Walking is a simple way to improve overall wellbeing and reduce the chances of developing the health concerns associated with inactivity.
Walking is free and can be done almost anywhere
Walking is a form of exercise which is within the physical capabilities of many people
Walking can be integrated into people's lifestyles relatively easily
Walking can be set at your own pace or together socially with friends or family
Walking is low risk for injury. Walking is low impact and causes minimal strain on the feet and joints.
For more information on benefits of walking, click here for the WalkBC site. For tips on how to incorporate walking into your daily life, click here.
For useful links and background reading on walking from the New Westminster and Burnaby Walkers’ Caucus click here.
Walking Groups
For Schedule of some walk groups around the region posted by Surrey Trekkers Volkssport Club Click here
Many of the walking groups in Metro Vancouver are offered through local Community Centres and Neighbourhood Houses as well as Meet Up: Meetup.com (by membership).
Jane’s Walks are organized in some municipalities during the first week in May to honour and activate the ideas of Jane Jacobs. These walks are listed by municipalities below. Click here for more information about Jane’s Walks.
Outsetters are a hiking and walking club, mainly around the Lower Mainland, the North Shore mountains and Sea to Sky corridor. Click here for more information.
Below are just a few examples. If you can’t find a group nearby, why not start your own? Click here for resources to start your own. If you know of a walking group not listed here, let us know.
Abbotsford
Walk Abbotsford Click Here for more information.
An Abbotsford city-wide walking program with volunteers leading a 30 minute walk. Inclusive of all ages and abilities. For Walk Calendar Click here.
For more information phone: 604-859-3134 local 5297
Email: info@healthyabbotsford.ca
Burnaby
Edmonds Community Centre teaches courses in Nordic pole walking. Click here for more information.
Jane’s Walk Burnaby, BC is organized by the City of Burnaby. To learn more about local Jane’s Walks or to lead a walk, click here or contact the City of Burnaby, Transportation Planning Department at transportation@burnaby.ca.
Walking Group Meetup. Click here for more information.
Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody (Tri-Cities)
Coquitlam
Coquitlam Meetup 45+ (plus other activities beyond walking). Click here for more information.
Jane’s Walk, Coquitlam, BC - looking for an organizer! Click here for more information.
The City of Port Coquitlam has maps and for help starting a walking group (scroll down). Click here for more information or contact: 604.927.7983 or Email: sports@portcoquitlam.ca
Striders Mall Walking Club- Coquitlam Centre Mall Tues. and Thurs. @ 9:15 a.m. on Level 2 in front of H&M. Click here for more information.
Other walking circuits at Port Moody Recreation Centre & Poirier Recreation Centre
Tri Cities Walking & Social Group- For walks and hikes primarily in the Tri-Cities area. Saturdays 9-9:30a.m. start times. All ages. Dog friendly. Click here for more information.
Port Coquitlam Gets Walking!
Mondays & Wednesdays Noon: Downtown PoCo (The Outlet, Leigh Square)
Contact: 604.927.8400
Tuesdays 9:30a.m. Women’s Group @ Hyde Park Rec. Centre Contact: 604.941.8465
Thursdays 9:30a.m. Women’s Group @ Wilson Centre Contact: 604.941.8465
For Port Coquitlam City information on walking and cycling click here
Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows
Haney Place Mall (Tri-Hard) Walking Club
Valley Fair Mall Walking Club
Singles over-45 walking group meets Saturdays, 9:15 a.m. at Pitt Meadows rec centre for walks in Tri-Cities and Ridge Meadows areas. Info: Graham, 604-464 1839.
Stride to Thrive Walking Group and Indoor Walking Club – Anne, 604-466-4920
New Westminster
New Westminster & Burnaby Walkers’ Caucus has a calendar of walks, as well as other walking resources and advocacy information. Click here for more information.
Jane’s Walks New Westminster- Click here for more information
Centennial Community Centre Walking Group – Wed 2 - 3p.m., Centennial Community Centre, 65 East 6th Avenue. Informal walking for free.
Century House Walking Club for members of Century House (50+).
Meets Fridays at 9 a.m. at the 6th & 6th Royal City Mall entrance. Transit is used to access various walks in the Lower Mainland. Click here for more information.
Step by Step New West – a free New West and Urban Poling Workshop for those affected by Parkinson’s Disease and their supporters. Click here for more information.
Queensborough Community Centre Nordic Walking- Engaging multiple muscle groups, Nordic Walking gives you an excellent workout. The proper use of walking poles improves your balance, muscle strength and bone health. Poles are provided.
Tuesdays 9:00 - 10:00 am. Seasonal, weather dependent. Click here to see Connecting 50+ brochure.
North Vancouver
Hearts in Motion Walking Group
Capilano Mall & Parkgate Shopping Centre. Click here for more information or call 604.983. 9976.
Jane’s Walk
North Vancouver, BC. For more information click here.
WALKSTARS
A walking group that promotes health, making new friends and keeping everyone accountable to their fitness. For walks on beautiful routes in North Vancouver, Canada. The organizers are not professional trainers, just people with a passion to keep healthy and do it with others. Click here for more information.
