Finding a place to lace up a pair of sneakers and go for a walk just got a little easier in Port Coquitlam.
The city's parks and recreation department has put together a free guide book listing 18 different routes and their level of difficulty.
Each walk has a brief write-up in the pamphlet, outlining the distance, terrain and what landmarks and sights the walker may come across along the way.
The initiative was spearheaded by PoCo's active communities co-ordinator Nathan Taylor, who put the list together with feedback from residents and several local walking clubs.
"It is an opportunity for people to get our and explore their community a little bit," he said. "We use walking because it is one of the easiest and simplest things people can do add more exercise into their daily life."
So far, the booklet has been popular with residents. Taylor has had difficulty keeping copies of it at the city hall brochure kiosk, so he made it available for downloading online.
The walks are organized into different levels of difficulty. The 3.5-km Castle Park-Citadel Landing Loop, for example, is marked in the easy category, while the 25-km Traboulay Trail walk is listed as advanced. A 6.5 km walk around DeBoville Slough is considered moderate.
Taylor said the routes around Hyde Creek are probably the most popular. The area around Gates Park has also been popular in large part to the outdoor gym, where people can stop off at the facility for a brief workout before continuing on with their route, he added.
The booklet could see some changes in its later editions, Taylor said, and new route suggestions are always welcome from members of the community.
"We want to take advantage of other areas in the city we not have looked at yet," he said. "In the future we are certainly hoping to expand the book."
The booklet is currently available at city hall, Hyde Creek Recreation Centre and the Port Coquitlam Recreation Complex. It is also available to be downloaded at www.pocomotion.ca.
EASY ROUTES (up to 3.5 km)
Castle Park-Citadel Landing Loop
Cedar Creek
Citadel Landing
Coquitlam River Park
Downtown Heritage Walking Tour
Hyde Creek-Chelsea Park Loop
Hyde Creek to Victoria Drive
Leigh Square to Gates Park gym
Northside Heritage Walking Tour
Peace Park
Shaughnessy Dog Park
Wilson Centre-Gates Park Loop
MODERATE ROUTES (up to 6.5 km)
Colony Farm Regional Park
DeBoville Slough
Wilson Centre to Patricia Bridge
ADVANCED WALKS (up to 25 km)
Coquitlam River Loop
Traboulay PoCo Trail
Westwood Park to Pitt River Bridge
