Loon Lake Lodge & Retreat
14500 Silver Valley Road V4R 2R3 Maple Ridge, BC, Canada

To Loon Lake's friends, family, and of course the guests who brightened our 2020, we wish you a Happy New Year!

Thank you to everyone that put smiles on our face in 2020. Here's to a brighter 2021.

Our popular Pan Abode is ideal for groups of up to 20 people looking for a more self-contained setting.

Here are our top 5 uses for pine needles! Love to hear what you use pine needles for. Add your idea below, and we'll be sure to expand our list and credit you with your contribution. See: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/blog/top-5-uses-for-pine-needles

Bring your family to this wonderful holiday event on December 6 hosted by Wild & Immersive and Alouette River Management Society. Enjoy the beauty and serenity of Loon Lake and get into the holiday spirit with professional family photos, wreath and cookie making, a delicious brunch and so much more! This is a COVID safe event taking place primarily outdoors at socially distanced stations. If you've been waiting to experience Loon Lake, now is your chance! Limited morning spaces available.

"It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit." Robert Louis Stevenson https://loonlake.ubc.ca//the-health-and-wellness-benefits-

ICYMI: We're having a series of open houses, and a chance to see how we're set up to do business during COVD-19. https://loonlake.ubc.ca/open-house

Announcing our 2020 Open House. It's a little different this year. You can bring (1) one family or work bubble member, and pick a time from a choice of 4 date options. Learn more and be sure to RSVP, here: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/open-house

Nobody has more fun in the forest than our good friends at Stellar Play. From Forest Laser Tag to Battle Archery and Geocaching, they're quickly becoming a favourite for any time outdoor (and distanced) events, and yes they do birthday parties, too! See: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/stellar-play

Looks like a beautiful weekend ahead, and our forest friends at Wild & Immersive have an incredible outdoor Hallowe'en event for kids! Check it out! https://wildlearnings.ca/spooky-forest-adventures

We have nearly completed the landscaping around the lake point that is adjacent to the Koerner Lodge and Conference area. When nature fills in its missing gaps it will become a truly remarkable (outdoor) terraced amphitheater.

25 seconds made for those of us that need to take a deep breath today.

A special small bubble incentive for all UBC Faculty and Alumni. We invite you to learn more, here: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/ubc-alumni-discount

A private and pristine 1.6km long lake, less than an hour east from Vancouver. Stunning any day of the year.

Innovative resistance and core training made fun for any age and using our own wood products. Free access for all our groups.

Our lakeside Koerner Lodge is ideal for small groups looking to escape to nature and have their own very private spaces.

Our variety of nature trails really are second to none.

We're thrilled to offer this to our local community. Starting this upcoming September, we have 5 distinct WorkSafe BC compliant indoor meeting spaces. If the weather looks great you can take your small corporate meetings outdoors, too. For $49/person, your group will get an amazing lunch, complimentary coffee/tea station, AV equipment, high-speed internet, and 8 full hours of meeting room space rental. That's pretty tough to beat! For more info: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/maple-ridge-meeting-room-rentals

What a wonderful picture, Paul. Thanks for tagging us :)

It can take months of planning to host your own retreat - and in the midst of pandemic, it makes it harder and riskier. Make sure you get a flexible venue partner that understands regulations can change overnight. Someone that has invested over $20K in PPE and plexiglass upgrades and has operated safely (knock on wood) under the strictest of terms. Make sure you keep it (and your group) local with a venue that can scale down to offer small groups a compliment of incredible ...outdoor experiences, private sanitized rooms, and with enough indoor space to spread everyone out safely. ...and when the time is right, we're ready when you are. https://loonlake.ubc.ca/host-your-own-retreat.

Attn: Upcoming groups. We are amending our COVID-19 policy effective immediately to reflect yesterday's BC Ministry of Health requirements. The key change (from our end) stipulates that all upcoming groups may no longer have more than 5 'visitors' during their stay. Simply put, if you are a family staying in one of our private lodges and were hoping to have people visit you for an afternoon, we ask you to make note of these new regulations, and re-commit to keeping your bubble small and traceable.

