One of two lighthouses in Stanley Park, there has been a lighthouses here since 1890 though the…read morecurrent structure was built in 1914. It is a square-shaped building painted a bright white with a red stripe and a red lantern on top. It is no longer used as a navigational aid and is managed by Vancouver's Parks Board. What's neat about this lighthouse is its accessibility. While you can't go inside, the outside is accessible with an arched base that has a walkway underneath. On the Saturday when I visited, there was a good sized crowd of folks enjoying the park and stopping at the lighthouse. I managed to get a few shots of it with no people around it. Stanley Park is walkable/bikeable and while you can drive it, you'll miss the fun stuff that way. Enjoy the view of the Burrard Inlet and the Vancouver skyline! [Review 20875 overall - 52 in British Columbia - 1859 of 2023.]

Brockton Point is a very cute little lighthouse. Small gem inside of Stanley Park…read more Not your typical round shaped lighthouse. Squared edges with the round light topper. Painted in the Canadian flag colors. Great scenic views. There is parking in front of it. Parking is metered, paid.

Plan to visit this breathtaking waterfront park when you are in West Vancouver, situated at the…read morequaint little Village of Dundarave, the park offers you a relaxing stroll along the beach front. If you are here during Christmas Season, make sure you check out their Christmas Tree display, all decorated trees are sponsored by families, local businesses and corporations for charitable causes! View of the Lion's Gate Bridge, downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park & UBC all stretched out in front of you! Bring your binoculars and a picnic and you will have your day set!! Free Public Parking available, make sure you check the signs for allowable time!

This is a beautiful beach walk in West Vancouver. Take in views of the west side of Vancouver,…read moreLionsgate bridge and the shores of West Vancouver. There are a variety of child friendly areas with playgrounds and sandy beaches. There are several washrooms located along the beach walk. If you are looking for a dog friendly area, there is a large area on the south east section of the park along the waterfront. There is a mini golf course nearby and The Boatshed, a great concession stand with a variety of breakfast, lunch or snack items. A must visit!

Ambleside Beach has that quintessential Vancouver mix of ocean, mountains, and community. You can…read morepaddle board and play volleyball during the summer or enjoy a quiet and peaceful stroll during the winter. One of my favourite little spots is the pond along the edge of the beach, where I've spotted beautiful swans. It's the opposite of the busy seawall and a perfect place to watch nature. I especially love the nighttime here where you get to take in all the glory of the Lions Gate Bridge and the sparkling lights of the city. Ambleside Beach is a rare place that somehow still manages to make you feel peaceful in the middle of a very busy city.

Buntzen Lake, located in the Village of Anmore near Belcarra Regional Park, is named after Johannes…read moreBuntzen, the first general manager of BC Electric Company, predecessor to BC Hydro. The lake is a BC Hydro reservoir and the lake and surrounding area is maintained by BC Hydro. There are beaches and many hiking trails, making the Buntzen Lake recreation area a very popular destination. Due to its popularity, a parking pass is needed from mid-May to Labour Day in September. The parking passes are free, but it can be extremely difficult to get one. However, in the summer, from the end of April to Labour Day, the #179 bus departs from Coquitlam Central Station (Bay 12) every half an hour and goes to Buntzen Lake, but only on weekends and holidays. (It would be so nice if there was year round transit, or at least from March to October, and if during the summer, it wasn't limited to only weekends and holidays.) Due to the limited parking, it's actually far easier to bus there in the summer instead of driving, and you can park for $3, all day, at Coquitlam Central Station. Just take transit! The Buntzen Lake Loop is 10km and approximately three hours, and there is a beach area with picnic tables and clean outhouses along the route. I started a transit accessible hiking group in the summer of 2023, and I went hiking at Buntzen Lake for the first time in May 2024. Due to transit only being available in the summer months on weekends and holidays, I am limited as to when I can go, and so far I have gone seven times -- twice in 2024, twice in 2025, and three times this year. Apparently people go counter-clockwise around the lake, but the first time we went, none of us knew where exactly the start of the trail was located, and we ended up going clockwise. However, we all enjoyed hiking the trail clockwise, so we always go clockwise, which has its benefits: the hardest part is at the beginning, not the end; the west side is more exposed so it's better to do the east side, which has more tree canopy, last, when the sun is hotter; the beach, where we stop for lunch, is at the two hour mark, instead of one hour; and we don't get caught up in other groups of hikers, since everyone is going in the opposite direction. The first six times I have gone to Buntzen Lake, we have done the Buntzen Lake Loop. However, this last time, which was August 22, 2026, we tried the Lakeview Trail. The Lakeview Trail parallels the west side of the Buntzen Lake Loop Trail, and while the trail isn't terribly difficult, it is slightly more difficult and longer than the west side of the Buntzen Lake Loop Trail, and because we were taking our time exploring a new trail, it took us three, instead of two hours, to get to the beach area, making our total hiking time four hours. It was such a nice hike and far less busy than the Buntzen Lake Loop Trail. I can't wait to do this hike again next summer! There are so many other trails in the Buntzen Lake recreation area, such as the Diez Vistas Trail which is very popular, but I need to work my way up to that. [Yelp collections: Hiking]

