North America : Canada : British Columbia : Lower Mainland : Fraser Valley
Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is agricultural region of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is gradually being transformed into suburbs of Vancouver.
Cities
- Langley, a major suburb of Vancouver with strong agriculture remaining
- Fort Langley, a historic town, site of the province's founding.
- Abbotsford, a major regional town with a significant commercial airport, and a hub of agriculture.
- Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Mission, Dewdney and Kent along the north bank of the Fraser River.
- Chilliwack, where the Fraser River emerges from the mountains
- Harrison Hot Springs, a pretty vacation area next to the mountains
- Lindell Beach, on Cultus Lake
- Hope, gateway to British Columbia's interior and entrance to the Lower Mainland
Other destinations
- Cultus Lake near Chilliwack
- Chilliwack Lake
Understand
The Fraser Valley has lush fertile farmland, which contributes a large portion of the local produce. The Fraser is also the world's greatest salmon producing river, and a focus for the region's economy, transportation and culture. The towns of Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, and Langley are transforming from agricultural to suburb. Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, and Hope remain closer to their agricultural roots, but are also transforming.
Talk
Get in
Get around
See
Do
- Wine tasting: Though it isn't quite the viniculture hotbed that the Okanagan is, there are a number of wineries in the Fraser Valley. See Domaine de Chaberton Estate, which started it all, and Township 7 Vineyards & Winery, Glenugie Winery, and Blackwood Lane Vineyards & Winery in Langley; The Fort Wine Company in historic Fort Langley; Blossom Winery (famous for ice wine and fruit wines) and Sanduz Estate Wines in Richmond; River's Bend Winery in Surrey; Lotusland Vineyards in Abbotsford; Blue Heron Winery in Pitt Meadows; and Kermode Wild Berry Winery in Dewdney; Westham Island Estate Winery and Wellbrook Winery in Delta; and St. Urban Winery in Chilliwack. Look for the handy Wine Map from the Fraser Valley Wine Association[1]. Consider visiting only three to five wineries in a day, to give yourself time to enjoy the visit, available at most of these wineries. Many wineries will limit you to only three to five wine samples in one visit. Some may charge you a couple of dollars for the tasting, which might be waived if you purchase some wine.
- Pottery: The Fraser Valley Potters Guild[2] has a handy brochure listing area potters open to tours. Try Simpson Pottery in Aldergrove; Venema Pottery in Abbotsford; Jo Priestly[3] in Mission; Rainforest Pottery[4], Schellenberg Pottery, and Driediger Pottery in Yarrow; Greendale Pottery[5] in Chilliwack; and The Back Porch in Agassiz. A further list of potters are open by appointment. Call the studios to confirm they will be open.
Eat
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Stay safe
Get out
This page was last edited at 04:59, on 12 December 2008 by Marc Heiden. Based on work by Jim DeLaHunt, Darren Kirby and Evan Prodromou, Wikitravel user(s) Shaund and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.