Surrey
Guildford Town Centre Walking Club
For Adults any age and fitness level. 50 minutes with warm-up and cool down exercises and stretches. Two sessions to choose from on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays starting at 7:30 a.m. or 8:30a.m. Group meets on upper level near Sears & Lenscrafters (Enter by the northside through the entrance by BC Liquor Store.) First Class is free. Drop-in fee of $1.50 or registration for a 10-session $10 passport required after. For more information click here.
Semiahmoo Walkers
A one hour walk starting at 8a.m. with optional breakfast at ABC Restaurant after!
Saturday (Feature Walk) Sunnyside Urban Forest - meet at water tower by the S.Surrey Rec. Centre
Monday Stewart Farm House (Elgin Heritage Park) - meet at lower parking lot
Wednesday White Rock Beach - meet at westernmost parking lot for walking the neighbourhood hills
Friday Crescent Beach - meet at the end of Sullivan Street
Click here for more information. Or Email Gil@jinks833@gmail.com, Anne@maebell81@gmail.com, or Judi@judicumming47@gmail.com
Surrey Trekkers Volkssport Club
For FUN, FITNESS, and FRIENDSHIP
The Surrey Trekkers Volkssport Club was formed in 1991 now with 140 members. Members walk rain or shine all over Metro Vancouver and occasionally further afield. Morning walks: every Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, and holiday.
Thursday evening walks are also hosted from May to August. There's always a choice between a 10 km route and a 5 km route. New walkers always welcomed! Click here for more information.
Vancouver
Brock House Society
Pole walking Wednesday 10 - 11 a.m.
This groups meets outside the front entrance of Brock House. For more information click here or contact Convenor Mona Kriss: mjkriss78@gmail.com
Collingwood Neighbourhood House Walking Club Click Here
For exercise and to meet new people. Dress for the weather and bring an umbrella.
Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30a.m. Meet in the Collingwood Neighbourhood House lobby. No program on public holidays. Cost: FREE
For more information please contact Seniors Wellness Program Coordinator Jenny Shen at 604-435-0375 ext. 227 or email jshen@cnh.bc.ca
Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House- Community Slow Walk. Click here for more information.
Dates and Hours | Wednesday 10am-11:30am, every 2 weeks
Slow walks around the neighbourhood where you can meet new friends and enjoy exploring the community. Meet at Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House at 10am and return to Frog Hollow around 11:30am and stay for a coffee. For more information and registration please call Manda at 604-251-1225 or email at manda@froghollow.bc.ca.
Click here to access 2018 Community walk information.
Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House- Choose to Move
Hours | To be Decided, Pre-registration Required
Are you an older adult who wishes to pursue a healthier and more active lifestyle? Join our free Choose to Move program to work with an activity coach! We will help you implement daily habits to get you moving, at a pace comfortable for you. Contact Manda at 604-251-1225 ext. 245 for more information.
Click here for English Choose to Move Poster
Click here for Chinese Choose to Move Poster
Gordon Neighbourhood House Seniors in Action
The Seniors in Action program supports the health and well-being of West End Seniors by increasing community connections, encouraging daily physical activity, and increasing independence through a variety of fun activities and workshops. Regular activities and workshops include walking groups, gardening, dancing, health workshops, and more!
For more information, click here or contact Doris at doris@gordonhouse.org.
Jane’s Walk
Vancouver, BC- Click here for more information
Kits House Walking Group - Click here for more information about Kitsilano Neighbourhood House, which hosts the walking groups.
Click here to check out how Kits House Walking Group helps seniors.
Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House
Senior Leadership, Education, Activity and Participation (LEAP) program
Leadership, education, activity and participation, supported by volunteers, outreach and social workshops takes physical activities, walking clubs and seniors peer support programs to the next level. Offered in multiple locations to increase independence, promote social networks, and active aging. This program is funded by United Way and delivered by MPNH.
For more information click here or contact Director of Community Programs Claudine Matlo: 604.879.8208 ext 138 or Email: cmatlo@mpnh.org
South Granville Seniors Centre
Walking Club Fridays (ongoing) 10-11am FREE
Let’s walk together to get fit! Walking is a great cardiovascular exercise that works your entire body. Walking can reduce the risk of hip fractures, stroke, and heart disease, and protect the brain against memory loss. Their walking club offers various 1-hour walks in the neighbourhood for individuals of all skills levels. Click here for more information.
Sunday Walkers - Senior walking group in downtown Vancouver
A ‘Meetup’ event. Members are typically over 60 years of age and enjoy walking, dining and fun. Brisk walks every Sunday rain or shine for 1.5 to 2 hours. Meet for lunch at a local restaurant afterwards. Click here for more information.
