The trail to Admiralty Point is accessed from the Belcarra Picnic area in Belcarra Regional Park. Admiralty Point Trail is in an adjoining park, named Admiralty Point Park. This park became a National Park in 2014. Let me explain…
The federal government originally signed a 99-year lease with the City of Vancouver back in 1912 to keep the lands for park purposes. The lands were then handed over to the Greater Vancouver Regional District — now Metro Vancouver — but the lease ran out in 2011.
The federal government chose not to renew the lease and instead brought the land into Parks Canada’s own inventory, protecting it permanently as federal parkland — voila! Protected by Parks Canada! The park remains administered by Metro Vancouver.
Annual funding from the federal government goes toward general maintenance of the park for items such as trail maintenance, fire prevention, and garbage collection. The lands also play a part in Port Moody’s history. Col. R.C. Moody, for whom the city of Port Moody is named, established the Admiralty Point Military Reserve there in 1860.
The trail winds around the shoreline, offering many spectacular views along the way.
More Interesting Facts
- Col. Moody saw the strategic value in this exact spot, since it overlooks the junction of Burrard Inlet, Port Moody Arm, and Indian Arm all at once, making it an ideal position for a cannon to guard the approach to the colonial capital of New Westminster
- The name “Admiralty Point” itself wasn’t formally chosen until 1940, when it was suggested by Major J.S. Matthews of the Vancouver City Archives. Locally, the area had simply been known as the “Admiralty reserve” since the 1800s naval survey days
- Nearby Belcarra takes its name from Belcarra (Ballycarra) in County Mayo, Ireland. The area’s first European settler, lawyer William Norman Bole, received the land as payment for legal defence work and named it after his home village. Belcarra was officially twinned with its Irish namesake in 2007
Trail Stats
The stats below are to the end (Burns Point) and back:
- Distance: 6 km
- Time: 2 hours (with breaks and exploring)
- Low point: 2 m
- High point: 33 m
- Elevation gain: 31 m
- Trailhead: 49° 18′ 42.8″ N, 122° 55′ 32″ W (click for Google Map and navigation)
Tip for mobile users: long-press the “Google Map and navigation” link for the option to open in the maps app.
The Route
The actual GPS track from this walk, drawn on the map below. Green marks the start/end point. Use the layer control in the top right to switch to a satellite view.
Photos
