Goose Bar

Trip Overview

Goose Bar is located in the Pitt River, north (upstream) of the Lougheed Hwy bridge.
You get there by launching at Trail Pavilion (Harris Rd Bridge), on Harris Rd, Pitt Meadows BC. Head north from Lougheed Hwy, (left if coming from Vancouver side, right if coming from Maple Ridge side)

You will be in the Alouette River at this point. You can head east (upstream) for a leisurely paddle with lots of wildlife and several small beaches to snack or rest. Bring a camera and binoculars. Wildlife: beavers, otters, muskrats, eagles, crows, mergansers, ducks, Canada geese and Blue Herons. The first 500m has other paddle boardrs but by 1km most are gone.

Head downstream (under the bridge) to get to the Pitt River and then cross the Pitt to get to Goose Bar.
Heading downstream you will pass a few derelict boats in the Alouette and eventually arrive at the Pitt River and the Pitt Meadows Marina. Turn to starboard (right/North) and head up the Pitt.
Along the east side are a lot of marsh, semi dry with stands of grass. A few geese here and there and the occasional Blue Heron. Can even paddle into the edge of the river and sit and watch the boats go by. If you don’t want to cross the Pitt, you can paddle for the next 10 hrs and finally arrive at Pitt Lake (not recommended, drive to the lake and launch there)

As you head north, you might see boats on the far bank suddenly disappear, they are going around Goose Bar, tugs with loads (gravel) always take the far west channel. As you paddle you will see a lot of old wooden broken down pilings when logging was big on Pitt Lake.
The water is usually pretty flat, with the occasional waves from the wake of boats plying the Pitt, Tugs, speed boats, the occasional tour boat heading to pitt Lake. The water between the pilings can be from 1’ to 10’

15-20 minutes (2 km) of paddling from the mouth of the Alouette will put you almost directly across from Goose Bar. Paddling straight across the Pitt at this point is about 10 minutes (0.5klm) to get to the bar (island). As you cross you might have to ride the wakes of other boats.
It has a huge sandbar on the south side, if the tide is out you can even ground your kayak. LOL but its easy to see once you get there and avoid it.
The east side is very silty and claylike ground, BUT head around to the west side and ½ ways up you come to a small SANDY beach. There is even a volley ball court there.
Its all low scrub bushes and a few cottonwoods and pines trying to establish themselves. GREAT place to have a picnic. Usually very few boaters stop here.

Highlights: easy paddle, wildlife, nice view of the mountains
Hazards 1: A few underwater pilings but they are visible or too deep to worry about.
HAZARD 2: The wind picks up every afternoon (around 2 pm or so) and is heading UPRIVER. Pitt River can get a 30-50cm chop/waves, they tend to be steep and erratic as the current and wind are in opposite directions.

You are now fighting the chop/waves and a 20-30km headwind to head home.