The Fraser Valley  

The Fraser Valley stretches from Hope, in the northeast, to just east and south of Vancouver, following the course of the Fraser River as it flows towards the sea. The combined Fraser Valley and greater Vancouver area are known as the Lower Mainland.

It was named after explorer Simon Fraser in 1813 by David Thompson, (in turn, the Thompson River was given its name by Fraser.) The longest of British Columbia's rivers, the Fraser rises near Mount Robson Provincial Park on the central Alberta border, flows north and then loops south down the center of the province, cutting the deep gorges of the Fraser Canyon before reaching the Pacific Ocean at Vancouver. The river's total length is 1,368 km (850 miles).

Surrounding the Valley are the Coast Mountains to the north, the Fraser Canyon and mountains to the northeast, the Canada/US border to the south and the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the west.

As you leave Vancouver, you journey through the bedroom communities of Vancouver, which include Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody. These are all within an easy one to one and a half hour from Vancouver.