Vancouver Stanley Park Attraction
Vancouver Top 10 Attractions:
1. Stanley Park
2. Granville Island
3. Canada Place
4. Capilano Bridge
5. Grouse Mountain
6. Historic Gastown
7. Aquarium
8. Robson Street
9. Chinatown
10. Yaletown
It is known as the largest city park in Canada located right in downtown Vancouver and it continues to keep even locals dazzled and captivated on a daily basis.
The park's size is around 400 hectares. Perfectly designed for a scenic stroll, roller blade or a bike ride along the seawall. For more adventurous visitors and to enjoy fresh pine smell there are many trails for hiking or biking inside the forest.
Stanley Park is just a wonderful place for romantic or family picnics and is open for the public every day to the sunset all year round.
Getting to and around the Stanley Park
BROCKTON VISITOR CENTRE
- The Centre offers splendid water, city and mountan views. There is impressive display of iconic totem poles representing First Nations from other regions of the province. This totem poles are the most visited tourist attraction in British Columbia.INFORMATION BOOTH
- Located on the parking lot just inside the Georgia Street entrance to Stanley Park. There's information about services, facilities and special events. Parking and washrooms are available.PARK MAPS
- Just inside the Georgia Street entrance to Stanley Park you can find the granite-made Information Booth where you can get a free map or you can download and print this map Stanley Park Map
WALK, BIKE OR BLADE
- There are quite a few routes for pedestrian, cyclist or rollerblader that link the peninsula of Stanley Park to downtown Vancouver and beyond. Main Stanley Park route for all ages it's a seawall, but if you want to escape the crowds, walk or bike one of the many park's quite trails that will cool and refresh your spirit.BUS
- TransLink connections from downtown Vancouver include the #19. For more information on TransLink connections phone 604-953-3333 or visit their website at www.translink.caDRIVING
- The main entrance to the park is at the west end of Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver. Use the form on the right to get directions to the park from wherever you live.HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE RIDE
- Catch all park's details in a peaceful horse-drawn carriage ride. Open all year-round and located just past the main entrance Information Booth. www.stanleyparktours.comPARKING
- Paying for parking helps to ensure that Stanley Park is maintained to the highest standard possible. Winter rates are in effect from October 1-March 31 and summer from April 1-September 30.STANLEY PARK SHUTTLE HOP-ON, HOP-OFF TOUR
- From June 18 – September 19, Vancouver Trolley Company runs its fully narrated tour around Stanley Park, stopping at 15 of the most popular attractions and locations in Stanley Park. The Shuttle route and stops are marked on the Stanley Park MapDates: June 18 – September 19, 2010
Hours of operation: 11 am – 6:30 pm (first Shuttle leaves the Miniature Railway stop at 11 am)
Duration: One complete circuit of the Park takes approximately 45 minutes. Service frequency is every 15 minutes
Ticket (valid all day): - Adult $10, Child (4-11 yrs) $5, Infant (<4 yrs) free, Family (2 adults & 2 children) $25
For further information on the Shuttle service, contact call 604-801-5515 or visit www.vancouvertrolley.com
Stanley Park History
Yearly visits to this, North America's third largest urban core park, are estimated at eight million people. Originally home to Burrard, Musqueam and Squamish First Nations people, Stanley Park as you see it today was not one designer's grand scheme but more an evolution of a pioneer city's hopes and dreams; a place for its citizens to recreate themselves through active sport or passive repose.
Stanley Park Landmarks
LOST LAGOON
- Approaching park's main entrance from Georgia Street you will notice the Vancouver Rowing Club and marina on your right and Lost Lagoon on your left. Before the causeway was built which now separates the two areas, Coal Harbour would fill up the tidal flat to the west almost reaching English Bay. Construction of the causeway in the eary 1920s left the Lagoon a constant freshwater pond.Today Lost Lagoon is a bird sanctuary and a bio-filtration marsh at its northeast side now filters causeway run-off through a series of holding ponds planted with rushes and grasses.
