Exploring New West and Burnaby with my dog: a series of our favourite places

If you're a dog-lover like me, then your pup is part of your family, and in some cases the centre of your universe. So, naturally you'll want to find activities that you can enjoy with your best friend.

My two-year-old mini bernedoodle Winston has a ton of energy, and this last weekend he had a lot of fun burning it off on a tour of some of our favourite dog-friendly trails and parks in and around New West.

Winston did not know what he was getting himself into when he jumped into my car on Saturday morning. It was raining—not what we were expecting in the midst of summer—but we packed a couple towels and rain jackets.

Here are some of the places we went:

Westburnco dog park

Winston was thrilled to get out of the car and run around, although there were no friends around due to the weather (see below). The park is right next to the Westburnco Sports Courts, and is long – my recommendation? Bring a ball!

Although the park is relatively narrow in comparison to others, it's great and allows for a linear off-leash run.

Brunette-Fraser Regional Greenway

Next on our list was the Brunette-Fraser Regional Greenway so we drove down to do just that. This walkway required dogs to be on leash but it made sense because the walkway is multi-purpose. Although you can't see the view as well, on sunny days, I promise it's spectacular.

What's cool about this location is that it's part of the Central Valley Greenway, which connects to Vancouver. (I've biked this route and can confirm it's long, but awesome.)

Glenbrook Ravine forest trail

This is one of the best forest trails that New West has to offer and this is where Winston really came alive! Even though you’re in the city, you feel like you could be miles away. If you're feeling adventurous, you can walk about 6.8 km and hit Queen's Park—it would take about an hour to complete with minimal elevation gain.

Byrne Creek ravine trail

This on-leash trail is just over 3 km and is on the New West/Burnaby border. It's generally easy and takes under an hour to complete. What's neat about this trail is that we were able to walk down to the creek where Winston dipped his paws. It's accessible by car and has a ton of street parking.

Although you can hear the SkyTrain in the distance, the trail itself is quite peaceful and makes for a nice escape from the regular hustle and bustle of the city.

Taylor Park off-leash dog park

This brings us to Taylor Park, also in Burnaby, but still very close to New West. We love coming here because the park is quite large so there's a lot of space for dogs to run around with each other and chase balls.

This park used to be a landfill but has since been transformed into a beautiful space for not only dogs, but for everyone to enjoy. It's the definition of a multi-purpose space with sports courts, a playground and large field.

Usually it's busier, but I think the rain earlier in the morning threw everyone off. Better luck next time, Winston.

Queen's Park

Earlier in the week, we visited Queen's Park – New West’s flagship park – though at the time, it was sunny. The park is absolutely gorgeous, spanning 75 acres of land. To put that into perspective, think of it as spanning 57 football fields, or even 18 Walmart Super Centre stores. It’s home to a stadium, tennis courts, sports fields and an off-leash dog area.

Queen’s park provided a lot of shade, so it was perfect for running around. There was also a little water pump and bowl to provide much needed hydration for the dogs.

Lastly...this good boy deserves a major treat

After spending the morning exploring and being a great co-pilot, Winston and I headed over to Vanpet at Royal Square Mall in New West so that he could cool off with a peanut butter and an applesauce-flavoured frozen yogurt treat. I would show you a photo but things got messy in the car!