Location & Maps

Photo: Freda du Plessis

Pitt Meadows is located in the Lower Fraser Valley, east of Vancouver. It is a primarily agricultural area, situated on the north side of the Fraser River at its junction with the Pitt River. The City is also bisected by the two arms of the Alouette River, along with a number of other sloughs and waterways.

Pitt Lake, on the City's northern boundary, is the largest tidal lake in North America. Along the community's northeast edge lies the Thompson Mountain Range.

Pitt Meadows is considered the "gateway" to the Fraser Valley and is forty minutes by West Coast Express passenger train service and one hour by car from Vancouver's downtown area and Stanley Park.

We acknowledge with respect and gratitude that the City of Pitt Meadows is located on the traditional, unceded territory of q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie) First Nation who have been stewards of this land since time immemorial. The City stands with Indigenous Peoples, committed to learning and evolving, as we acknowledge this historical truth and take meaningful steps towards reconciliation.

Pitt Meadows is comprised of 8,825 hectares of land and water. It is primarily lowlands with some higher elevations in the northern part of the rural and urban areas. Seventy-eight percent of the land mass in Pitt Meadows is in the BC Agricultural Land Reserve and thus, farming is a big industry in Pitt Meadows.
Pitt Meadows farms grow a variety of crops and is probably best known for its greenhouses and small fruit; namely, the delicious blueberries and cranberries we produce.
As Pitt Meadows is primarily lowlands and is bordered on two sides by rivers, it has over 40 km of dykes. These dikes not only protect the community from flooding, but provide a unparalleled multi-use trail system alongside some of Canada's most productive, lush farmland. The trails wind alongside spectacular marshes and wildlife and offer magnificent views of the mountains to the North.
The Pitt Meadows Regional Airport occupies about 303 hectares and has three runways in service and a control tower operated by Nav Canada personnel.
Most residents of Pitt Meadows live in an urban town centre area that is surrounded by agricultural land; this is a key demonstration of the City's concentrated land use. About 85% of residents live in the 404-hectacre core urban area, resulting in a population density of approximately 33 persons per hectare. The remainder of the residents live in the rural area, which makes up nearly 8,425 hectares. The rural area therefore has a population density of approximately one person for every four hectares.
Katzie Slough & Greenbelts
The greenbelt lands along the Katzie Slough are part of a planned Regional Greenways network. By saving the necessary riparian vegetation to protect a significant waterway, we provide a band of much needed wildlife habitat, at the same time ensuring connectedness from one large habitat block to another.
Pitt Poulder Ecological Reserve
This reserve protects a granite outcrop surrounded by the typical marshes which once occupied most of this area. Mammals commonly seen included black bear, black-tailed deer and a variety of bats. Various waterfowl and songbirds occur here as well as an astounding array of plants, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects and other invertebrates.
Sturgeon Slough
This waterway has heritage significance as a traditional Katzie First Nation site, and is also an important venue for boating, canoeing and angling.
Grant Narrows
The six-kilometre area provides countless opportunities to view wildlife and the wide variety of vegetation and plants in the marsh. The marsh and surrounding wetlands are reportedly home to more than 200 species of birds and waterfowl. There are two viewing platforms on the trail. A mountainside trail leads from the dike trail along the western slopes of the Malcolm Knapp UBC Research Forest.