Campbell Valley Regional Park

The speedway the park could not get rid of

Langley Speedway was a quarter-mile paved oval. Stock cars. By Wikipedia’s account it was founded by Craig Frazier in 1963, and the NASCAR Winston West series came out to it several times through the 1970s.

Then in 1969 the land went into a purchase by the Vancouver-Fraser Park District, the body that became the regional district, for use as a park. Frazier sold, and signed a ten-year lease. So the racing kept going on ground that was already destined to be parkland. Gordon Hemrich took the operation over in 1977. The lease ran out in 1979 and went year to year. The track spent its last seasons as Action Raceway and closed in 1984.

Fifteen years of stock car racing inside a regional park, on a lease nobody would renew. You can still find the stairs up to where the grandstands were.

That is the pattern down here, and once you see it you see it everywhere in the park. The schoolhouse was moved in rather than knocked down. The farmstead was kept rather than cleared. The track was left rather than scraped. South Langley is where this region parks the things it has finished with, which is why it is the only part of Metro Vancouver where the past is still lying around in the open.

Source: Wikipedia, which carries a needs-more-citations banner and gives two opening dates, 1963 and June 1965. Treat the year as approximate. The park map marks the site as Little River Bowl and Historic Langley Speedway.

The horse park

If you keep horses in the Lower Mainland, this is the public park built for you. The map marks the Campbell Downs Equestrian Centre, an equestrian ring, a cross-country course, dedicated horse trailer parking, and the Spirit of the Horse Garden. A large share of the trail network is designated hiking and equestrian rather than hiking alone.

Nobody moves to South Langley for the commute. They move because somebody in the house rides, or because they want the kind of space you cannot buy closer in. That is the honest answer to a question people ask about this end of the Township: why is there so much horse property down here. The land is large-parcel and mostly in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and the public infrastructure to ride on is already built. The competition end of the same world sits north-east of here at Thunderbird Show Park.

The trails

Shaggy Mane Trail

An 11 km loop with steep climbs in and out of the valley and seasonal mud. Metro Vancouver warns there are very few chances to shorten it once you commit, which is the single most useful sentence anyone has written about this park. Shared with horses, and hikers yield.

Little River Loop Trail

2.3 km return, flat, and wheelchair accessible. It crosses the Little Campbell River twice on raised boardwalks. If you are bringing a stroller, a wheelchair or a grandparent, this is the one, and it is genuinely good rather than merely possible.

Perimeter Trail

Runs the boundary, and the only trail in the park where cycling is allowed. There is a bike rack outside the washroom at the South Valley entrance on 8 Avenue.

Ravine Trail

Drops into the cut near the Nature House. Shorter and steeper than the rest.

Vine Maple and Meadow Trails

The quiet middle. Vine maple turns before everything else in the fall.

South Valley and Deer Trails

The southern half, toward 4 Avenue and the border. Fewest people.

Source: Metro Vancouver, Campbell Valley Regional Park map, revision 12/25. The official Campbell Valley trail map is a free PDF. Download it before you start Shaggy Mane rather than after.

Which entrance

Four ways in, and they are not equivalent. Pick by what you came to do rather than by what is closest.

North Valley, off 16 Avenue

For the Little River Loop, the Nature House in the red barn, and the heritage end. This is the family gate.

South Valley, off 8 Avenue

Washroom and the bike rack. If you are cycling the Perimeter Trail, which is the only trail you may cycle, start here.

4 Avenue

The quiet southern half, and the leash-optional area for dogs sits next to it. Fewest people in the park.

South Carvolth

The eastern way in, nearest the ponds. Useful when the others are full on a summer Sunday, which they do get.

Gate hours shift with the season. Metro Vancouver posts the current ones on the park page.

How long it takes, and what to know first

How long to walk it

Depends entirely which walk. Little River Loop is 2.3 km return and flat, so most people are back inside an hour. Shaggy Mane is 11 km with real climbs, which is a half day and a proper pair of shoes. There is no medium option that links them tidily, which surprises people.

Is it hard

Little River Loop is not. Shaggy Mane climbs in and out of the valley and holds mud well into spring. The park says plainly there are very few opportunities to shorten it, so commit or pick the other one.

Dogs

On leash everywhere except the leash-optional area next to 4 Avenue. On the shared horse trails that rule is not bureaucracy: a loose dog behind a horse is how people get hurt.

Cycling

Perimeter Trail only. Everywhere else is walking and riding.

Cost

Nothing. Metro Vancouver regional parks have no entrance fee and no parking fee. The reservable facilities cost money; the park does not.

