Fraser Valley

The Fraser Valley is an agricultural region of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is gradually being transformed into suburbs of Vancouver.

Cities

• 1 Langley — the birthplace of British Columbia stretches from the Fraser River south to the US border in the south and is home to a wealth of parks, wineries, agriculture and historical sites.
• 2 Abbotsford — a major regional town with a significant commercial airport, and a hub of agriculture.

Pitt Lake bog and dike near Pitt Meadows

• 3 Pitt Meadows has a small regional airport and sits at the confluence of the Fraser and Pitt Rivers. Pitt River drains Pitt Lake, the only fresh-water tidal body in the world. It is a destination for boating and fishing, with a few small resorts on the lake and the option to do an overnight canoe trip up Widgeon Creek.
• 4 Maple Ridge hosts the only Lower Mainland location for Wild Play
• 5 Mission — home to a Catholic Mission that can be toured
• 6 Chilliwack — where the Fraser River emerges from the mountains
• 7 Kent — largely rural area along the north shore of the Fraser River
• 8 Harrison Hot Springs — a pretty vacation area next to the mountains
• 9 Hope — gateway to British Columbia's interior and the eastern end of the Fraser Valley

Other destinations

Golden Ears Provincial Park near Maple Ridge

Near Chilliwack

• 1 Cultus Lake (see Chiliwack article)
  • Lindell Beach — on Cultus Lake

• 2 Chilliwack Lake (see Chiliwack article)

Near Maple Ridge

• 3 Golden Ears Provincial Park — a rugged park set amid the Coast Mountains, used for hiking, horseback riding, camping, and boating (see Maple Ridge article)

Understand

The Fraser Valley has lush fertile farmland, which contributes a large portion of the local produce. The Fraser is also the world's greatest salmon producing river, and a focus for the region's economy, transportation and culture. The towns of Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and Langley are transforming from agricultural to suburb. Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, and Hope remain closer to their agricultural roots, but are also transforming.

Get in

By plane

Airport in Fraser Valley with scheduled commercial flights

• 1 Abbotsford International Airport (YXX ^IATA) offers flights to some Canadian destinations and some international destinations. It is not served by public transit.

Other nearby airports with scheduled commercial flights

• 2 Vancouver International Airport (YVR ^IATA) is further, but is the main airport serving the region with far more flight options.
• 3 Bellingham International Airport (BLI ^IATA) in Washington state, offering some flights within the United States of America

By bus

• Ebus, toll-free: +1 877-769-3287. Travels daily between Kamloops and Vancouver, and Kelowna and Vancouver on two separate routes. Both routes have stops in Merritt, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Surrey. Same day transfers at Kamloops to and from Prince George are available on three days per week per direction. (updated Mar 2022)
• Mountain Man Mike's Bus Service (Stops at Pacific Central Station), ☏ +1-778-382-7729, info@mountainmanmikes.ca. Twice per week service between Kaslo and Vancouver with stops in Balfour, Nelson, Castlegar, Christina Lake, Grand Forks, Greenwood, Rock Creek, Osoyoos, Keremeos, Princeton, Manning Provincial Park, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley, and New Westminster. This service provider also offers a weekly route between Kalso and Calgary via Nelson. (updated Mar 2022)
• Rider Express (Stops at Pacific Central Station), toll-free: +1-833-583-3636. Multiple days per week service along the Trans-Canada Highway from between Calgary and Vancouver with stops in Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Golden, Revelstoke, Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Sorrento, Chase, Kamloops, Merritt, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, and Surrey. In Salmon Arm, this service provider offers some trips with timed connections with its route between Salmon Arm and Kelowna. In Calgary, this service provider has routes that reach Edmonton. The service provider also has routes that allow travel as far east as Winnipeg. (updated Apr 2022)

By train

See also: Rail travel in Canada

• VIA Rail Canada, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. Operates train routes across Canada. Operates The Canadian up to three trips per week between Toronto and Vancouver with stops in both directions in medium to large cities and tourist destinations such as Sudbury, Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper, and Kamloops. In the Fraser Valley, for westbound trips toward Vancouver, trains stop at stations on the south side of the Fraser River, whereas for eastbound trips toward Toronto, trains stop at stations on the north side of the Fraser River. This route can offer a scenic view of the Canadian Rockies, depending on the train schedule, as the train operates day and night. This service connects with another route that travels between Jasper and Prince Rupert. (updated Mar 2022)
  • Westbound stops in the Fraser Valley include in Hope, Chilliwack and Abbotsford
  • Eastbound stops in the Fraser Valley include in Mission, Kent, and near Hope

