Pamela B.

We came here cause I wanted to see a lighthouse. The day was rainy and gloomy, so that kind of sucked. Unfortunately, from where we were, we were not able to get close to the lighthouse and I don't think you can get close to the lighthouse no matter where you come in from. But the views are spectacular and there's a lot of different hikes in the area.

Jasmine A.

Lighthouse Park, which gets its name from a lighthouse at Point Atkinson, is a popular park for hiking and walking. Despite being born and raised in Vancouver, I have never been to Lighthouse Park before, and I went for the first time today with my hiking group. There are many trails within the park, and while many are flat, easy walks (including the trail from the park entrance to the lighthouse), there are trails with some elevation that may be challenging for people with no hiking experience or for people with mobility issues. The route my group and I took today was: Birdsong Path; Juniper Point Trail to Juniper Point; Shore Pine Trail to Shore Pine Point and Lighthouse Viewpoint; Point Atkinson; Valley Trail; Arbutus Trail to Eagle Point; Valley of the Giants Trail; Summit Trail; back to the parking lot. Walking at a leisurely pace, stopping to take many photos, and a break for lunch took 3 hours and 20 minutes. It was a lovely hike, the trails a mixture of flat and easy, stairs and boardwalks, terrain with roots and rocks, and short inclines that got your heart pumping, although nothing overly strenuous. I look forward to going back and spending hours exploring the other trails. Other things to note: parking is limited and the small parking lot fills up quickly, but Lighthouse Park is accessible by the #250 bus, which stops at Marine Drive and Beacon Lane, a five minute walk to the park. (Even though the #250 bus runs fairly frequently, the one that goes to Lighthouse Park only runs every half an hour.) In the parking lot, as well as at the lighthouse view point, there are port-o-potties, but they are absolutely DISGUSTING -- the ones in the parking lot were completely covered in PISS -- some man (because there is no way a woman could have physically done it) sprayed all over the back of the toilet seats. Outhouses would have been preferable. [Yelp collections: Hiking; Parks and Gardens]

Carolyn L.

I have always wanted to visit Lighthouse Park after a friend told me about it. I was hesitant to go on my own as I was recovering from MVA injuries and I was told there are some steep and rocky areas to maneuver. I finally found someone willing to go with me recently and it was quite manageable. The park is quite big with several trails. We went to Juniper Point lookout on our first visit. The trail is near the parking lot entrance. A short part is accessible friendly and there are a few benches along the way to rest. The trail got a bit more challenging after the sign indicating the end of accessible part. It became steeper and there were lots of roots and rocks. These helped in forming natural steps and to hold on to when getting down the slope. Juniper Point lookout has a gorgeous view of the sea. It is a cliff so be careful not to be too close to the edge. To get to Point Atkinson Lighthouse, you need to walk past the parking lot, continuing on the paved lane. This is much easier as you don't have to deal with loose gravels. Once you reached the area with many wooden buildings, take the East Beach trail to get to the lighthouse. If you scramble down to the rocky beach, you can see the bunker too. It's under the lighthouse and covered with graffiti. Go during low tide to get to the bunker. The sign indicating lighthouse is a shorter trail and scramble up on the rocks. You only get a partial view of the lighthouse. There are wooden bridges and stairs on the trails which do help in getting over the harder parts. I have not tried the other trails but I will probably be back to do those. Each trail takes about 20-30 mins to get to the cliff side. I'm glad I finally got to visit it. Weekdays are less crowded and go when it's dry weather. I would imagine the trails being slippery when it's rainy season.

Edward L.

Really nice beautiful park close to Horseshoe Bay. Parking is available in a few small unpaved lots. The park is basically a large sloped forest. Plenty of trails crisscrossing the area. Nothing is terribly steep, but there are definitely some ups and down, as well as the occasional flight of stairs. The best views are along the rocky areas along the waterline. These ones are tricky to access. Be prepared to use one's hands. The lighthouse in the name refers to Point Atkinson, which is a historic site and makes for a great postcard shot. See my separate review for the lighthouse area. Definitely worth checking out at least once. Also great for tourists who want to see what the West Coast is all about.

Manbir R.

If you haven't been to this side of beautiful city vancouver then you are missing on something. Picturesque, fairly easy trails and breathtaking view of lighthouse and ocean horizon with sailing oil tankers takes your breath away. You can follow the wide trail from the entrance of the park to go straight to lighthouse view which is about 10 mins walking trail. Or take the narrow trail towards starboat cove. There are picnic tables. Washrooms are not the cleanest but best a forest could have. Rocky pathway through the rocks takes you to the top of the big rock for the view of light. You could just be mesmerized by the beauty of this sight and sit here long time . I would go again and again to explore this beautiful and well preserved beauty of Vancouver. I wish i could tent here and have a bonfire. Parking is scant as its in posh residential area.

Albert L.

Although not very large and with a main trail that is quite straightforward if you only just want to visit the lighthouse that is the focus of its name, Lighthouse Park invites people to explore it, as many smaller paths branch out from the main one. And you will find many small adventures in this unassuming park that is actually an old-growth forest - from cliffs and coves that do not seem so obviously there to a WWII era bunker that has become home to colorful works of graffiti, Lighthouse Park provides hours of play and discovery while simultaneously being a respite from bustling Vancouver 30-40 minutes away. Not only will you get a great and serene view of the city in the distance, but also of the natural beauty that defines the Burrard Inlet, which is adorned by anything from large oil tankers that dwarf the paddle boarders that go buy.

