"Rural charm on the Fraser River" Ladner by Carmanah

Ladner Travel Guide: 12 reviews and 26 photos

At the George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary in October

Autumn harvest on the farm

Ladner, British Columbia, Canada
Location: 49° 05' North, 123° 05' West
Population: 210,360 (2001 Census)
Incorporated: late 19th century

Ahh, Ladner. What to say about Ladner.

Ladner is small and not very exciting, but it has a lot of charm. It's located on the south side of the mouth of the Fraser River. Technically Ladner is one of several communities within Delta - a large agricultural municipality, but it still retains its own identity and name.

Whenever I visit Ladner, I feel like I've gone back in time. Not too far back in time, but far back enough that it still resembles the feeling of my childhood. Ladner really hasn't changed all that much, which is really amazing considering how practically every other community in Greater Vancouver has been rezoned to death and developed so much it's hardly recognizable. I like Ladner very much for this lack of change.

Westham Island scenery

If you drive west along the river from the village of Ladner, you will eventually get to a rickety wooden one-lane bridge connecting to Westham Island. The island has many small, independent farms open to the public. You've got U-pick farms where you can pick your own pumpkins, strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, tayberries, marionberries, etc. Of course, the nearby ditches often have wild blackberries growing, which as everybody knows, are free for the taking. Other farms sell wild honey, fruit jellies, fresh lamb, and fresh, organic vegetables (tomatoes, corn, beets, carrots, garlic, potatoes, etc). One farm even has a winery in which they sell wine made from all the various berries grown on their property.

Then there's one of my favourite places in the whole wide world - the George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary. This takes up a large chunk of the north-western corner of Westham Island. The land and nearby land is federally protected and is home to a large wetland ecosystem. Twice a year thousands of snow geese feed in nearby fields during their migration along the coast. Of course, the resident birds - the bald eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, Canada geese, coots, red winged blackbirds, chickadees, finches, mallard ducks, wood ducks, harlequin ducks, woodpeckers, and dozens more - can be found year round.

Pros and Cons

Pros:The bird sanctuary, the farmland and U-pick farms, the rural scenery, the snow geese that visit during the migrations, the quaintness of the main village, the quaintness of the waterfront
Cons:Not very exciting.
In a nutshell:Rural charm

Last visit to Ladner: Oct 2007
Intro Updated Oct 28, 2007
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Reviews (5)

Feed the birds at the bird sanctuary Things to Do (1)

For 50 cents a bag you can buy some lovely birdseed for the creatures in the George C Reifel bird sanctuary. The ducks... more travel advice

Ducks at the bird sanctuary in Ladner, BC - Ladner

Bird-watching at the Bird Sanctuary Favorites (2)

My favourite thing about Ladner is indeed the George C Reifel Bird Sanctuary, located in the far north-west corner of... more travel advice

A chickadee eating out of my hand at the sanctuary - Ladner

Hand-feeding chickadees at the bird... Favorites (2)

This is a secret I learned in Ladner in the late 90's while observing a couple who had chickadees eating out of their... more travel advice

Fish 'n chips & ginger beer! Restaurants (2)

This is probably one of the only authentic British styled restaurants in all of Greater Vancouver, located right in... more travel advice

Comments (6)

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lovetoeatout Nov 9, 2007 at 8:37 PM

The meal with one beer and one glass of wine came to $45 and it was by far the worst service and meal I had ever had in my life. Please DO NOT suggest for anyone, least of all our cherished Tourists, eat at this declining restaurant. Sadly Disapointed
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fabrice Mar 30, 2003 at 8:49 PM

so that's the very place where you feed geese and show them your cute bare toes
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zrim Mar 4, 2003 at 7:52 AM

Nice of you to feed the birds.
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KennetRose Feb 25, 2003 at 1:30 AM

A really interesting page - always good to see the out-of-the way places!
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orlikins Feb 12, 2003 at 6:17 AM

mmm....ginger beer... :-)
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crazyguitar Feb 5, 2003 at 3:28 AM

It seems the state you live it's plenty of charming villages and places! Nice page! Seafood: Mmmhh! You make me feel hungry now!!