A Park Like No Other

I know I promised to go off the main tourist track, but there's a time for everything.  Visiting (or writing about) Vancouver without including Stanley Park would be a bit like visiting Switzerland without seeing the Alps -- pointless, and it just isn't done!

The land that we now know as Stanley Park was dedicated to that purpose by the city council of the infant city of Vancouver in 1886, and opened in September of 1888.  It's a 400-hectare tract of giant west coast forest trees, interspersed with some monuments and areas of flower gardens.  It forms a rocky peninsula stretching out from the west end of downtown Vancouver and pointing towards the north shore of Burrard Inlet.  Across the First Narrows at the tip of the park stretches the elegant Lion's Gate Bridge, the first vehicle connection between Vancouver and North Vancouver across the Inlet.  Around the entire perimeter of the Park runs the Seawall, which carries a dual paved roadway with one side reserved for cyclists and rollerbladers, and the other side reserved for pedestrians.

The density of the forests makes Stanley Park seem even bigger than it actually is.  From many places in the Park it is impossible to see any of the major city that sits right next door.  The forests are threaded by numerous walking trails, and using these is a delightful way to get up close and personal with the majestic giants of the west coast rainforest.

The park has two major beaches, and a large outdoor seasonal swimming pool beside Second Beach (and I do mean large).  There is no spot close by from which the pool can be readily photographed, but I'll toss in a picture of the similar big pool at Kitsilano, a few kilometres away, just to give the idea.

Either of these pools is a must-visit in the summer for anyone who loves serious swimming, or just messing about in the water.

Stanley Park also has tennis courts, an aquarium, a tea house, a seafood restaurant, and numerous other attractions.  But for me the biggest attraction is always the scenery.  As you go around the Seawall, you get in succession:

[1] a splendid view of Vancouver's bustling downtown and harbour.

[2] the view of the Lion's Gate Bridge from Prospect Point with, if your timing is right, a huge cruise ship sailing underneath it!  (I did not get lucky this trip!)

[3] the mountain-crowned suburbs of North Vancouver and West Vancouver.

[4] the view from Third Beach of freighters at anchor in English Bay outside the harbour.

and finally the English Bay Beach stretching away along the western waterfront of the city's West End residential district.  As far as I am concerned, Stanley Park sums up Vancouver to perfection!