Port Moody

Port Moody is a city in the Vancouver eastern suburbs of British Columbia, Canada. Set on the eastern end of the Burrard Inlet, it has some fine waterfront property. It's primarily a residential community, just close enough to commute to Vancouver for work. Recent high-rise developments on the water, such as NewPort Village, have also spurred retail and entertainment districts.

Get in

By car

The Barnett Highway (Highway 7A) leads in from Burnaby and Vancouver from the west and on to Coquitlam and eventually Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge. From the Trans-Canada Highway 1, it's often quickest to take Gaglardi Way (exit 37) to Como Lake Rd and then make a left on to Clarke Rd.

By public transit

The Millenium Skytrain line has two stops in Port Moody: Moody Centre and Inlet Centre. Moody Centre is the closest stop to Rocky Point Park and a number of restaurants and micro breweries; Inlet Centre is close to the Newport Village area of town. The Skytrain connects Port Moody with Coquitlam to the east and Burnaby and East Vancouver to the west. Lougheed Town Centre station, a couple of stops away, connects to the Expo Skytrain line with service to New Westminster and Surrey.

The #160 bus runs along St. John's St and the Barnett Highway to Burnaby, where it connects with buses to downtown Vancouver and North Vancouver.

Get around

St. John's Street is the main street in, out and through Port Moody. Several community buses get away from St. John's Street into the surrounding neighbourhoods. The C25 bus serves Ioco. The C27 serves the Heritage Mountain area and parts of Westwood Plateau (Coquitlam), running from Port Moody station to Coquitlam station. The C28 provides similar service to the C27, except with more focus on the Westwood Plateau area. The city has complimentary electric car charging spots at City Hall, the library, the recreation Centre, Kyle Centre, the art centre, and Rocky Point Park.

See

• 🌍 Rocky Point Park, at the foot of Moody St. Small park that offers views of the Burrard Inlet. It's also the start of the Shoreline Trail and the first of a string of five linked parks along Port Moody's waterfront. There's a pier, seasonal outdoor pool, skate park and some walking/biking trails. 

Do

Walk along the Shoreline Trail, which runs from Rocky Point to behind the Port Moody Rec Centre (across from Newport Village). It runs along the Burrard Inlet and is very scenic.

Buy

There are many stores along St. John's Street. There is also shopping in Newport Village, and Suter Brook across from it. There's like, three or four Starbucks, man! Coquitlam Centre shopping mall is a seven minute bus-ride away, containing 200 stores.

Eat

• 🌍 Browns Social House, 215 Newport Dr, ☎ [phone]. M-F 11AM-midnight, Sa-Su 10AM-midnight. Well-priced casual dining with a varied menu. Starters $6-17, mains $12-20. 
• 🌍 Pajo's Fish and Chips, 2800 Murray St (located in Rocky Point Park), ☎ [phone]. Generally open 11AM-8PM during summer, hours variable at other times of the year and often closed during winter. Good fish and chips, very enjoyable on nice day if you are at Rocky Point. Fish options include cod (cheapest), salmon and halibut (expensive). There are also burgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers/dogs. $9-23 food & drink. (updated Mar 2015)
• 🌍 Rosa's Cucina Italiana (Rosa's), 2331 Clarke St, ☎ [phone]. Tu-Th Su 4PM-10PM, F-Sa 4PM-11PM. Italian cuisine. Visited by many celebrities, definitely the most notable of Port Moody's restaurants. Appetizers $8-17.50, mains $14-31. (updated Mar 2015)
• 🌍 The Boathouse, 2770 Esplanade St, ☎ [phone]. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F 11AM-11PM, Sa 9AM-11PM, Su 9AM-10PM. Upscale dining. Located at Rocky Point with view of Burrard Inlet and the Coast Mountains. Staters $7-13, mains $20-40. 

Drink

Popular pubs/bars include St. James' Well in Newport Village, The Point on St. John's Street, and The Golden Spike, also on St. John's.

Port Moody is home to a great strip of small breweries, all of which are located on Murray St near Moody St, near the Port Moody Skytrain station and Rocky Point Park. Check out Yellow Dog Brewing, Twin Sails Brewing, The Parkside Brewery, and Moody Ales.

Sleep

Accommodation options within Port Moody itself are limited. There is a larger selection of hotels in nearby Coquitlam, Burnaby and New Westminster.

• 🌍 Anmore Camplands & RV Park, 3230 Sunnyside Rd, Anmore, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. RV and tent sites. Showers, swimming pool, playground and sport court. (updated Mar 2015)
• 🌍 At the Beach Guesthouse, 872 Alderside Rd, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. B&B overlooking the Burrard Inlet. All rooms include breakfast and wireless internet. The Spa Room has an in-suite spa and sauna. May-Sept $150/$175, Oct-Apr $120/$150. (updated Mar 2015)

Connect

Nearby

North of Port Moody are the villages of Anmore and Belcarra. The main attraction of these villages is two regional parks with hiking, sandy beaches, swimming and some great views. To get there by car head north on Ioco Rd or take bus C26.

Buntzen Lake

This park, located at the northern end of Sunnyside Rd in Anmore (open throughout the year, gates close at 9PM in summer, dusk at other times, ), is an great spot to hang out for a day. You can just relax and hang out on the beach, BBQ and admire the scenery or do something and take advantage of the lake and trails. The park is very popular with locals and if you plan to drive in on a sunny weekend, it's best to arrive by 11AM/noon as the parking lot fills up fast.

One of the most popular activities are the excellent day hikes, ranging from 45 mins to the Dilly Dally loop, which is a 10-12 hour hike. The most popular trail is the 🌍 Buntzen Lake Trail, a rolling loop around the lake (about 8 km). The 🌍 Dias Vistas Trail is much more demanding but offers some good views from the ridge top on a clear day. There are often map brochures in the park by the large map signs.

The lake has a couple of 🌍 swimming beaches and is also popular for boating and fishing. You need a freshwater licence to fish; these are available from Anmore Store in the village. Only boats with small electric engines (check the specs before bringing a powered boat) are permitted on the lake otherwise you can canoe or kayak. Canoe can be rented from Anmore Store. Be aware of the large strip of logs signaling where you cannot swim/boat past on the north side of the lake.

There are a few buildings around the lake, a couple of abandoned houses towards the north end, one which was built for a movie. Otherwise, buildings are property of BC Hydro, who use the lake for power generation, and should not be entered.

Please note parking at Buntzen Lake is limited and there is no street parking on nearby streets or at the nearby trailer park. Illegally parked cars are likely to be towed. Some residents close to the lake allow people to pay to park on their lawns or driveway.

Go next

Routes through Port Moody

Vancouver (Commercial Dr-Hastings Park) ← Burnaby ←	W  E	→ Coquitlam → END
END ← Vancouver (City Centre) ←	W  E	→ Coquitlam → Mission