PoCo Climb Trail

The PoCo Climb has been in the news lately as a new trail in Port Coquitlam, and with the increase in population and demand for outdoor recreation across the region, it’s great to see local cities recognize the need for additional urban trails. Vancouver Trails wanted to know what the PoCo Climb was all about so we went to explore the new route.

We parked along the busy Shaughnessy Street near the trailhead and quickly made our way up the new timber stairs. Although hyped up by the city of Port Coquitlam, Phase I of the PoCo Climb trail is short and the climb was finished within minutes. The current route is a mere 175 metres each way and 30 meters of elevation gain.

Looking for more, we crossed Eastern Drive and continued up the trail under the power lines through Skyline Park and then on into Settlers Park and just beyond. There wasn’t a clear route through the area, so we turned around and headed back.

The City of Port Coquitlam says that Phase 2 “will be an even bigger adventure” and the trail will be “6.5 kilometres long”. We could not find a timeline for Phase 2 but there could be some potential for this trail as it does connect to ƛ̓éxətəm (tla-hut-um) Regional Park (Colony Farm Regional Park) and Port Coquitlam has done a wonderful job of connecting various neighbours through via the Traboulay PoCo Trail.

However, for now, the PoCo Climb is a great trail for locals living in the neighbourhood but don’t go out of your way for this hike until the route further evolves.