- Difficulty Intermediate
- Time 1.5 hours
- Round-Trip 4.5km
- Elevation Gain 244 meters
- Season year-round
- Camping No
- From Vancouver 40 minutes
- Public Transit Yes
- Dog Friendly On-Leash
View Trail MapThe Coquitlam Crunch is a steep, urban trail that follows a route under large hydro power lines and offers a great workout. With the trail's location directly under the power lines, all of the views are obstructed by these lines and giant towers. However, the Coquitlam Crunch is a shorter, less intense version of the Grouse Grind with the sole purpose of exercise.
From the wooden signboard next to the gravel parking lot, walk up the gravel trail and just a short distance later, you arrive at a crosswalk on Lansdowne Drive. Cross the street and continue your hike uphill. This section is the steepest, most difficult part of the trail as the route climbs quickly without much of a break. The trail begins to level as you approach the next street crossing which, again, is Lansdowne Drive.
After crossing the street, the trail climbs at a much gentler rate before making a right and heading up a few stairs. The next road to cross is David Avenue, where the trail changes from gravel to a paved pathway. Continue past the dog off-leash area and up to a junction. Go left at the junction and up a few stairs towards the basketball and tennis courts, staying on the right side of the courts and following the path up to the road. Walk left, along the side walk up to the 3-way stop and cross the street, heading up hill on the other side of the intersection.
The final section of the Coquitlam Crunch climbs up a wide, paved path and passes a sport field on your right. Just beyond the field, the trail again turns into gravel as you complete the last portion up to Eagle Mountain Drive. The sense of accomplishment is brief though as you turn around and walk back down towards the parking area, following the same path but working a different set of muscles in your legs.
How to get to Coquitlam Crunch
Estimated Driving Time from Vancouver
40 minutes
The quickest route from Vancouver to drive to the Coquitlam Crunch is by taking Highway #1 Eastbound and exit just before the Port Mann Bridge onto Lougheed Hwy. From Vancouver, drive east to Highway #1 and merge onto the highway, heading eastbound. Take Exit #44 United Blvd / Lougheed Highway 7 East and follow the long off-ramp, watching for signs to Lougheed Highway 7 or Coquitlam (do not go to Highway 7B). Continue driving along the Lougheed Highway, towards Coquitlam Center Mall. At the major 4-way intersection, go straight through the lights, passing the mall. A few blocks later, turn left onto Guildford Way and continue to Lansdowne Drive. Turn right onto Lansdowne Drive and head up the hill, looking for the large power lines overhead. Right when the clearing for the power lines starts, turn left onto a gravel road and drive to the bottom where there is a large parking lot. The trail begins at the wooden sign board.
View a map of Driving directions to Coquitlam Crunch.
Transit Access to Coquitlam Crunch
The Coquitlam Crunch trail is accessible by public transit.
From Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster
The easiest route to take from Vancouver, Burnaby, or New Westminster is to take the Skytrain to Lougheed Station. From Lougheed Station, walk down the stairs on the east side of the station to the bus loop area and look for bus #097 - Coquitlam Station B-Line. Stay on this bus as it drives up North Road, through Port Moody, left onto Ioco, and eventually onto Guildford Way. The bus stop to get off at is on Guildford Way and Falcon Drive, across the street from Eagle Ridge Elementary.
To get to the start of the trail, you have to walk across the street and through Eagle Ridge Elementary to a gravel trail located on the east side of the school. The Coquitlam Crunch is located underneath large hydro power lines which are visible from the school, so walk towards that direction and you should find the gravel trail.
From Maple Ridge
From Maple Ridge, east of Coquitlam, take bus #701 - Coquitlam Station. At Coquitlam Station, transfer to bus #097 - Coquitlam Station B-Line. The stop to get off at is only about 10 minutes away, at the corner of Guildford Way and Falcon Drive, next to Eagle Ridge Elementary. To get to the start of the Coquitlam Crunch, walk through Eagle Ridge Elementary towards the hydro power lines and look for a gravel trail that heads up the hill.
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