Walking Stanley Park's Seawall in Vancouver, BC
Seawall Stroll Offers Best Vancouver Views for Travelers on a Budget
Jun 17, 2009
Stanley Park is one of the major attractions for visitors to Vancouver, Canada. Located just a few minutes west from the downtown core, this urban park of over 1,000 acres is one of the biggest in all of North America.
Besides being home to an ample amount of beaches, rainforest and wildlife, Stanley Park contains dozens of historical landmarks, lookouts and points of interest including the Vancouver Aquarium.
To top it all off, the entire park is surrounded by a well-paved walking path that offers stunning views of the greater Vancouver and BC Coast Mountain areas. This path is known as the Stanley Park seawall.
History of Vancouver's Seawall
This seawall was originally built to deter erosion. Construction began in 1917 and was not completed until the mid-1970s. Over the decades up to that point, the seawall became a popular place to take in the natural beauty of English Bay, the Lions Gate Bridge and the North Shore mountains. The Vancouver Park Board took note of this and proceeded to pave the top of the wall to accommodate the increasing pedestrian traffic. This current incarnation of the seawall was officially finished on September 21, 1980.
Walking the Seawall in Stanley Park
The seawall loop around Stanley Park is an 8.8 kilometre (5.5 mile) section of the larger pathway system that encloses most of the inner waterfront area of downtown Vancouver. The path around the seawall is void of any incline and can be started at either the west entrance (near English Bay) or at the east entrance (near the Vancouver Rowing Club).
Most people will find that it takes between two and three hours to complete the entire seawall loop. This includes time to stop and take pictures at the numerous points of interest along the way.
The seawall is always bustling with visitors but more so in the warmer summer months. Regardless of the time of year, a walk around Stanley Park's seawall is a cost-effective way to sample the unique Pacific Northwest splendor of Vancouver, BC.
Further Information
- Some essential items to bring along include comfortable walking shoes, a camera, a bottle of water and depending on the current weather conditions, either sunscreen or a light jacket.
- For a slightly different experience (and if your budget allows for it), bicycles and rollerblades are available for rent a few blocks east of the park entrance on the corner of Georgia Street and Denman Street.
- Depending where you are lodging in the Vancouver area, there may be a pathway close by that connects to the seawall. For example, there are connections right outside the Westin Bayshore Hotel and as far away as Kitsilano Beach, and Science World. Be sure to enquire about this option with your concierge.
- Vancouver Parks has some further information about the seawall.
- An insightful look at traveling along the seawall.
 |
 |
 |
 |