Source: Metro Vancouver Regional Parks, Campbell Valley park page, read September 2026.

What else is in there

Annand/Rowlatt Farmstead

A restored farmstead built by Joseph Annand in the late 1890s, with two barns still standing. This is what a Fraser Valley homestead looked like before the highways, kept rather than photographed and cleared.

Lochiel Schoolhouse

One room, wood frame, small and yellow with double front doors. It is on the Canadian Register of Historic Places. It did not start here; it was brought in.

The Nature House, in the red barn

The interpretive centre, at the north end. The obvious first stop with children.

Critter Care Wildlife Society

A wildlife rehabilitation operation on the western edge of the park. Not a zoo and not a drop-in.

The rest of it

The Order of Canada Grove, Carvolth Ponds, McLean Pond, the leash-optional area by 4 Avenue, and nearly 17 km of trail open to horses, of which Shaggy Mane is over 11.

Heritage Watch BC puts the pattern better than I did above: the park protects the farmstead, the schoolhouse and the former Langley Speedway, which received heritage support. A homestead, a one-room school and a stock car oval, all held by the same park for the same reason.

And a detail worth the price of the page: the Little River Bowl, which is the old speedway, is a reservable facility. So are Camp Coyote, the Old Orchard picnic shelter, the Rowlatt Farmstead and the riding ring. You can book the racetrack.

Sources: Metro Vancouver, Campbell Valley Regional Park map, revision 12/25; Metro Vancouver Regional Parks, Campbell Valley park page, read September 2026; Canadian Register of Historic Places; Library and Archives Canada; Heritage Watch BC.

Living around it

Worth being clear about geography, because the name Langley covers a lot of ground. Campbell Valley is not Fort Langley. The village is at the north end of the Township on the Fraser River. This is the south end, running down to the United States border, and the two trade differently.

What they share is the Agricultural Land Reserve, which governs what may be built on most of this land and how it may be used. Confirm the reserve status before anything else on an acreage offer, then the services: well, septic, hydro, gas, and water volume rather than just water if there is a barn in the plan.

Supply is the recurring problem. Parcels like this come up rarely and often sell without being widely advertised, so being known to the people who might sell one beats refreshing a search page. The Campbell Valley market page carries the average sale price and benchmark by property type.

Common questions

Where is Campbell Valley Regional Park?

South Langley, between 20 Avenue and 4 Avenue, roughly 200 Street to 216 Street. The North Valley entrance is off 16 Avenue and the South Valley entrance off 8 Avenue, with further access at 4 Avenue and South Carvolth. The southern edge of the surrounding sub-area is the United States border.

How big is it?

About 535 hectares, or 1,326 acres, which makes it one of the largest parks in the Metro Vancouver regional system.

Is Campbell Valley good for horses?

It is the best equestrian park in the regional system. The map marks the Campbell Downs Equestrian Centre, an equestrian ring, a cross-country course, horse trailer parking, the Spirit of the Horse Garden, and a set of trails designated hiking and equestrian rather than hiking alone. The Shaggy Mane Trail is the long one and it is named for a mushroom, not a horse.

Is there really an abandoned racetrack in the park?

Yes. Langley Speedway was a quarter-mile paved oval for stock car racing, and the grandstand stairs are still in the trees. Wikipedia records it as founded by Craig Frazier in 1963, closing in 1984, and hosting several visits from the NASCAR Winston West series in the 1970s. That article carries a needs-more-citations banner and gives two different opening dates, 1963 and June 1965, so treat the year as approximate.

How long does it take to walk Campbell Valley park?

It depends which walk. The Little River Loop is 2.3 km return, flat and wheelchair accessible, so most people are back inside an hour. The Shaggy Mane Trail is an 11 km loop with steep climbs in and out of the valley, which is a half day. Metro Vancouver notes there are very few opportunities to shorten Shaggy Mane once you start it.

Is there an entrance fee?

No. Metro Vancouver regional parks charge nothing to enter and nothing to park. The reservable facilities cost money, including Camp Coyote, the Old Orchard picnic shelter, the Rowlatt Farmstead, the riding ring, and the Little River Bowl, which is the old speedway.

Can you walk dogs off leash?

Dogs must be on leash throughout the park except in the leash-optional area next to 4 Avenue. On the shared hiking and equestrian trails that rule matters more than usual, because a loose dog behind a horse is how people get hurt.

What does property cost around the park?

Campbell Valley is acreage rather than subdivision and most of it sits in the Agricultural Land Reserve, so listings are few and the range is wide. The Campbell Valley market page carries the current benchmark and average sale price by property type.