Skip to main content
Skip to article

Derby Reach Regional Park

Derby Reach is a Metro Vancouver regional park on the Fraser River, 2 kilometres from Fort Langley village. Four trails run from a flat walk under giant cottonwoods to a forest climb, with camping on the river. The first Fort Langley stood here in 1827.

The four trails

The park runs in pieces along Allard Crescent. Distances are return trips from Metro Vancouver’s trail brochure.

  • Edge Trail

    2 km return · 40 minutes · Flat

    Giant cottonwood trees, some of the province’s biggest. Pedestrians only.

  • Edge Farm Trail

    3.2 km return · 1 hour · Flat, one gentle hill

    Riverfront views, the Edge Barn and heritage apple trees.

  • Houston Trail

    4 km return · 70 minutes · Rolling, up to 23%

    A mixed forest trail with views into Langley Bog. The steepest in the park. Walkers and riders.

  • Fort to Fort Trail

    2 km return · 40 minutes · Flat, some hills

    The park section of the route linking the 1827 fort site to the Fort Langley National Historic Site. To Fort Langley and back is 12 km, about 4 hours.

The longest walk is Edgewater Bar to 208 Street: 5.4 kilometres return, flat, about 90 minutes. Select toilets, picnic tables and all trails west of the Heritage Area are accessible. Trail map: Derby Reach trail map (PDF).

Langley Bog is closed

The park map marks Langley Bog, inside the boundary, as no public access. The Houston Trail gives glimpses into it from the edge.

Camping at Edgewater Bar

Thirty-eight riverside sites, with a full-service washroom, potable water and a picnic shelter. Each site has a gravel pad, a picnic table and a fire pit. It is open March 1 to October 31. You must reserve online, and booking for the season opens February 1.

  • $35 a night for a camping group, tax included. It covers parking for two licensed vehicles.
  • $32 for seniors 65 and over and holders of a disability parking permit.
  • $12 per additional vehicle a night, or $11 at the senior rate.
  • 10 nights is the longest stay. Check in 1 to 10 p.m.; check out by 11 a.m.
  • Telephone booking carries a $5 fee per booking. Showers are coin-operated, $1 and $2 coins only.

Metro Vancouver sets these fees and can change them. Source: Edgewater Bar Campground Guide 2026.

Dogs, fires, fishing, smoking

  • Dogs are welcome on a leash. The off-leash area is at Edgewater Bar, west of the campground.
  • Fires are allowed only in the campsite fire rings, and are banned during air quality and fire danger restrictions.
  • Fishing needs a Tidal Waters Sports Fishing Licence from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
  • Smoking is allowed only in signed areas. Cannabis is not permitted in the park.
  • Swimming is not recommended. The river is fast-flowing and the Derby Bluffs are steep and undercut.

Source: Derby Reach Regional Park Trail Brochure, February 2026.

The first fort, and the capital that was never built

The Hudson’s Bay Company built the original Fort Langley at Derby Reach in 1827. The fort moved to its present site in 1839. A cairn and exhibits mark the original site at the Heritage Area, which also has the Houston House homestead and the Karr/Mercer barn, and tells the story of a town that never was.

On November 19, 1858 Governor Douglas proclaimed the Colony of British Columbia at Fort Langley. He had intended Derby to be the capital. Colonel Richard Moody inspected it and dismissed it as not defensible, and recommended the site that became New Westminster.

The trade is older than the colony. Kwantlen leader Chief Whattlekainum pressed the Hudson’s Bay Company traders to accept salmon and cranberries. Salted salmon went to Hawaii and cranberries to California. Sources: Parks Canada, Fort Langley history; Metro Vancouver trail brochure; University of Victoria, BC Genesis.

Living beside it

The park sits in an active farm area, and Fort Langley is ringed by floodplain farmland in the Agricultural Land Reserve. Before you buy a parcel here, confirm its reserve status, what it may be used for, and whether it has well, septic, hydro and gas.

Camping season runs March to October. A house that looks quiet in February sits on the road to a campground that is full in July. Visit on a summer weekend before you decide what the setting is worth.

Own here? Enter your address and Your Home opens its page. The Fort Langley market page has the current numbers by property type.

Common questions about Derby Reach

  • Where is Derby Reach Regional Park?
    On the south bank of the Fraser River in the Township of Langley, along Allard Crescent. Metro Vancouver’s park map puts Fort Langley village 2 kilometres away, the Golden Ears Bridge 3 kilometres, and Highway 1 at exit 58 5 kilometres. The park runs in several pieces rather than one block. Source: Metro Vancouver, Derby Reach Regional Park map, revision 02/25 (metrovancouver.org).
  • Can you camp at Derby Reach?
    Yes. Edgewater Bar is the campground, with 38 sites on the river. It is open March 1 to October 31, and you must reserve online; the season opens for booking on February 1. The 2026 fee is $35 a night for a camping group, tax included. Source: Metro Vancouver, Edgewater Bar Campground Guide 2026 (metrovancouver.org).
  • Can you ride a horse at Derby Reach?
    Yes, on the Houston Trail, which is for walkers and riders. The park map marks horse unloading at the Houston trailhead and at the Heritage Area. The riverfront trails are for walking and cycling, and the Edge Trail is for walkers only. Source: Metro Vancouver, Derby Reach Regional Park Trail Brochure, February 2026 (metrovancouver.org).
  • Is there an off-leash area?
    Yes, at Edgewater Bar, west of the campground. Everywhere else dogs must be leashed and under control. Langley Bog, inside the park, is marked no public access on the map. Source: Metro Vancouver, Derby Reach Regional Park Trail Brochure and park map (metrovancouver.org).
  • What is the Fort-to-Fort Trail?
    The route between the original Fort Langley at Derby Reach, built in 1827, and the Fort Langley National Historic Site, where the fort moved in 1839. Metro Vancouver lists 12 kilometres and about 4 hours for the walk to Fort Langley and back. Source: Metro Vancouver, Derby Reach Regional Park Trail Brochure (metrovancouver.org).
  • Was Fort Langley ever the capital of British Columbia?
    No, but Derby was meant to be. Governor Douglas proclaimed the Colony of British Columbia at Fort Langley on November 19, 1858, and had intended Derby, the site of the first fort, to be its capital. Colonel Richard Moody inspected the site and dismissed it as not defensible. He recommended a site on the Fraser River at what became New Westminster on January 28, 1859. Source: Parks Canada, Fort Langley National Historic Site history (parks.canada.ca); University of Victoria, BC Genesis (bcgenesis.uvic.ca).
  • What does it cost to live beside the park?
    This guide quotes no price. Parcels beside the park are few, and they differ in size, farm status and servicing, so an average misleads. The BC Assessment record for a specific address shows its land and building values, and the Fort Langley area page shows how the village as a whole is priced. Source: BC Assessment, property search (bcassessment.ca).
Sources(2)

Also drawn from: Metro Vancouver Regional Parks, Parks Canada.

Spot an issue? Report an inaccuracy. How we verify.

Last reviewed by Bronson Job PREC, REALTOR®. Licence CC BY 4.0. How we verify.

I’m Bronson Job, a REALTOR® (PREC) with Momentum Realty Inc., so I earn a commission when I help someone buy or sell. This is general information, not advice on your situation, and I take no payment from any third party named here. How I verify.