A rare local Lower Mainland holiday opportunity: Our 20-bed Panabode Lodge has availability for small self-catering groups (8-20) of friends and family from August 24th - 31st, and again from September 8th - 13th. Minimum stay 2 nights. Our lightning-fast wifi means you can work and/or do school lakeside in the forest. Meals-inclusive packages also available for those that prefer someone else plan, prep, and wash up :) Won't last long. https://loonlake.ubc.ca/pan-abode

We take great pride in serving fresh tasty food out of our 2 incredibly spotless and organized kitchens.

We're honoured to serve Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows in providing a private, natural, lakeside, COVID-19 compliant afternoon venue to help celebrate our recently passed community members. Gatherings must be under 50 people at this time, and both distancing and contact tracing measures will be in effect. If interested, you can learn more, here: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/maple-ridge-celebration-of-life

Kinda miss Rick Mercer, and although this isn't much of a rant - the 'discover your Canada' message is on point! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjnKm3GGnzg

Stay local, support local, and be sure to add more space and time in nature. Visit: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/stay-local

We've been hosting church groups and faith-based retreats for over 25 years. That's a long time. A few of the main reasons people have chosen Loon Lake is the lack of distraction, the connection to nature, and our availability to help and guide co-ordinators throughout their planning stages. This link has 6 tips to help anyone looking to stage a faith-based retreat - when the time is right, of course. https://loonlake.ubc.ca/church-retreats

'Hey, what's that log cabin up on the hill all about?' is arguably one of the most common questions we hear at Loon Lake. Well, we've finally gotten around to taking some photos, and making it available for private (meals-inclusive) reservations :) See link: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/friends-alumni-cabin

CBC paid us a surprise visit yesterday to talk about our COVID-19 protocols, how it changed things, and to take some photos. Check it out. Also as a side, Karim in his Maple Ridge Fire & Rescue T-shirt is so completely perfect and genuine. https://www.cbc.ca//what-to-expect-if-you-re-booking-a-hot

This is going to be amazing! Father’s Day in Nature is a very special event allowing families to experience the natural beauty and privacy that Loon Lake has to offer along with fun and educational activities and crafts. $79/family. Register your family, here: https://wildlearnings.ca/fathers-day-maple-ridge

We're getting ready for our 1st ever Artist's Sunset evening, and it looks like both the weather and the lake, are in full agreement with our plans :)

Our summer is filling up with small group reunions in nature. There is still space, but you will need to hurray! We're adjacent to Golden Ears Park and less than an hour from Vancouver. Meals + lodging rates start from only $99/adult. Learn more, here: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/family-reunions

We're offering something new for local fine artists. Lakeside inspiration with a bit of hospitality. You're invited to visit on June 11th or June 18th, from 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm. See: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/artists-sunsets

"Quick math shows 1 minute is spent in nature for every 1 hour spent in technology, and that’s not good." https://loonlake.ubc.ca/blog/7-minutes-a-day

Most of you know that Loon Lake is in the heart of UBC's Malcolm Knapp Research Forest. It's what keeps us protected from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and why we are a birder's paradise. This morning we'd love you to wake up to the soundtrack of our forest. So press play, and go grab a coffee :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifm8Jm5ZwC0&t=224s

Looking for day camp options in nature this summer? Wild & Immersive has you covered! Unique science-based camps for ages 5-8, and 9-12. Learn more, here: https://wildlearnings.ca/summer-camps-maple-ridge

Community Announcement #4. Re: Small Celebration of Life gatherings in nature. The days ahead will tell us what we can do as far as getting together safely in a group environment. We know there is a big backlog in funeral and Celebration of Life services in our community. If you would like to add your name to a small waitlist to host a potential future Celebration of Life gathering at Loon Lake this summer, send us an email. You can then come up for a site visit while we rem...ain closed to the public. We are hoping to offer our community a hybrid indoor/outdoor venue that is in line with physical distancing while taking advantage of our more outdoor natural assets. Note: We’re not opening until allowed, and we won't be doing anything that is misaligned to current regulations. With that said, you can learn more, here: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/maple-ridge-celebration-of-life See more

