A variety of plants and animals can be located in all 3 areas of the park and it is a popular spot for both Black Bear and Salmon populations.

[1] Kanaka Creek Regional Park has a rich history- the first purchase of land for the park by the City of Maple Ridge occurred in the late 1970s,[2][3] and the land is the traditional unceded territory of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Matsqui, Musqueam, Semiahmoo, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.

The Riverfront area adjacent to the Fraser and BC Hwy 7 has picnic tables and a boat-launch, suitable for launching canoes and kayaks for navigating the slow-moving waters of Kanaka Creek up as far as the 240th Street bridge.

[1][4] Currently, the KCRP land base includes 413 hectares with water flow from Blue Mountain to the Fraser River.

[1] This diverse landscape also offers many recreation opportunities, including places to walk, hike, bird watch, and picnic.

Most of the park is considered a Coastal Douglas Fir biogeoclimatic zone- however, the conditions change slightly along the creek path.

[7] The park is home to over 7 tree species including the Douglas fir, western red cedar, and bigleaf maple.

[7][8][9] Wildlife can be considered a main attraction for Kanaka Creek which has both an active black bear and salmon population.

[1][10] Large mammals found in the park include the cougar, bobcat, coyote, red fox], and deer.

The Pacific water shrew can be found in forests along slow-moving streams however the species is endangered and considered extremely rare.

[2][3] Kanaka Creek Regional Park is part of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Matsqui, Musqueam, Semiahmoo, and Tseil-Waututh peoples unceded traditional territory.

[2] As the landscape changed due to active logging by the Abernethy and Lougheed Lumber Company in the 1920s, the park now lacks a sizeable amount of original old growth forest, which has resulted in significant damage to the hydrological regimes and surrounding vegetation.

[4] The creek itself is also undergoing increasing water quality problems resulting from rapidly growing urbanization, eutrophication, agricultural and industrial activities, and other human impacts.

[4] In addition, organic contamination is considered to be one of the main driving factors in the degradation of water quality in Kanaka Creek.

[4] Due to approximately 900 septic tanks in the watershed as well as contributing factors of herbicide and pesticide washing into the creek, massive loss of fish habitat is impacting ecosystems.

[1] After the project was completed, the team recommended that there be more work done to educate the public on proper trail usage to maintain the health of the park.