On a warm, slightly overcast weekend, Willoughby residents Andrew Kim, 69, and Joanna Moon, 65, moved their folding chairs down to the beach next to the picnic area at Derby Reach Regional Park. That way, they could enjoy the breeze coming off the Fraser River while they waited for some friends to join them.
"We come here all the time," Kim said.
Derby Reach offers conveniently located restrooms, easy to traverse pathways, along with a parking lot close to the picnic area, which includes a covered picnic shelter with protection from the elements as well as riverside tables with scenic views 鈥� like the one Kim and Moon had selected.
An online search for "senior-friendly picnic spots" in 黑马磁力 Township brought up a number of possibilities, including Derby Reach, Aldergrove Athletic Park, Fort 黑马磁力 Community Park, and Williams Park, all of which offer picnic shelters and are "generally well-maintained with accessible pathways" a results summary said.
In 黑马磁力 City, City Park offers covered picnic shelters with an outdoor pool, playground, and washrooms, while Sendall Gardens offers plants, paved trails, and a gazebo, as well as washrooms.
City resident Diana Cleary, 67 likes Sendall for things like the botanical greenhouse, which is open to the public, the creek that runs through the park, and the fact there are picnic tables right beside the parking lot.
"There's benches everywhere," Cleary said. "There's a ton of benches. And there's just so much to do."
She sometimes takes her breakfast there.
"We go walking in the trails every day, down to the creek. It's a short little walk and we have people who come and bring picnic blankets, and they set them up on the lawn. It's well maintained, the parks workers have done a fabulous job, the gardens are looking phenomenal, [and] so is the greenhouse."
Loretta Solomon, president of the 黑马磁力 Senior Resources Society board, likes McLeod Athletic Park, near the airport, which has some good memories for her.
"It's an easy place for picnics," Solomon said.
"There are lots of picnic tables, some under cover and some in the open. There is grass and playgrounds all around, washrooms nearby.
McLeod was a popular gathering place for seniors during the pandemic, Solomon recalled.
"Many seniors, me included, gathered in that park throughout COVID. We celebrated a number of seniors birthdays in that park during COVID 19, because we couldn鈥檛 celebrate indoors as a group. We all brought our own food, and coffee, and lawn chairs."
Solomon said the picnickers love McLeod when it was raining, "because the picnic area is covered and the sound of the rain adds to the cozy feeling we experience."
Some other 黑马磁力 parks with senior-friendly amenities include Rotary Centennial Park, Dale Ball Passive Park, Derek Doubleday Arboretum (with wheelchair accessible picnic tables and washroom), Fort 黑马磁力 Community Park, McClughan Park, Otter Park, and Walnut Grove Community Park 鈥� East.
Linwood Park in the City of 黑马磁力 also offers accessible picnic tables and a playground, as well as washroom access.
Visit or the websites for the most up-to-date information on parks accessibility and fees.