MAJOR MONUMENTS & SCULPTURES
- Stanley Park has been the recipient of a wide range of monuments and plaques that tell their story through its history serving as testament to a city's hopes and dreams.
Air India Memorial - Dedicated July 27, 2007 to commemorate 331 lives lost as a result of the 1985 bombings of Air India Flight 182 and at Narita Airport Map it
Garden of Remembrance - Air Force Memorial plaques Map it
Hallelujah Point - Former site for Salvation Army prayer meet Map it
Harding Memorial - Commemorating July 26, 1923 the first visit of a United States president Map it
Japanese Monument - Memorial to Vancouver's Japanese soldiers serving in WWI Map it
Harry Jerome - Famed Vancouver runner Map it
Lord Stanley - Governor General of Canada in 1888 Map it
Lumbermen's Arch - Erected in 1952 to honour BC's lumber industry and replacing the original Bowie Arch dismantled in 1947 Map it
Pauline Johnson - 1913 cairn to famous Vancouver poet Map it
Port of Vancouver - Explains Port of Vancouver landmarks Map it
Robert Burns - Famed Scottish poet Map it
SS Beaver Cairn - Ship wrecked on the rocks below Prospect Point back in 1888 Map it
SS Empress of Japan - Replica of ship's figurehead that sailed to the Orient from 1891-1922 Map it
FIRST NATIONS ART IN THE PARK
- Three carved gateways by Coast Salish artist Susan Point were installed at the Brockton Point Visitor Centre in June 2008. The three portals act as entryways into the Brockton Point Visitor Centre, welcoming visitors to the park. These beautifully carved red cedar portals built to represent the traditional slant-roof style of Coast Salish architecture with carved welcome figures in the doorways. Three years in the making, the artworks were developed in collaboration with Coast Salish Arts, Vancouver Storyscapes Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Watuth First Nations and the Vancouver Park Board.
Stanley Park Nature
BEACHES
- Stanley Park forms a peninsula at the northwestern edge of Vancouver's downtown core. Its position makes it the natural starting point for stretch of beaches bounding English Bay.From the 8.8 km of seawall there are two accessible sandy beaches ideal for swimming: Second beach and Third Beach. Other more naturally rocky beach areas, that reveal themselves at low tide, can be accessed from a smattering of points along the seawall.
BEAVER LAKE
- Once home to the industrious beaver, this 4.28 hectare body of water, known as 'little lake' to the First Nations people, has undergone considerable change throughout its history. Its depths have become shallower through incremental layering of logs and other natural debris despite extensive dredging in 1929. The introduction of water lilies and other aquatic plants have hastened the choking of the lake which is now on an evolutionary course to becoming forest floor, much like the rest of Stanley Park.HOLLOW TREE
- Located along the west side of Stanley Park Drive, the Hollow Tree was once a popular destination for park visitor photographs. Horse-drawn sleighs, early automobiles and large groups of people have stood in front of the lens here to capture these moments in time. Now a former shadow of its self, the shell of this once magnificent cedar remains to remind us of the former woody sentinels that once populated this peninsula.SALMON DEMONSTRATION STREAM
- The removal of the zoo in the 1990s led to a reformation of the walkway system giving new balance within this central area's historical context. The landscape once again flows with restored purpose in the guise of the Salmon Demonstration Stream coursing beside a path where one of the world's natural wonders is explained through a series of interpretive signs. Salmon fry are released in spring by Vancouver Aquarium staff who are partners with the Park Board in this educational project. Some of the fry initially released in June 1998 have already made their autumn journey home to Stanley Park completing this most intriguing of life cycles.TRAILS
- The park's most famous feature, the 8.8 km (5.5 mi) Seawall, is just one walking choice among a wide variety available to visitors and residents alike. Too often overlooked are the forest trails offering over 27 km of quiet refuge, far from the maddening crowd, on the park's more developed periphery. These wide, bark-mulched interior paths give a taste of what this peninsula must have been like centuries ago when, before logging, its towering cedar, fir and hemlock forest reined supreme. In fact, many pathways were previously used as 'skid rows' where lumberjacks pulled felled trees to the water's edge for 'log booming' to the nearest sawmill.Trail names recall, not only a city once transported by 'horse power' (Bridal Path), but many early pioneer names as well, especially those who were important in Park Board history (Rawlings Trail - the park's longest trail named after its longest serving Superintendent). Trudging the park's trails will bring walkers and joggers closer yet to nature while keeping them cooler on even the hottest day. Map of the park's wide choice of trails.
