Tsawwassen and Ladner
Two towns, two tempos...

Getting There:
By car: Follow Hwy 17 exit signs for Tsawwassen off Hwy 99. By ferry: Follow causeway exit signs for 56th Street,
turn right.
Ladner: By car, Follow Hwy 17 exit signs for Ladner and Tsawwassen off Hwy 99. Turn right on Hwy 10/Ladner Trunk Road. By ferry: Follow causeway exit signs for 56th Street, turn left (turns into Arthur Drive).

The first impression a visitor gets on approaching the adjoining towns Tsawwassen and Ladner is of their lively and energetic nature. Shopping outlets, restaurants, ferry and shipping terminals, river boats, ball games and joggers – all meld into an atmosphere of seemingly non-stop activity. But it’s not just the human population that’s to-ing and fro-ing around you consider the wildlife. Ladner and Tsawwassen, which means ‘looking towards the sea’ in the Coast Salish language, sit smack in the middle of the Pacific Flyway and the surrounding fields, wetlands and waterways is an important stopover for millions of birds on their annual migration.

Like Point Roberts, these two towns sit in what’s known locally as the ‘blue hole.’ What that means is while one looks north, east and south and sees nothing but clouds, above you are blue skies. This micro-climate is caused by the presence of Vancouver Island to the west, the North Shore Mountains to the north and the Cascade Mountain range to the east. It is not unusual to be driving south from Vancouver in the rain only to reach the Fraser River and have the sun break through. In fact, the area receives just 30 inches of rain (732 mm) versus 47 inches (1219 mm) in Vancouver. Most of that falls in winter and early spring; by summer, the sun is out as long as 16 hours a day. (That explains the palm trees that line the center of 56th Street in Tsawwassen.)

All this bustling doesn’t have to tire you out, however. Once you’ve experienced the restaurants, boutiques, personal service establishments and supermarkets along 56th Street, Boundary Bay Regional Park offers you a great place to spot rare and not so rare species of birds. Trails wander through tide and wetlands ending at Centennial beach. This is a great place for a swim or a picnic or a barbeque. Like Ladner, Tsawwassen is bordered by dikes, perfect for walking, running, biking or even horseback riding. Boundary Bay Regional Trail has spectacular views in all directions but is especially beautiful looking south to the U.S. San Juan islands.
One can walk, run, ride or canter for 20 kilometers one way if they wish. If you need to cool off, Boundary Bay is just one great place to go for a swim. The sand flats go out for a half-mile and when the tide comes in on a sunny day, the water is warmed to bathtub temperatures.

Failing that head over to the west side for a picnic by the ferry terminal. Here you’ll find visitors launching boats and kayaks, fishing and general lazing around. Nearby is the Tsawwassen Indian Reserve and an entertainment complex with waterslides and go cart courses.

Take the back route, Arthur Drive, into Ladner if you can. You’ll drive past farmhouses and horse pastures, a decidedly rural area. You can attribute the lack of urban sprawl to the agriculture land reserve, established in 1973 by the provincial government. Controversial at the time, the law essentially froze 11 million acres (4.7 million hectares) as agricultural land. At the time, nearly 17,000 acres (7,000 hectares) of ag land was being lost each year: the fact the reserve has remained essentially the same means the goal of preserving farmland has been achieved.

The town of Ladner dates to 1868 when two brothers, Thomas and William Ladner, squatted on parcels of land on opposite sides of the river. Four years later, a wharf was built to facilitate shipping farmers’ produce to other parts of British Columbia. Eventually a village grew up around what was known as Ladner’s Landing. Ladner is a great place to get out and walk or bike. Traffic generally is minimal and the terrain is flat.

Wander the downtown area with its historic buildings and a very compelling local museum. As mentioned earlier, the entire delta region is an important stopover on the Pacific Flyway. Millions of birds take a breather in the fields and water before flying north or south, depending on the season. One of the best places to see this amazing bird life is at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary. Take River Road West, follow the signs and turn right for the bridge to Westham Island. Keep your eyes open for a small park before the bridge if you’d like to take a small break. Quite often you’ll have a close up view of happy sea lions sitting on fish processing docks or taking advantage of fishers hauling nets up in the river.

Deas Island Regional Park has five kilometers of walking and biking trails that wander the banks of the Fraser River and Deas Slough. For a different kayaking adventure, try a paddle in the slough. A boat ramp on Ferry Road at the west end of Deas Slough is vehicle accessible. Here fishers, water-skiers, jet boats, canoes, and kayaks launch into the slough. To reach Ferry Road, take the Ladner exit immediately south of the George Massey Tunnel on Hwy 99. Drive west on River Road to Ferry Road. Turn east on Ferry and drive to the launch ramp.

Another option is a walking tour at the Delta Nature Reserve, part of Burns Bog, the largest urban land reserve in North America. The bog is over 8,000 acres but the reserve itself is just 150 acres. It has three different trail loops that will lead you past beaver dams, meadows and evergreen groves. The bog’s inhabitants include deer, bear, bobcats, coyotes, Great Blue Herons and many more animals and birds.

Don’t miss:
A long, warm swim at Centennial Beach and walking the dike in Ladner with your family.