We're announcing 3 winners, but the real winners in all of this, are the rest of us benefitting from the selfless acts of the 77 nominees. https://loonlake.ubc.ca/essential-someone-winners

Happy Saturday, everyone. A quick update on our Nominate Someone Essential contest. The contest closed as of midnight last night. In total, we had 77 submissions. To say we were blown away by the efforts of the people in our Province would be a gross understatement. There were tears as we were reading through many of these submissions, and we've decided that we just can't pick one person. So, we have made the decision to award 3 people with private nights on Loon Lake, for either themselves or their immediate self-isolating household. The 3 winners will be announced early this evening. Finally, we need to give a huge sincere thanks to The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News, our amazing local newspaper, for helping us with the decision making.

2 days left. Now is the time to get your nominations in! https://loonlake.ubc.ca/nominatesomeonessential

Community Announcement #3. Starting on June 11th, you can join us every Thursday night for our Sunset Artist Sessions in nature. Bring your canvas, paints, and easel; and we'll provide the after-dinner cheese, biscuits, snacks, tea, and some lakeside inspiration among a small group of other fine artists - appropriately spaced out of course. See: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/artists-sunsets

Make 2020 your summer to reconnect with loved ones. We invite you to add your family's name to our Early Bird Opening Alert waitlist, and when we get the green light from Dr. Henry, your group will be first in line! We're right next to Golden Ears Provincial Park, and less than an hour from downtown Vancouver. Our 2-3 night Family Reunion packages come with no-fee canoe rental, and a welcome gift basket! No deposit required and absolutely no risk. Learn more, here: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/family-reunions

Community Announcement #2. Our summer bookings have been nearly erased by COVID-19, and as the Province of BC's Restart Plan has now tentatively set hotel and lodge reopenings for 'Mid-June', it means we're getting ready for something a little different - and we'd like that something different to include your family's reunion. So, we're taking names now, and when Dr.Henry gives all of us the official green light, your Early Bird Opening Waitlist name will be first in line to... book. No risk. No deposit, and you'll have 24 hrs to confirm. Easy. Just click the link, and add your family's name to Loon Lake's summer now. Minimum family size of 8 people and every family gets a canoe to use for their stay AND a welcome gift basket. We're only 50 minutes from downtown Vancouver, and adjacent to Golden Ears Provincial Park. https://loonlake.ubc.ca/family-reunions See more

5 days left, and don't forget to call your amazing mum today! https://loonlake.ubc.ca/nominatesomeonessential

We have some pretty incredible community announcements coming in the next 2 weeks. Here's our first notice. Starting on June 11th, we're opening up to morning birders, Thursdays - Sundays, all summer long. Adjacent to Golden Ears Provincial Park, our non-fished, non-motorized lake and the surrounding UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest have become a remarkable bird paradise, and you are invited to experience their grace, their song, and our hospitality. Learn more, here: https://loonlake.ubc.ca/birds-binoculars-and-breakfast

Thank you to all the nominators for taking a few moments out of your day to share some of the incredible efforts happening in our community. After a few early sneak peeks, we've realized that we just don't have enough Kleenex to read all of them today. So, we're gonna wait the 9 more days until the call for nomination period ends, before reading any more. If you haven't nominated an essential someone yet, here's the link once again. https://loonlake.ubc.ca/nominatesomeonessential

Have you decided on your essential somebody, yet? Sharing a tip: Your description as to 'why' is the most important field to fill out. If someone enters 'My wife, because she's amazing', - well, she's probably MORE than just amazing, and we want to read about the MORE. Remember, judges will be reading every single entry and the call for submissions ends in 12 days. There is no rush. Hope this helps. -Aaron https://loonlake.ubc.ca/nominatesomeonessential

Do you know someone that's been keeping our community safe, functioning, and moving forward? Well, we'd like to get to know them, too. We're giving 1 nominated winner a night at Loon Lake, all to themselves. They can come alone, or bring those they have been self-isolating with. Their own private lake for a night. Just birds, tall trees and fresh mountain air...oh, and some pretty incredible meals, too. Nominate your essential someone, here, today. https://loonlake.ubc.ca/nominatesomeonessential