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Stanley Park
The largest city park in the country, Stanley is a thousand acres
of preserved woodlands on a peninsula overlooking English Bay and
Burrard Inlet, skirted by a 5.5-mile Sea Wall frequented by joggers,
rollerbladers, and cyclists (the last of which must ride counter-clockwise).
The land was originally set aside in the 1860s for a military reserve
in the event of an American invasion. The pristine peninsula was
designated a city park in 1888 and christened after Canada’s
governor of the time.
Visitors and locals alike spend sunny afternoons on its three clean
beaches, or on the hiking and biking trails through the cedar and
fir forests. Bird-watchers and dog-walkers take the paths around
Stanley’s two lakes, Lost Lagoon and Beaver Lake. Artists
hawk their works on a green in view of a collection of First Nations
totem poles, and a free shuttle bus arrives every fifteen minutes
to connect the Vancouver Aquarium with other sights inside the park.
(You could also pay $23 for a horse-and-carriage ride and guided
tour; 604-681-5115 or www.stanleypark.com for more information.)
A tourist information pavillion at the park’s southeast end
(604-683-5911), opposite the Vancouver Rowing Club, provides good
maps and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream bars. There are a few sit-down
restaurants located within the park, but these are generally touristy
and overpriced, so pack a picnic lunch.
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