Come and take the cranberry plunge!
If you are wondering where you can take a tour of a cranberry bog in the Fraser Valley then you are in the right place! Instagram is filled with smiles and laughter as waders climb into the cranberry bogs before the berries are harvested! Have you ever wondered how Ocean Spray gets its cranberries from the farms into the stores? Luckily in Metro Vancouver you can wade into a cranberry bog and learn all about the process!
Here are the places where you can wade into a cranberry bog in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley!
The Riverside Bog Cranberry Farm in Langley
The Riverside Bog is just outside of Fort Langley. It is in an area known as Glen Valley, bordering the Fraser River and surrounded by beautiful mountains, and offers views as far as Mt. Baker on the horizon. It opens for tours in late September as the cranberry fields are harvested for Thanksgiving.
The farm tour is one of the most anticipated things to do in the Fraser Valley in September as harvest season commences! includes a stroll around the farm watching the harvester machine working, a self guided audio tour, the cranberry plunge, antique cranberry cleaning machine and a shopping opportunity at the farm boutique.
The Riverside Bog is located at 26885 88th Ave Langley
Tours can be booked for 2022 dates: Sept 23, 24, 30 Oct 1, 7, 8, 10 on their website here
Hopcott Farms Cranberry Bog, Pitt Meadows
In 1997, Hopcott farms converted 70 acres used for corn, into 5 square-shaped cranberry bogs. Wet picking starts mid-October which means that wading into the bog can typically happen even after Canadian thanksgiving! The fields are flooded using water from a nearby river and the berries float to the top of the water and are boomed.
Cranberry Bog Tours in 2022 occurred Oct 16-31st. The tours vary each year depending on the ripening of the berries. Visitors can wade into the cranberry bog and take some great photos! If you time it right, you can actually watch the berry harvest! Farmers wade into the bog and bring the booms towards a suction cleaner that cleans the berries and loads a container truck full of them! They are then carted off to Ocean Spray!
Hopcott Farms is located at 18385 Old Dewdney Trunk Road, Pitt Meadows
Tips for Wading into the Cranberry Bogs in the Fraser Valley
- It doesn’t matter what you wear on your bottom half, you will take off your shoes and your pants will be covered with waders.
- you will not get wet, well unless you fall and the water comes into your waders
- go for contrasting colors to the red.
- dress for the weather, it can be rainy.
- If you have an iPhone, use live mode so you can pick a great frame with the berries in the air!
What is a Cranberry Bog?
Basically, it is where cranberries come from. It is an area of soft, marshy ground with acid peat soil, usually near wetlands, where the cranberries grow. You can find them all over North and South America, including here in British Columbia!
When can I plunge into a Cranberry Bog?
The bogs are flooded during the harvest season. This starts in September and ends in November. Depending on the variety, cranberries can be harvested anytime during those months. Check out the local cranberry bogs for their tour dates and opportunities to take a cranberry plunge!
Where can I take Cranberry Bog Photos in Vancouver?
Cranberry farms offering tours in the Lower Mainalnd are Hopcott farms and Riverside Bog! Hopcott Farms is located in Pitt Meadows and has tours in mid-October. Riverside Bog harvests before Thanksgiving and has tours from Mid-September until Thanksgiving.
Looking for more seasonal events: Check out things to do in the Fraser Valley in October, things do to in the Fraser Valley in September, things to do in Vancouver in September, things to do in Vancouver in October, Activities and Events in Vancouver in Fall
Lindsay Nieminen is the creator of UncoveringBC.com. She grew up and still lives in the suburbs of Vancouver with her family. She aims to inspire inform, and educate others about traveling in her home province of British Columbia. She is also the creator of carpediemourway.com which aims to show parents how to seek out adventure at home or abroad, with their children in tow!