Iona Beach Regional Park — Attraction in Richmond

Iona Beach Regional Park, located in Richmond just north of Vancouver International Airport, offers a tranquil retreat where the Fraser River meets the sea. The park features a long beach and is home to a rare community of sand dune plants, making it a unique destination for nature enthusiasts. 

Activities and Attractions: • Walking and Cycling: The park includes two jetties extending into the Strait of Georgia. The Iona Jetty stretches nearly 4 kilometers and is popular for walking and cycling, offering expansive views of the ocean and coastline.  • Bird Watching: Iona Beach is a significant stopover for migrating birds and hosts numerous species year-round. The ponds on the east side of the park are particularly popular among bird watchers.  • Hiking: The park offers trails, including a 2.8-mile loop that is generally considered easy and takes about 52 minutes to complete.  • Sunset Viewing: With its unobstructed views over the Strait of Georgia, Iona Beach is an excellent spot to watch the sunset, with Vancouver Island visible on clear days. 

Facilities: • Amenities: The park provides washroom facilities near the parking lot. There are no other toilets within the park area.  • Accessibility: The washrooms, picnic tables, boardwalk, observation platform at South Marsh, and the cycle path on Iona Jetty are accessible. 

Getting There:

From Vancouver, drive south on Granville Street and cross the Arthur Laing Bridge toward Richmond and the airport. Turn right at the first traffic light onto Grauer Road, continue as it becomes Ferguson Road, and follow the Iona Island Causeway to the park’s parking lot. 

Additional Information: • Dog Policy: Dogs must be leashed at all times within the park. Please ensure to pick up after your dog.  • Camping: Camping is not permitted at Iona Beach...

The setting is unique in that it shows a large tideline which is a transition between the beach and the distant views of the mountains and YVR (Vancouver International Airport). The grasslands and marsh ponds are unique with viewing areas. The south pond doesn't appear to be accessible to walk around. According to Regional Park authorities, this is a major stop-over for migratory birds. During my September visit very little wild life was visible. So if you are a photographer, plan ahead. Apparently, the birds come during the spring and fall. There are rudimentary public washrooms (no change areas for hikers or cyclists) and no other amenities for refreshments (eg. public telephones or water dispensers that I could see). The Iona Jetty, which covers the main waste water treatment pipe to the Strait of Georgia is patrolled by Park Rangers and has wind shelters at approximately 1/3 and 2/3 points on the 4 km walk and road ways. The End of the Iona Jetty has a terminus with a viewing platform overlooking the Strait of Georgia. Dogs on a lease are permitted on the service road that runs alongside the main walking/biking path way. It's important to ensure you are prepared for your own safety with food and water as it can be trying on a hot or cold day. The reason for classifying this as three star area is that the existing facilities and access roads are not the best for cyclists and hikers. There are no clearly posted approach signs or pull-off areas outside of the conservation area indicating the direction to the area if it's your first visit you may want to use a GPS (Not sure but, perhaps that is intended as too many visitor could be disruptive to the wildlife.) During my visit, the most prominent activity was all the large jet air-traffic coming into the...

I am sorry to say that I have been selfish in not talking about one of my favourite walks for fear of it being overcrowded. But to share something beautiful makes it more beautiful. (Or something like that). I am personally not so keen on the jetty walk but other people like it. What I really enjoy is the nature walk at the end of the road. My pictures reflect the clockwise direction. Bring your own snacks and water. It might be wise to keep your small dog on a leash. Last time we were there I took a picture of what I thought was dog poop but with all of the seeds in it that didn’t make any sense until later we saw a very well behaved coyote. Don’t freak out. They usually leave you alone if you leave them alone. Do NOT feed it, keep your small dog on a leash. Don’t run away and if you are jogging alone probably a good idea to carry a sturdy hiking pole. If you are there during a low tide you get to walk along the North Fraser. You can go far or not so far. We very much enjoy this special place and hope you do as well. They are talking about upgrading the processing plant so I am not sure if that will affect our future access....