Contact: Gwendoline Turpin
Vancouver Coastal Health - OASIS Pole Walking classes offered regularly in Richmond, Vancouver and West Vancouver. It’s Free! For more information, click here or Phone: 604.904.6177 or Email: oasis@vch.ca
Vancouver ‘Venturers - a walking club’
For FUN, FITNESS and FRIENDSHIP
A friendly outdoor walking club. Formed in 1997 presently with approximately 50 members. Always keen to welcome newcomers. Walks are organized throughout the year, rain or shine, all over Metro Vancouver and occasionally further afield. There's always a choice between a 10 km route and a 5 km route. Immediately following a walk, you have the option to go to a nearby eatery for a nice meal together.
If you have any questions or comments, please post them on Meetup. Alternatively, you may send an email to vancouverventurers@gmail.com. Click here for more information.
The Vancouver Walking Meetup Group
Fun and enthusiastic walkers scattered across the Greater Vancouver area who love to exercise and socialize. The organizer, the assistant organizers, and the event hosts are all volunteers. Leaders enjoy walking and sharing their knowledge about places with other people. The walks can be anywhere in the Lower Mainland area, depending on where the organizer of the particular walk ("event") has decided to go. To learn about some of the past walks click here with more details with a click. For more information about the group click here.
If you have questions about the group in general, please contact the main organizer by clicking here.
For Walk Guidelines for the group, click here.
West Vancouver
Hearts in Motion Walking Group -Caulfield Village 604.922.3999 or Park Royal Mall 604.988.8563. Click here for more information.
White Rock
Jane’s Walk White Rock, BC. Click here for more information.
Self-Guided Walks:
MapMyWalk has walking routes for all of BC. Click here to access them.
Walk BC lists walks for all of BC as well. Click here to access them.
The City of Burnaby has developed a Metrotown Walking Map. Click here to access the map online. Click here to access other walking information in the City of Burnaby.
The City of Langley has an online pdf of a parks and trails map. Click here to access it.
The City of Maple Ridge lists some walks and hikes. Click here for more information.
The City of New Westminster has lots of information about walking in the City, including mythbusters, committees and policies, and safety tips for pedestrians and drivers. Click here to access this information.
Vancouver North Shore lists walking routes and trails in North Vancouver and West Vancouver. Click here to access these.
The City of Port Coquitlam has maps of walks, categorized as easy, moderate and advanced. Click here to access them.
The City of Port Moody lists some walking routes and destinations. Click here to access them (scroll down).
The City of Richmond has a walking guide book. For English version click here. For Chinese version click here. Copies are also available at most community recreation facilities or you can email walking@richmond.ca to have one mailed to you. For more information phone: 604.276.4300 or Email: walking@richmond.ca
The City of Vancouver has listed some self-guided walks. Click here to access them. They also have information on walking and cycling greenways. Click here to access them.
The neighbourhood of Kitsilano in Vancouver has a self-guided tree walk map. Click here to access the map.
For White Rock Walking Trails click here.
To access the City of White Rock’s Public Art Walking Map click here.
If you can’t find a walking map for where you want to walk, bike route maps are often helpful, as bike routes tend to be more traffic-calmed, tree-lined, and have signalized crossings.
Other Walking resources:
CARP’s (Canadian Association of Retired Persons) Stand Up Straight Initiative
Walking is an easy form of physical activity for most people and regular walking can lead to long term lifestyle changes and health benefits. Click here for more information.
WalkBC® encourages individual and group walking to increase overall health in communities through a range of programs that promote walking. This site helps communities and individuals increase awareness of the importance of a physically active lifestyle and support and promote walking as a key factor in increasing overall health and well-being.
WalkBC® was created through a joint initiative between the Heart & Stroke Foundation of BC & Yukon and the BC Recreation & Parks Association (BCRPA). It was one of four initiatives under the Physical Activity Strategy. Funding was provided by the BC Healthy Living Alliance, with support from ActNow BC. The WalkBC® initiative is now managed solely by the BCRPA. Click here to access the site.
For Information on Walking Poles and where to buy them in Metro Vancouver click here.
For Information on everything urban poling, click here.
The Walk to End Social Isolation is organized by Beyond the Conversation, a non profit organization for ending social isolation. First annual event hosted on Sept. 9th, 2018. For more information click here, phone: 778.710.1499 or Email: contact@beyondtheconversation.ca
Walk With Your Doc is a grassroots initiative of Doctors of BC’s Council on Health Promotion (COHP) started in 2010. For more information on this BC-Wide initiative click here.
Canada Walks is a department of Green Communities Canada and promotes walking in Canada. BEST is a member of Canada Walks. Click here to learn more about Canada Walks.
Walk Metro Vancouver is an advocacy organization that began to host the Walk21 conference in Vancouver in 2011. For more information about Walk Metro Van, click here or please contact walkmetrovan@gmail.com.
Walkside
Walkside is a project of BEST where we are mapping out the sidewalks in Metro Vancouver (starting with the City of Vancouver) and their curb cuts to determine a basic level of accessibility. If you are looking for safe and accessible walking routes, this resource is for you! Click here to access them in the City of Vancouver. For more information contact: info@walkside.org
Report a missing curb cut or request a curb ramp to the City of Vancouver here.
Report a problem with walking infrastructure in the City of Surrey here.