Scenic & Romantic
Belcarra's moody wetland loop past silvery ghost trees and a drowned forest that looks like it is posing for a gothic album cover.
Belcarra Regional Park, Woodhaven Swamp / Sasamat area, off Bedwell Bay Road
More infoThe name does the heavy lifting. Woodhaven Swamp sounds like a ghost story, and this short, easy-to-moderate loop in Belcarra Regional Park delivers, circling a wetland crowded with the silvery skeletons of a drowned forest, bare snags punching through water that turns mirror-perfect on a calm morning and properly haunting in mist. Link the Sasamat-Woodhaven connector for a two-and-a-half-hour ramble. Less trampled than Belcarra's famous spots, and open year-round.
Start from the Woodhaven Swamp pullout area on Bedwell Bay Rd in Belcarra (small roadside parking; if it's full, use the Sasamat/White Pine lot and walk the connector). Take the Woodhaven Swamp loop first, a short circuit with boardwalk sections and viewpoints over the wetland, where the standout is the 'drowned forest' of bare snags standing in still water; come early and it mirrors perfectly, so don't miss lining up that reflection shot. Link the Sasamat-Woodhaven connector to add a forested stretch of Sasamat Lake shoreline and you've got a roughly 2.5-hour, ~8 km ramble through wetland and lakeside scenery. Short on time? Just do the Woodhaven Swamp loop on its own (about 45-60 minutes) for the drowned-forest views and skip the lake link. Bring bug spray in summer, it's a swamp, after all. Free, year-round.
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