Mike T.

Lighthouse park is a beautiful park that's a stone's throw away from downtown Vancouver. I recommend everyone who enjoys watching BC's nice coastline scenery to take the time to come here at least once! It's pretty much impossible to get lost here. The main trail is wide and loops around back to the parking lot. The sign posts were clearly marked with trail markers and directions to each viewpoint. Free maps of the trail are available at the parking lot area. It's easy to find out where you are based on the signposts all around the trails along with the map in hand. If you accidentally take a weird small trail, it will eventually connect to one of the main trails that loops around the park. It's an easy trail because a vast majority of the main trails are well laid out and mostly flat with a gentle incline. Many of the trails have a built-in wooden plank or carved out steps for easy climbs up steep terrain. A hiking stick would be helpful for older folks, but definitely not needed for most people. The park is also great for families for a relatively easy hike to one of the MANY viewpoints. The viewpoints of the landscapes aren't impressively breathtaking, but they are still pretty nice on sunny days and they are easy to get to. I love how there are so many viewpoints along the main trail by the water on many different elevations. The mountains and the city of downtown Vancouver can be seen in the distance on clear sunny days. Many sailboats, kayaks, ferries, and oil tankers can be seen in the water. If you're lucky, you can find animals along the way. My friend and I were lucky enough to spot a seal peeking out of the water! On the other hand, the star attraction, the actual lighthouse that the park is named after, was covered by a bunch of trees so I couldn't get a good view of it. Maybe I was in the wrong viewpoint for it... Here's a useful tip: Lighthouse park is one of the most famous parks in BC so it tends to be crowded on sunny days, especially weekends. To avoid the crowds, come early! My friends and I came early in the morning and parking was relatively easy to find. We found a parking spot pretty much right in front of the trail entrance as soon as we came. No waiting needed! By early afternoon while we were on the way out, parking was scarce. Many cars were waiting for other cars to get out. Because we arrived at the park early, a lot of times we got viewpoints all to ourselves since most of the park visitors hadn't arrived yet. We took our time taking pictures and finding the best positions for the most Instagram-worthy scenery shots. So trust me on this, come as early as possible. It will be a more pleasant experience. Also, for whatever reason, the washroom outhouses on some trails were out of order so make sure to go to the ones by the parking lot. Overall, lighthouse park is a pretty easy hike with some good viewpoints. They're not spectacular but worth the trip at least once. It's not a far drive from downtown and takes only a couple hours to explore most of it. The trail is great for people who are total beginners to hiking and children, or people who simply want an easier hike. And yes, it's dog friendly. Dog bags are available near the parking lot entrance. I came across many, many dog owners along the trail. No wonder it's one of Vancouver's more popular tourist attractions.

Dean N.

We got there at 7 am and had a nice peaceful walk under the trees. Someone left walking sticks and we used them, then brought them back. They were very helpful on the rocky areas.

Paula C.

What a beautiful place for a quick and easy hike! They have a good number of trails where you can pick and choose your route depending where and how long you would like to hike for. A lot of great viewpoints where you can take some awesome photos of the light house and the view. We took the route right down to the rocks by the lighthouse and up and the round trip took a bit less than 2 hours for a very leisure walk. The best part is it is much quieter and crowded compared to Quarry Rock, but the elevation much less at Lighthouse park, so it's better for those who are just looking for an easy hike.

Bob K.

Really awesome little park with a bunch of hiking trails and also a cool beach where you can hang out on the rocks and stare into the bay and Vancouver across the water. Super helpful that they have great bathroom amenities and also lots of options for different trails. Also, you can get down and see the lighthouse - but not too close. Walk down the driveway past the gate and you're basically at somebody's house, but staring at the lighthouse from a much closer vantage point. Cool little insider trick is that there's a an old war bunker sitting up on the hill - it's a bit hard to get to and you have to be fleet of foot but worth the trip up there for a nice view and some cool graffiti on the inside. About 30 miles from downtown Vancouver but definitely worth the trip.

Christine H.

Beautiful park combining the experiences of old growth forest and coastal vistas. I hiked the juniper loop to juniper point and spent time at the point. A perfect way to spend a couple of hours!

Kim R.

First visit to the park recently. Impressed with the variety of trails throughout. There's a straighter, flatter, paved trail...for those who might need it...that goes down the center of the park. There are many other more rustic, narrow and/or rougher options on both sides. We took one trail on the east side of the park with great views across the water. Great for dogs, Lighthouse allows off leash on the trails. We had to carry our little one for much of the trail we took, but enjoyed encountering many well-behaved off leash pups along the way. Be prepared to climb a bit for cool views above the lighthouse! Overall a great hiking with beautiful scenery and ample parking.

Doris W.

All the parks in Vancouver are amazing! Lynn Canyon, Stanley, Lighthouse, they all have so much to offer! West Vancouver is a little out of the way, but it's worth the drive. We came out here Saturday and hiked around and just enjoyed the scenery. You drive through a neighborhood to get to the parking lot. Parking lot was packed when we got there Saturday afternoon, but we found parking eventually. You can't get up close to the lighthouse. You see it from a distance. There's a couple of picture opp spots, I think the best is when you go west of the lighthouse. There's the rocks and you're right on the water. The trail keeps going from the 1st viewpoint. The hike to the lighthouse is short, less than a mile. So beautiful!