Record temperature recorded for Pitt Meadows as thousands flock to local watering holes

Thousands flocked to Golden Ears and Rolley Lake Provincial Parks as unseasonable temperatures set records across the province.

A new record was set in the Pitt Meadows area of 32.3 C for Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 14. The old record was 32.2 C set in 1973, according to Environment Canada.

“We just tried to control the traffic as best as we could,” said Golden Ears and Rolley Lake Provincial Parks manager James Hall.

He noted on Saturday there were no park closures at either of the parks, but on Sunday, they had to close the road in Golden Ears park for a brief amount of time.

Hall explained they have to stop the flow in order to manage the amount of vehicles in the park. He said people will double park or block others in – and they also have to make sure there is space for emergency vehicles in case they need to respond to an incident.

At Golden Ears park, there were about 3,700 visitors each day over the Mother’s Day weekend, said Hall, and at Rolley Lake there were between 1,000 and 1,500 cars there each day.

On Sunday, he said, the road had to be closed in Golden Ears at about 11 a.m. and they opened it back up at around 2:30 p.m..

Rolley Lake, James noted, is a much smaller park than Golden Ears, so instead of closing the road into the park, they are more reliant on parking enforcement.

“We don’t close the parking lot, mostly enforce that people are parking in designated areas and not blocking up the road, so people can get out, campers can get in,” he said.

Hall noted that at Rolley Lake they do not allow parking on the roadways.

READ ALSO: Maple Ridge provincial park remains closed due to fallen trees and snow

“We usually put warning violations on the vehicle,” said Hall, noting that BC Parks has the authority to ticket, but Alouette Park Management, the agency that oversees both parks, won’t issue any tickets.

“Most of the time it’s just education to say please don’t park there,” he said.

Hall also works closely with both Maple Ridge Fire and Rescue and the Ridge Meadows RCMP to see how the lineup into Golden Ears can be minimized safely, noting that the Spirea Nature Trail is where they usually close the road down and turn people away.

ALSO: Day-use passes back for Golden Ears Provincial Park

At Rolley Lake, noted, Hall, they have never had to close the park down due to the volume of people.

With the Victoria Day long weekend approaching, Hall’s expectations are similar to the volume seen this past Mother’s Day weekend.

He said he always anticipates hot and busy when trying to prepare for any weekend during the summer and this coming long weekend is no exception.

Extra staff will be on hand to deal with road closures and traffic control and there will also be extra supplies like cones, barricades, and signage.