Cheam Fishing Camp to Island 22 Regional Park
Cheam Fishing Village → Island 22 Regional Park
The Fraser River in its broadest, most life-filled form
Cheam Fishing Village → Island 22 Regional Park
Begin your journey at Cheam Fishing Village and Campground, under the towering presence of Mount Cheam. Here, in the heart of the Lower Fraser, salmon, culture, and current converge. Traditional fishing platforms line the shore, and during migration season the river is alive with movement.
From Cheam, paddle into one of the Fraser’s most dynamic landscapes—a labyrinth of islands, braided channels, gravel bars, and backwaters that stretch across the full width of the Lower Fraser Valley. The river here doesn’t simply flow; it shifts, splits, and reforms, creating sheltered side channels that serve as critical habitat for spawning salmon, juvenile fish, and protected white sturgeon.
Wildlife viewing is exceptional. Bald eagles patrol overhead, herons stalk the shallows, and flocks of nesting and migratory birds gather in quiet back channels. Beneath the surface, sturgeon—ancient and immense—move through the deeper runs, while salmon pulse upstream toward their natal tributaries.
As the river bends westward, it traverses the fertile valley bottom—rich farmland framed by spectacular mountain views. Snow-capped peaks rise beyond fields and dikes, a dramatic contrast between working landscape and wild river.
Highlights of the journey include Ferry Island Provincial Park, as well as the confluence of the Harrison River and the Fraser—a powerful meeting of waters known for its concentration of fish and birdlife. Continue past Minto Island, an important natural and agricultural landscape, before arriving at Island 22 Regional Park, one of the Fraser Valley’s premier riverside destinations.
From here, paddlers can choose to head home or to spend the afternoon enjoying the amenities of Island 22 Regional Park and surrounding area. In the evening, paddlers are invited to join in a Salmon BBQ at Dewdney Nature Regional Park to hear presentations and celebrate the progress of the Fraser River Challenge!
Why this stretch is special:
Paddle through the Heart of the Fraser
Prime habitat for salmon spawning and protected white sturgeon
Exceptional birdlife and wildlife viewing
Fertile farmland framed by mountain views
Confluence of the Harrison and Fraser Rivers
Salmon BBQ at Dewdney Nature Regional Park
This is the Fraser River in its broadest, most life-filled form—where ecology, agriculture, culture, and current meet in a landscape unlike anywhere else in British Columbia.
Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group
S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō)
Stz’uminus
Cheam
Harrison Mills
Popkum
Rosedale
