Green Timbers Urban Forest is one of the most unexpected things in Surrey. It's a 70-hectare block of mature second-growth Douglas fir, western red cedar, and western hemlock in the middle of the city — flat, easy to walk, and genuinely quiet once you're a few hundred metres into the trail network. The land was logged in the early 1900s for the Green Timbers Mill and then, remarkably, became the site of Canada's first major reforestation experiment in 1930. The trees you see today were planted by hand a century ago and are now 30–40 metres tall.
The park has a well-maintained network of flat gravel trails — popular with runners, stroller-pushing parents, and dog walkers. There's a small lake (Green Timbers Lake) in the middle, stocked for fishing, with a loop trail. The forest is also one of the best places in the Lower Mainland to see barred owls and pileated woodpeckers, and in winter the trees fill with bald eagles drawn to the Serpentine River nearby.
For newcomers, Green Timbers is the kind of place that changes your opinion of Surrey. You walk in expecting a glorified patch of trees and you walk out thinking the city has a real hidden gem. It's free, open year-round, and never crowded.
How to get there
By car, the main parking lot is at 100 Avenue and 148 Street, about 10 minutes from Surrey City Centre. By transit, the 320 Surrey Central–Langley bus stops within a 10-minute walk of the lake entrance.
Local tips
- The lake loop is the easiest walk — about 1.5 km, fully flat
- Mornings are best for birding; dusk for owls
- The fishing pier on Green Timbers Lake is family-friendly
- Dogs must be leashed; this is strictly enforced