Iona Jetty

Iona Jetty is located in Richmond, BC, in Iona Beach Regional Park and is a 4km piece of land that juts out into the Salish Sea. The jetty was formally an island but is now connected to Sea Island and Metro Vancouver's sewage system. A pipeline runs underneath the jetty but the top is a popular path for recreational use, shared between walkers, joggers, and cyclists and offering great views of the region.

The start of the Iona Jetty is on the left side of Ferguson Road next to yellow gates and a wooden map board. Before beginning your walk, you will need to decide whether to take the lower gravel trail, usually for dogs off-leash and bikes, or the upper cement route. If you don't have a dog, the higher cement route is a bit nicer as you are higher up and have slightly nicer views. There are a few points where steps allow for easy crossover between the two trails but they can be more than a kilometre apart.

Walk past the yellow gates and walk up the stairs onto the viewing platform for a view of the Iona Regional Park area. Follow the jetty out into the sea as you veers slightly right and you pass the waves lapping along the shoreline. The route continues at this pace and doesn't really change much throughout the 4km.

You can expect to see some wildlife, depending on the time of year, including several species of shorebirds, seals, nd even salmon jumping on their return. The Vancouver International Airport is located just east of the jetty and there will be several planes landing or taking off.

Around the 2km mark, there is an outhouse on the lower gravel trail and some stairs between the two trails. There are a couple of small weather shelters located along the route too.

As you approach the end of the jetty, there is a large cement structure, which is part of the Metro Vancouver sewage system and likely some sort of pump house. If you're on the cement trail, walk down the metal stairs to the gravel and around the cement structure and continue to the end. At the end of the jetty, walk up the metal stairs to a viewing platform where you will have a spectacular view of the area on a clear day.

Return via the same route, following the Iona Jetty all the way back to the parking areas in Iona Beach Regional Park.