Things to do in Coquitlam

Let's start with the tradeoff, because outdoor stops here come in two moods. Lafarge Lake is a flat loop beside SkyTrain at Lafarge Lake-Douglas station, with a playground, spray park and table tennis if the conversation stalls. The Coquitlam Crunch is the opposite: a 2.2 km climb with over 890 steps and 242 metres of gain, so it only makes sense when you both want exercise. It has its own stair-repeat circuit if you want a proper workout, and there's a view. Hoy Creek Linear Park sits between the two, with forested trails and a volunteer-run salmon hatchery. Burke Mountain has trails in Pinecone Burke, but check the BC Parks advisories first, since operations there are listed as minimal.

A quick word on the Crunch: it's 894 stairs across two sets. If you've pitched it as "a nice walk with a view," be ready for the moment your date meets the staircase and asks which part is the walk. Our take: tell them the truth up front. For something gentler, there's Hoy Creek Hatchery, where volunteers raise salmon that are released each spring to head for the Pacific.