Fort Langley National Historic Site Near Vancouver

Disclosure: Advertising and affiliate services, including Amazon Associates, help the cost of running my blog. Clicking ads or making purchases through affiliate links may, at no additional cost to you, earn me a small commission. I appreciate your support.

Fort Langley National Historic Site is the location of one of the old fur trading posts in Canada, owned by the Hudson’s Bay Company. While much of Fort Langley is reconstructed, there are some older buildings and one original building from the 1840s still standing. The Fort is a great place to brush up on some Canadian history and find out what life was like in the 1800s.

How to get to Fort Langley

Fort Langley National Historic Site is about a 40 minute drive from downtown Vancouver, situated just off the Fraser River. It’s located just past the City of Langley, and within the Township of Langley. Fort Langley is only a short detour from Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway from Vancouver to Alberta and beyond. Whether you’re taking a road trip to the Canadian Rockies or simply looking for a unique day out from Vancouver, Fort Langley is a good place to check out.

The basics

Fort Langley National Historic Site is open year round 10am to 5pm. The only days they are closed are December 25/26 and January 1. Parking is free.

Entry, as of 2021, is $7.90 per adult and anyone 17 years old or under is FREE. In 2018 Parks Canada made many of our historical sites free to those under 18 to encourage more people to visit government run Parks Canada attractions.

Fort Langley is not large, but there are a number of buildings to check out. You can plan to spend about 2 hours here. It could be done in less if you don’t have too much time, or you could also spend longer here depending on how much you get involved in.

What is Fort Langley

Fort Langley is a historical fur trading post from the mid-1800s. It was originally owned and operated by Canada’s Hudson’s Bay Company. It’s now a cool living museum for kids and adults.

Back in the day the trading post was built here due to its convenient location near the Fraser River. Also due to the United States border, creating more of a boundary that was later established near the Fort.

In the late 1850s the area became very popular due to discovery of gold along the rivers, which led to the big Gold Rush of the 1800s in Canada. All the people seeking gold would pass through Fort Langley to get kitted out for the cold Canadian climate. It was a really important trading post in western Canada.

The Hudson’s Bay Trading Co History

Founded in 1670, the Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading business is the oldest company in Canada. As well as any other English speaking country. You may recognize some of their signature wool blankets, called Point Blankets, which the company used to trade to the First Nations people for beaver pelts.

Even now, years after they stopped trading fur, the iconic blankets are still produced and sold at their retail locations. They aren’t cheap, but they are beautiful. As are the official clothing items of the Canadian Olympic teams which Hudson’s Bay Company also sells.

While the HBC is now owned by an American company, it is still culturally and historically important to Canada 350 years after it began.

What can you see there?

Within the historic site grounds are a number of (mostly) reconstructed buildings. They are the likes of which would have been at Fort Langley at the time of its operation.

Mentioned earlier, Fort Langley has a lot of history involving the United States and competing fur traders. A lot of this is explained in The Big House museum within the fort. This would have been where the chief trader would have lived.

The two level log building has some really good exhibits. They not only show you what the house would have been like in the 1800s but talk about American-Canadian historical events. There’s even a part about the Alaska purchase.

Along with The Big House, there are other buildings such as a blacksmiths, the servant’s quarters and the storehouse. Unfortunately the storehouse is the only original building still standing. There is an opportunity to walk up on the walls of the fort for a better view, grab some refreshments in the cafe and even try your hand at gold panning.

Spend the night at Fort Langley

We’ll get to accommodation options in the village of Fort Langley later, but how about something a little more unique? There are 5 tent-cabin hybrid accommodations within Fort Langley Historic Site. Stay for around $122/night and you’ll get access to this incredible historic location after everyone else goes home.

Tents have room for up to 6 people although you’ll need to bring your own sleeping bags, blankets and pillows. There’s even a firepit for evening campfires and BBQs. You’ll have a few more comforts than they had in the 1800s, and even more than your average camping trip.

Around Fort Langley

Fort Langley is not just the name of the National Historic Site but also the village surrounding it. The village of Fort Langley is also like stepping back in time, only maybe not as far as the historical site.

With quaint shops, historic houses and beautiful tree-lined streets, it’s a wonderful place for a quiet Sunday afternoon antique hunting. You can take a scenic walk along the Fraser river, grab a pint and a quick lunch at the Fort Pub & Grill or get retro at the Planet Java Fifties Diner.

If you visit on a Saturday there’s a farmer’s market. But you can find locally made goods here any time at some of the unique stores. One of the best little shops is Cranberries Naturally. They sell everything cranberry related from jams, teas, salad dressings and dried cranberries. Try the orange flavored dried cranberries. You won’t regret it.

Visiting Fort Langley

Whether you just want to see Fort Langley Historic Site or walk around the village itself, it’s worth a visit from Vancouver. You can easily fit it into your Vancouver itinerary, or make a stop on a road trip through British Columbia or to the Canadian Rockies.

If you have longer, and you like somewhere a little quieter than the big city, why not spend the night in Fort Langley. I’m not talking about the historical fort, but the village has a number of cute B&Bs. The Fort Langley Bed & Breakfast is around $150/night.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you been to Fort Langley Historic Site before? What are you most excited to see here?