Rave Run: Stanley Park Seawall

Stanley Park is one of the best things about living in Vancouver.  It's approximately 1000 acres (compared to New York's Central Park at 800) - and takes up about half of the downtown peninsula.

I'm lucky enough to live in Vancouver's TINY downtown core, which means Stanley Park is running distance from my house. Its also running distance from lots of hotels, so if you're here from out of town you should totally check it out.

Below is my 8 mile running route.  The little diagonal line going from the forested area across the little inlet is the Lions Gate Bridge.  You'll see a photograph of it below.  

Route Map (8 miles / 13km)

The seawall around Stanley Park can get rather crowded on warm, sunny weekends.  Weeknights are much more quiet.  It's important to note, that bikes are supposed to stay on one (clearly marked) side of the path while pedestrians are supposed to stay on their side.  If everyone sticks to the rules we'll all get along just fine.  Sadly, many a tourist seem to be caught unawares of our local customs, which can lead to unfortunate mishaps.

Fellow Runners on the Seawall at Coal Harbour

There are lots of monuments and viewpoints along the way, a few of which are pictured, below:

Statue of Harry Jerome, who competed for Canada in 

three Olympic Games, and set seven world records

including the 100m in 10.2, 10.1, and finally 10

seconds in 1960

The Nine O'Clock Gun, which is a 12-pound 

muzzle-loaded Naval cannon, has been 

declaring the time of day for over 100 years

Here's the "Girl in Wetsuit" statue (1972), which 

you can get a better look at here. It was 

commissioned by the city as a modern take on 

the "Little Mermaid" in Copenhagen

Replica fibreglass figurehead from the SS Empress 

of Japan, which sailed between Vancouver and Asia 

from 1891-1922.  The original wooden figurehead 

can be found at the Vancouver Maritime Museum.

The Lions Gate Bridge looming in the distance, 

with the North Shore beyond

The far side (north side) of Stanley Park, between the 

Lions Gate Bridge & English Bay

The beach at English Bay, which is visible as the 

seawall exits Stanley Park.

 This is a great route for the natural scenery, cultural sites, and great people watching.  Its not uncommon to spot Herons and Harbour Seals along the way too, which is an added bonus.  There are a few drinking fountains along the way, though not as many as you might expect - so its a good idea to bring water.