 Barnston View Rd. Coffees, brunch ($9-14), sandwiches ($11-13), Peruvian dishes
- Austin Fish & Chips, 19180 Lougheed Highway, ☏ 1 604-460-9999. M-Th Sa 11AM-8PM; F 11AM-9PM; Su 4PM-8PM.
Drink
- The Jolly Coachman Pub & Liquor Store, 19167 Ford Road (intersection at Harris Road & Ford Road), ☏ 1-604-465-9911, fax: 1-604-465-9550, ✉[email protected]. Su-Th 11AM-midnight; F Sa 11AM-1AM. The Jolly Coachman is an English Tudor-style sports pub, well known for its great food and its atmosphere. A mix of traditional pub fare and gourmet food, a fireplace in the winter and a patio in the summer, and sports onnthe TVs.
Sleep
- Ramada Inn Pitt Meadows, 19267 Lougheed Hwy, ☏ 1 604-460-9859. Seasonal outdoor pool, indoor hot tub, fitness centre, free continental breakfast. Guest rooms have free WiFi, mini-refrigerator, and microwave. From $113.
Connect
Go next
- Fly Guy Air Taxi service, 393-11465 Baynes Road (on the south side of Pitt Meadows Airport, via Ford Road and Harris Road), ☏ 1-604-465-3594, fax: 1-604-465-3664, ✉[email protected]. Charter flights to Vancouver Island or anywhere in the Lower Mainland. A service of Pacific Rim Aviation Academy. $149/person to Vancouver Island.
- Nearby towns of Mission, Maple Ridge, Port Moody and Coquitlam
- Langley on the south bank of the Fraser River
| Routes through Pitt Meadows |
| Vancouver ← Coquitlam ← | W  E | → Maple Ridge → Hope |
| Vancouver ← Coquitlam ← | W  E | → Maple Ridge → Mission |