Many trails bear the names of individuals who were instrumental in the city's or Stanley Park's early history.
Avison Trail Henry Avison - Stanley Park Superintendent 1888-1895
Eldon Trail G. Eldon - Park Board Superintendent 1896-1909
Lees Trail A.E. Lees - Park Commissioner 1902-1917
Merilees Trail Harold Merilees - General Manager of Tourism Vancouver in the 1960s
Rawlings Trail W.S. Rawlings - longest trail for the Park Board's longest serving Superintendent
Tatlow Trail R.G. Tatlow - Park Commissioner 1888-1905
Thompson Trail C.W. Thompson - Park Commissioner 1937-1938; 1940-1942
Tisdall Trail C.E. Tisdall - Park Commissioner 1904-1909; 1926-1934
WILDLIFE
- Stanley Park is home to a wide range of resident wildlife including squirrels, raccoons, skunks, rabbits and a whole host of small mammals along with numerous species of resident and migratory birds. The Stanley Park Ecology Society offers numerous programs and activities that explore and explain the many wonders of nature. www.stanleyparkecology.caThe Ted & Mary Greig Rhododendron Garden
- The Vancouver Park Board was the grateful recipient of an extensive collection of hybrid rhododendron and azalea plants in the late 1960s. This collection of plants came from the Royston nursery belonging to Ted & Mary Greig who were renowned rhododendron hybridizers. Upon hearing of the Greigs' impending retirement, the Park Board was able to secure this irreplaceable group of shrubs.In all, about 4,500 plants are necklaced around the golf course beneath the towering magnolias and evergreens. Of special interest are the rhododendron auriculatum hybrids which combine the desirable characteristics of late bloom-time in July and August and scent, something not usually found in rhodos. Though undoubtedly at their peak during the first two weeks in May, walks in the Ted & Mary Greig Rhododendron Garden from March through summer, always reveal something new in bloom and a quiet beauty.
In the summer of 2006, the Park Board brought together the retired gardeners Alleyne Cook (who originally planted the garden) and Gerard Picher (who succeeded Alleyne Cook as gardener) and Rhododendron volunteer Karen Shuster who along with Landscape Architecture summer student Xenia Semeniuk mapped the Greig Garden, identified trees, plants and shrubs and took beautiful photographs in preparation for new walking tours. We at the Park Board are indebted to this knowledgeable and dedicated team for recording for posterity this rare horticultural gift.
Walks in the Ted & Mary Greig Rhododendron Garden
These walking tours by the month highlight rhododendrons and other plants and trees of particular interest while including descriptions and photographs for ease of identification. Just download the walk of your choice and visit the Ted & Mary Greig Garden located around the Pitch & Putt Course and near the Beach Avenue entrance to Stanley Park.
SEAWALL Location
- Stretches all along the waterfront, Coal Harbour (Burrard Inlet) via Stanley Park & False Creek to Kitsilano BeachAbout the Seawall
The seawall refers to the 22km (13.7 miles) walking, jogging, cycling and inline skating path that lines Vancouver's waterfront from the convention centre on Burrard Inlet (Coal Harbour), around Stanley Park and False Creek, past Granville Island and ending at Kitsilano Beach Park. It is the most popular recreational facility in Vancouver and is on the "to do" lists of many visitors.
The seawall is managed by the Vancouver Park Board together with City of Vancouver Engineering Services.
Stanley Park section: 8.8km
Coal Harbour section: 2.2km
English Bay to Kitsilano Beach: 11km
The seawall is divided into two sections, one for walkers and joggers (closest to the water) and another for cyclists and inline skaters (inside path). Signs indicate use and warn of congested areas: Bikes must be walked in three areas in Stanley Park due to congestion.
