Stanley Park in Vancouver

Stanley Park in Vancouver is a thousand acres of near-wilderness in the heart of downtown Vancouver.

Lost Lagoon is the visual break between the high-rises of downtown on one side and the wilderness forest on the other.

Swans at Lost Lagoon with a mountain of skyscrapers for a backdrop.

Just make sure not to believe the friendly advances of the can-be-aggressive swans! While swans are cute, they are wild and should be admired from a distance.
My favourite walking route starts at Lost Lagoon, goes along the Sea Wall and past Beaver Lake to the Rose Garden.

Third Beach comes next, perfect for building sand castles and not too crowded.

After Third Beach, my favourite part of Stanley Park, Vancouver – the West side of the peninsula on the Sea Wall. A rocky cliff up one side and the open ocean on the other.
The Sea Wall is popular with folks walking, running, cycling, roller-blading – just about every means of self-propulsion you can think of.

Fortunately there’s a marked path for pedestrians and one for cyclists, to limit the conflict in speed and style. (If you are on wheels, you must go counter-clockwise, starting on the east side) It’s narrow in parts, as the walkway is carved from the cliff face, but with a bit of awareness, there’s no trouble.

The Lions Gate Bridge from the Sea Wall in Stanley Park, Vancouver. One of my favourite man-made landmarks in Vancouver. Seen by night, twinkling with spotlights, it can almost rival the natural beauty of the mountains, forests and oceans nearby.

For a longer walk, the Sea Wall continues all the way round, but on a hot, sunny, busy day, I like to turn into the woods after passing under the Lions Gate.

The scenery isn’t quite as charming as you turn east along the Sea Wall, with industrial sites across Burrard Inlet instead of the forests and beaches of West Vancouver.

Nice and cool in the forest by the creek

On the first few times, a map of the trails in Stanley Park, Vancouver is handy. But there is some signage directing you to key points within the Park.

It is impossible to get really lost on such a small peninsula. If you’re not pressed for time, it’s lovely to just wander about.

Meandering through the woods took us to Beaver Lake. Covered in lilies, the lake is a quiet oasis.

Pink water lilies on Beaver lake.

There are other tourists strolling by, but they all seem as quietly interested in what they see.
Then back to the Rose Garden. Which always smells wonderful.

A rose garden sounds so romantic, the roses are gorgeous and smell wonderful. The other flower arrangements make a lovely backdrop, just perfect for a picnic lunch on the grass.

The only complaint I've ever heard about the park is limited, pay parking. But who wants to cut down those towering cedar trees to make way for larger parking lots?

Be green - take transit or walk to Stanley Park. The seawall extends around downtown Vancouver to English Bay and the Science World on the south side and to the Vancouver Convention Centre on the north. You can walk beside the water the whole way.

There are other attractions in the Park, like the Vancouver Aquarium, but those are stories for another day. Visiting Stanley Park is a Vancouver key to a great day.

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