Stanley Park Guide: Seawall, Totem Poles and Lost Lagoon

Stanley Park covers about 400 hectares at the tip of the downtown peninsula, mostly second-growth rainforest of cedar, hemlock and Douglas fir, and it opened as a park in 1888. The seawall runs roughly nine kilometres around its edge. On a bike it's a relaxed hour and a half with stops. On foot, allow three hours, or do half and cut back through the forest.

Rent a bike on Denman Street or use Mobi bike share. On the seawall, cyclists ride counterclockwise only and stay in the wheeled lane, separate from walkers. The route below follows that direction, starting from Coal Harbour.

1. Coal Harbour and the rowing club. Start at the foot of Georgia Street with seaplanes landing behind you. Pass the Vancouver Rowing Club and the yacht moorings.
2. Brockton Point totem poles. The most visited spot in the park: a group of carved poles, most of them replicas or new works by First Nations artists, including pieces from Haida Gwaii and the Kwakwaka'wakw. Read the panels. They explain which family and which stories each pole represents.
3. The Nine O'Clock Gun and Brockton Point lighthouse. A cannon that fires every evening at nine, a tradition going back more than a century. Round the point, look out for Girl in a Wetsuit on a rock offshore.
4. Lions Gate Bridge. The seawall passes right under it. Look up at the underside of the deck and across to the North Shore.
5. Prospect Point. The seawall stays at water level, but the lookout sits on the cliff above, reached by a steep path or the road. It has the classic view down onto the bridge and a café with a terrace.
6. Siwash Rock. A sea stack standing alone off the shore, known in Squamish tradition as a man transformed into stone. One of the most photographed spots in the park.
7. Third Beach and Second Beach. Third Beach faces west and is the locals' sunset spot. Second Beach has an outdoor pool in summer and is one of the city's designated areas for drinking alcohol in season, with no glass allowed (check the city's current list before you bring a beer).
8. Lost Lagoon. Leave the seawall at Second Beach and loop round this lake by the Georgia Street entrance, with herons, ducks and a fountain in the middle. Beaver Lake, further in, is quieter and covered in lily pads.

A few practical notes. The Vancouver Aquarium is inside the park, near Brockton. The Stanley Park Train hasn't run since late 2024, and the Park Board is looking for a new attraction for the site, which hosted a temporary mini golf course in summer 2026. Coyotes live in the park. Never feed them, keep small dogs close and avoid the forest trails at dusk. Bears aren't a concern here, though they are on the North Shore.

The park sits at the start of our three-day itinerary, and the West End hotels beside it are covered in our where to stay guide.