Dog Friendly Hiking: Serpentine Fen Nature Trail
Serpentine Wildlife Area, also known as the Serpentine Fen Nature Trail, is a 3.5km trail that runs along the Serpentine River and loops through 150 hectares of marsh. The nature reserve is located in Surrey, BC and is managed by Ducks Unlimited. The area is home to over 130 bird species and is very popular with local birdwatchers. The nature reserve is dog friendly and it makes for a beautiful and very interesting walk. A leisurely stroll will take approximately 1.5h to complete the loop. Considering that this is a nature reserve, the whole park is strictly on-leash.
Looks like a beautiful day!
What a lovely place to explore
What a nice walk! Play bows,
RA
It is a nice place for birdwatchers, but NOT dog-walkers. It is a Wildlife Management Area, set aside for Wildlife, not domestic animals (dogs). Almost all the dog walkers I have encountered there have had their dogs off-leash. When politely told that it is a sensitive wildlife area and to kindly leash their dogs, they are indifferent and downright rude! I also dislike the photos on this blog, showing a large dog venturing off-path, despite it being on leash. Lots of bird species nest on the ground, and shorebirds and waterfowl occur right where the dog is shown. The dog could definitely disturb them. Unfortunately, the majority of dog walkers don’t seem to care about the environment, wildlife or nature. So sad. Plus this area has lots of dog poo left on the paths.
Hi Lori,
Thank you so much for your feedback. I couldn’t agree more with your observations about self-righteous and downright rude dog owners who have absolutely no respect for leash laws and don’t even bother to clean after their pets. Sadly, their behaviour antagonizes the public, casts a shadow on dog owners in general and often gets dogs banned from using public spaces. As to your comment about the photos, I took them no more than 2 meters off the path looking for better angles and nicer background, I didn’t think we would be disturbing any wildlife so close to the path, but you right, it is not obvious from the photos and does not set a good example.