Travel is two-way (except in Stanley Park) - stay to the right to allow room for users going in the other direction
In Stanley Park cycling and inline skating is one-way between Georgia Street (Kilometre 0) and Second Beach concession (Kilometre 8). Bikes and skaters must travel in a counterclockwise direction only.
Use caution on sunny summer days when the seawall is particularly busy
Allow 2-3 hours to walk or 1 hour to cycle the Stanley Park section
On shared paths cyclists and inline skaters must yield to pedestrians
Public washrooms, concessions and other amenities are available in parks and at community centres. Visit each park and centre's webpage for a list of available amenities and hours of operation. The seawall passes through 16 parks and past four community centres and nine concessions (most seasonal).
History
Construction of the seawall began in Stanley Park in 1917 with much of its incremental progress was overseen by Park Board master stone mason James Cunningham from the late 1920s until his retirement some 35 years later. A plaque commemorating Cunningham's work can be seen in the rock face above the wall at Siwash Rock. The truth is that many full and part-time staffers, along with relief workers in the 'dirty thirties' and 'defaulters' serving punishment time, put back-breaking hours into a project originally conceived to hold back erosion.
On September 21, 1980 the entire seawall loop around Stanley Park was declared officially completed with the final paving between Third Beach and Second Beach. Since 1980 the seawall has been extended outside of Stanley Park.
Stanley Park Sports and Activities
BROCKTON CLUBHOUSE
- Athletic fields at Brockton Point were first opened in 1891 serving as many as 10 different sport groups. First built in 1927 and strategically located between the rugby and cricket fields, the Brockton Clubhouse received a major restoration in 1984 when both sport groups joined forces to save this early landmark. Today it is the centre of club activities and it's also available for limited public rentals, call 604-681-0640 for more information.LAWN BOWLING
- The Stanley Park Lawn Bowling Club is open during the good weather months but has an active membership year-round. Visitors are always welcome. www.webturf.comBROCKTON OVAL ATHLETIC FIELDS
- Since the park's inception, the Brockton Oval athletic fields have been the site of outdoor track and field events. Today the area boasts a running track with interior play field, fieldhouse with washrooms and changing facilities and first class cricket pitches. The Brockton Cricket Pavilion is available to the public for special event rentals. www.cricketclub.orgPITCH & PUTT GOLF COURSE AND PUTTING GREEN
- Located on the park's west side by the Beach Avenue entrance, this Par 3 course and putting green is spectacular by landscape design. Surrounded on three sides by the spectacular Ted and Mary Greig Rhododendron Garden, this modestly priced outing is a horticultural highlight at the same time. Open daily.ROYAL VANCOUVER YACHT CLUB
- Located on a headland once known as Anderson's Point, the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club has been on this site since 1905. A parking lot across the road from this spot, now used by Yacht Club patrons, was once a buffalo paddock. www.royalvan.comTENNIS
- A bank of 17 tennis courts is located near the Beach Avenue entrance to Stanley Park. These courts are free on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limit of 30 minutes play if someone is waiting. An additional four free courts are located just below South Lagoon Drive near the Lost Lagoon Nature House, with the same rules applying.During the summer season (late April-early September) six of the 17 courts at the Beach Avenue entrance are operated as pay courts. They can be booked up to a week in advance by calling the pay tennis operator at 604-605-8224. See their website at www3.telus.net/tennisinstanleypark
VANCOUVER ROWING CLUB
- The present floating structure which houses the Vancouver Rowing Club was built in 1911 and is a Heritage Building. Two other structures on the same site preceded the present one- the first built in 1886, which was eventually towed to Deadman's Island and used as a formal quarantine hospital- and the other which was built in 1888 and replaced by the current structure. Club sports now represented include rowing, rugby, cricket, yachting, jogging, tennis and field hockey. www.vancouverrowingclub.caMore Attractions in Vancouver BC Canada
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