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| Sculpted eco art |
A First Nations legend tells the story of a hunter who speared a seal on False Creek. Wounded, the seal dove deep into the water and the brave could not find his spear or the seal. Without his spear the brave could no longer hunt and became very hungry. Later that night the brave was wakened from his sleep by a forest fire that lit the night sky in the east. The brave followed this omen which led him to what is now Deer Lake, where he found the foot of the stream where it flowed from the lake. On the shore was the seal lying with the hunter's spear still protruding from it's belly. Reunited with his spear the brave became a great hunter and first Chief of Capilano.
I am not sure what the legend is meant to teach us exactly, but it does illustrate the importance of this watershed. It also proved to be prophetic. All fresh water sources to False Creek travel are sourced by an underground spring. Like most development at the turn of the century, little regard for the above-ground streams that feed False creek meant eco-sensitive creek beds were filled in and important habitats were destroyed. Now a group known as the False Creek Watershed Society is busy restoring these vital waterways and bringing them to daylight. For info http://www.falsecreekwatershed.org/.
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| Today this eco sensitive area is being restored |
The lake became an important place for the Squamish Nation to harvest cranberries and hunt elk and deer. In 1859 pioneers began to claim lands, and in 1867 Charles Seymour opened "the lake house" servicing stagecoach traffic and hunting. The lake attracted more and more of the gentry now settling in the west, and today many of these English style cottages and gardens remain. A public park was established on the eastern shore where today you will find the boat house (for rentals), beach access, and washrooms. Over time the park developed and expanded, and in 1967 a centennial project converted one of the many heritage cottages that remain around the lake into the Burnaby Art Gallery and Centennial Garden. Eventually the city of Burnaby purchased the cottages and land to develop the park as it is today.
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| Water's edge access |
The east end of the lake was the very first groomed section of park when a bath house was constructed in the mid 1950's to invite swimming, which is no longer allowed. The bathhouse washrooms bear the accessible logo but are not even close to being accessible. The large parking lot (which was mostly empty on the day I visited) has two accessible parking spots. The lot itself badly needs paving as well as this section of sloping lake trail. The boat rentals offer no adaptive equipment and the children's play area is also barrier-burdened. But there are some very beautiful and accessible areas of the park.
The park is best accessed from the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. If you take transit do not get off at the Burnaby City Hall bus loop. A lack of curb cuts mean risky road travel along busy streets. Instead look for stops on Canada Way or Deer Lake Ave. For information go to http://www.translink.ca/. At the centre you will find lots of accessible parking and the park's only accessible washrooms, as well as picnic and play areas. The children's play area can be accessed but offers no adapted equipment. You will also find paved pathways leading to a wooden boardwalk that circles most of the lake. Heading west along the boardwalk it's smooth sailing with water edge access at some sections. For parts of this walk you will need to leave the comfortable boardwalk and proceed along dirt and paved sections. The paved sections have gentle slopes until you reach the steeper gravel trails on the northeast section of lake trail. You will want to turn around at Sperling Ave as this is where that nasty eastern shore begins. There are plenty of places to sit and trails are generally well marked. The round trip is just short of 4 km. If you want trail maps, heritage home walking tour info and more, go to http://www.burnaby.ca/
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Well maintained board walk |
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| Keep following the lake |
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| Lake |
Also on the park grounds is the Burnaby Village Museum and an old fashioned merry-go- round slightly adapted to include a wheelchair space, provided child and chair can lifted up aspproximately 20 cm. The museum is no must-see but the kids will like it. Its a 1920's village with one oddly out of place 1970's exhibit. As you can imagine the 1920's structures were not very accessible and even with the addition of retrofit ramps it still has a long way to go. The only accessible washrooms on the museum grounds are at the main entrance off Canada Way. You will also find accessible parking here. For museum details www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca/. There is free admission until Labour Day to celebrate the museum's 40th anniversary.
As mentioned earlier the park grounds are also home to the Burnaby Art Gallery, and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. The art gallery has a ramp, but it leads to a narrow door with a small lip, so I went no further. The Shadbolt Centre is a beautifully accessible modern facility. I have not seen a show in the centre but I love to attend the Annual Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival hosted in the centre's outdoor amphitheatre. This year's line up included rockabilly queen Imelda May, legendary blues man John Mayall and the stylings of K.D. Lang. There were a few surprises in the lineup, such as the fantastic performance by Canadian blues man Matt Anderson. All in all it was a great day and I have noticed the festival becoming more accessible over the years. I do have a couple of suggestions for next year. The accessible entrance gate needs highlighting and the addition of more signs as they appear on the site map. The viewing area was great with raised and grass options. I also like the reserved ticket seating for PWDs and their guests. Please make the grass area entrance a little wider next year. And of course bus information for PWDs needs to be clearer. The main directions were to go to the City Hall bus loop which, as I stated earlier, is not the accessible route. As well, the Burnaby RCMP and Translink need to coordinate better bus access for PWDs. All in all it was fun and I don't feel blue in the least for attending. For more information on the Shadbolt Centre go to www.shadboltcentre.com/
Next time: a trip to nowhere.
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