Gorgeous and peaceful lake. The perimeter around the lake has a 3.5 hour easier moderate trail that…read moreis mostly shaded. Toilets at the start (main beach/waterside area) and at the midway point (outhouse at small beach). Thr main beach area has an enclosed off leash area for dogs, ehoch also has a waterside section. There is a doggie washing station, which is very convenient. The good and bad part about this place is the required reserved parking. The good part is that you know that you will have a parking spot. The bad part is that it's required and they won't let you into the area without it. It was free but had a time restriction.

Great Park along the Bérard Inlet in North Vancouver British Columbia Canada…read more Pickleball Courts x6 tennis courts x2. Excellent all around family area!!!

I love Cates Park now that I have been here many times during the non-peak period. The first time I…read morecame here, it was super crowded and there were no parking spots at all. That was at the height of summer on a weekend. Now I only come here on weekdays and weekend outside of summer. It is a fairly big park with a pier at one side, and walking trails and beach on the other. I much prefer the walking trails area with little cove areas where you can put your beach blanket or mat down and chill. Washrooms are available between the two areas. You can swim, kayak and fish/crab from here. Paid parking is near the pier and for those taking their boats out. Otherwise it is free parking in the other areas.

There is a sea wall mini trail here ! It was one of the most beautiful walks I have been on ,…read moreyou're walking along the ocean the whole time and it's so serene! Lots of small beach areas too and park benches to hang out at

While visiting Vancouver, I was looking for a short easy hike to squeeze in my day…read more The Lighthouse park was perfect. The trees and greenery were absolutely beautiful and the weather was nice in July. Although the park has a few different trails within it, the lighthouse viewing trail only takes about 15 minutes to hike one way. The park is well kept as we saw staff on duty maintaining the foliage. This park is pet and kid friendly. Parking is metered so be sure to pay before you start hiking.

Located in Cypress Provincial Park, Hollyburn Mountain is a popular hiking trail. I've gone hiking…read moreon Hollyburn over ten years ago so when I went with my hiking group on Sunday September 20th (as a participant -- someone else was leading the hike), it was like hiking it for the first time, as I didn't remember much, except that it was one of the more challenging trails I had hiked. The trail is between 7 and 8km round trip and is listed as being between 3.5 and 4 hours long; however it took our group nearly six hours (which included a 45 minute stop for lunch at the top), as we were going at a slower pace (it was the first time hiking this trail for most of us, including the organizer), and kept stopping to look at fungi, birds, the beautiful scenery, and the amazing views. There are apparently a couple of different trails -- one which starts at the "Nordic" area on Cypress Mountain, which is popular during the winter with snowshoers, and one which starts nearer to the Cypress Creek Lodge, which is considered the "summer" trail. We took the summer trail. While not a beginner trail, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be (I am also a much better hiker than I was ten years ago, and now I have proper hiking boots and poles). There were some inclines and rougher parts on the trail, but it was very manageable for an average hiker -- hiking poles were definitely helpful. The first part of the trail was under tree canopy, but towards the top it was much more open. There were also so many different kinds of fungi -- I took photos of about two dozen different kinds, and I'm sure I missed a lot. The view at the top was absolutely amazing (when I went ten years ago, it was foggy so I didn't see anything!), and we were all reluctant to leave after 45 minutes. There were many Whisky Jacks and they weren't shy -- one kept swooping at my friend, trying to grab her sandwich. There was also a very cute chipmunk hoping for a piece of dropped food. The Hollyburn Trail is now one of my favourite hiking trails, and I can't wait to do it again next year! [Yelp collections: Hiking]

Free parking is available. There is no washroom on the trail. There is clean one at parking which…read moreis close to paid parking and First Aid room. I came by snowshoeing so warm Saturday, March 16 2024. The trail was very narrow. Some parts were narrower than my snowshoes width. It was so steep than I expected. For uphill, there was no problem. Just exhausting. For downhill, it's challenging for snowshoe users. Maybe better to use microspikes when you go down. It seemed off leash trail as well.

Capilano River Regional Park is a fantastic spot to visit, especially if you are already in the…read morearea after checking out the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. The trails here are beautiful and take you through lush, stunning rain forests with incredible scenery along the river. It is right next to the Capilano River Hatchery, which is also a nice and informative stop to add to your walk. Overall, it has great, well-maintained trails, and I would definitely recommend stopping by if you are spending time in North Vancouver!

This park is great. Visited on a gloomy rainy day and it qas still great. There are steep paths to…read moreget down to the river and back up. There are tons of hikes once you pass the dam. The paths are well taken care of and there are plenty of signs. The 2nd look point is great and so is the path to the hatchery, just beware of the steep route.