Burnaby Mountain, elev. , is a low, forested mountain in the city of

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrar ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

, overlooking the upper arms of

Burrard Inlet french: Baie Burrard , image = Burrard Inlet 201807.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Aerial view of Burrard Inlet , image_bathymetry = Burrard-Inlet-map-en.svg , alt_bathymetry ...

. It is the location of Simon Fraser University Burnaby Campus, the Discovery Park research community, and the System Control Tower of

BC Hydro The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, with the exce ...

and a residential neighbourhood with retail shops development called UniverCity. In November 1995, the Province of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University reached an agreement to transfer 330 hectares of university land to the City of Burnaby for inclusion into Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area.City of Burnaby Website, Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, and there is Burnaby Mountain in the east side closer to Lougheed Mall. The area should not be confused with the golf course which is located near the mountain.

Wildlife

In spite of residential development on its western slope and continuing deforestation due to condominium construction around SFU, the mountain still has wildlife remaining such as

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

, raccoons,

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological nich ...

s customarily roaming local streets. A few black bears, sometimes mothers with cubs, pay occasional visits to the forest trails—and even the backyards of Westridge residents. Common wild birds include several types of

woodpeckers Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions ...

northern flicker The northern flicker or common flicker (''Colaptes auratus'') is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker spec ...

Steller's jay Steller's jay (''Cyanocitta stelleri'') is a bird native to western North America and the mountains of Central America, closely related to the blue jay found in eastern North America. It is also known as the long-crested jay, mountain jay, and p ...

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos I ...

barred owl The barred owl (''Strix varia''), also known as the northern barred owl, striped owl or, more informally, hoot owl, is a North American large species of owl. A member of the true owl family, Strigidae, they belong to the genus '' Strix'', whic ...

s, and great horned owls. Sightings of

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

s over the mountain's eastern forest are not uncommon.

Climate

Attractions

Burnaby Mountain has a viewpoint facing west at Centennial Park. The yearly Celebration of Light fireworks festival on English Bay west of downtown Vancouver can be seen from the park and attracts an audience on the parks' westward-facing lawns. The mountain is known for its

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

trails and obstacles. There are easy trails like Sidebandit, challenging rides (Mel's) and two hard, steep runs (Nicoles, Gearjammer). Due to its relatively high elevation, snow will often fall on the higher levels of Burnaby Mountain while rain falls in the surrounding cities. Tobogganing is a popular pastime at Centennial Park on winter days with snow. The park is also home to a collection of

Ainu Ainu or Aynu may refer to: *Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far East *Ainu languages, a family of languages **Ainu language of Hokkaido **Kuril Ainu language, extinct language of the Kuril Islands **Sakhalin Ainu la ...

totem pole Totem poles ( hai, gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually ...

-like carvings which commemorate the goodwill between Burnaby and its sister city, Kushiro, Japan, and a fairly large formal rose garden Tourism Burnaby

References

External links

* *
List of Burnaby Mountain Bike Trails (including video of each trail)

Route description for the Burnaby Mountain hiking trails
{{Burnaby Neighbourhoods Mountains of the Lower Mainland Landforms of Vancouver Tourist attractions in Burnaby