By public transit

• BC Transit (Central Fraser Valley Transit System), ☏ +1-604-854-3232. Offers a route between Burnaby and Chilliwack with stops in Langley and Abbotsford. The route primarily travels along Highway 1. (updated Mar 2022) Also operates a route between Abbotsford and Langley.
• TransLink, ☏ +1-604-953-3333. The main public transit network in the Vancouver area, including: Bowen Island, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Lions Bay, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver, West Vancouver, and White Rock. Its network includes buses, SkyTrain (rail rapid transit), SeaBus (ferries), West Coast Express (commuter rail), and HandyDART (door-to-door shared-ride service for those who cannot ride public transit without assistance). (updated Mar 2022) Operates West Coast Express operates during weekdays along the north side of the Fraser River between Vancouver and Mission.

By car

• Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway)
  • Eastbound from Vancouver via Surrey
  • Westbound from Kamloops via Cache Creek in the Thompson-Nicola
• Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway). Westbound from Princeton in the Similkameen. Highway 3 terminates in Hope.
• Highway 5 (Coquihalla Highway). Westbound from Kamloops via Merritt in the Thompson-Nicola. Highway 5 terminates in Hope.
• Highway 9 (in Washington) / Highway 11 (in British Columbia). Northbound from Sedro-Woolley in the North Cascades. Highway 11 terminates in Mission after passing through Abbotsford.
• Highway 539 (in Washington) / Highway 13 (in British Columbia). Northbound from Bellingham in the North Cascades. Highway 13 terminates in Langley.

Border crossings

• 4 Huntingdon - Sumas (Abbotsford, BC (Highway 11) - Sumas, WA (WA-9)). 24/7. Open to all vehicles. (updated Aug 2023)
• 5 Aldergrove - Lynden (Langley, BC (Highway 13) - Lynden, WA (WA-539, the Guide Meridian)). Daily 8AM to midnight. NEXUS lane to United States only. Open to all vehicles. (updated Aug 2023)

Get around

A rental car or other means such as a bicycle are needed to access more rural areas of this region or if unwilling to wait for buses, each which run every half hour or less frequently.

By public transit

• BC Transit operates bus services within and connecting Abbotsford, Mission, and Chilliwack. Transit service from Chilliwack to Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs, and Hope are available, but infrequent. Transit connections with the Metro Vancouver's TransLink network are available throughout the day via Langley.

• TransLink, ☏ +1-604-953-3333. Is the public transit service bus service provider for destinations within Vancouver and the surrounding area, including Langley. (updated Mar 2022)

By car

• South of the Fraser River, Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) connects communities.

• North of the Fraser River, Highway 7 connects communities.
• Bridges across the Fraser River are located as follows from west to east:
  • Golden Ears Way between Langley and Pitt Meadows
  • Highway 11 between Abbotsford and Mission
  • Highway 9 between Bridal Falls and Agassiz
  • Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) between Hope and the north side of the river

See

Fort Langley

• Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada in Langley helps to tell the story of local fur trade and agricultural pursuits, as well as the colonization story and the ongoing history of the area.
• The Greater Vancouver Zoo in Langley is a mid-sized zoo with lions, tigers, giraffes, zebras, hippos and monkeys.

• The Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival is held in Mission on the third weekend of each November to view the third largest gathering of bald eagles in North America.

• The Abbotsford International Air Show is held the second weekend in August. Flight demonstrations primarily by Canadian and US craft.

Do

Golden Ears Provincial Park near Maple Ridge and the Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park near Chilliwack have plenty of easy to moderate hiking trails. Golden Ears is a major camping and recreation destination for Vancouverites, and has a day-use area for swimming and boating.

Wine tasting

Though it isn't quite the viniculture hotbed that the Okanagan is, there are a number of wineries in the Fraser Valley. See Domaine de Chaberton Estate, which started it all, and Township 7 Vineyards & Winery, Glenugie Winery, and Blackwood Lane Vineyards & Winery in Langley; The Fort Wine Company in historic Fort Langley; Blossom Winery (famous for ice wine and fruit wines) and Sanduz Estate Wines in Richmond; River's Bend Winery in Surrey; Lotusland Vineyards in Abbotsford; Blue Heron Winery in Pitt Meadows; and Kermode Wild Berry Winery in Dewdney; and St. Urban Winery in Chilliwack. Look for the handy Wine Map from Wines of British Columbia. Consider visiting only three to five wineries in a day, to give yourself time to enjoy the visit, available at most of these wineries. Many wineries will limit you to only three to five wine samples in one visit. Some may charge you a couple of dollars for the tasting, which might be waived if you purchase some wine.