The city forefather’s did something very right when they designated 1,000 acres of forest as public park land. Today, it stands so near to downtown Vancouver that many a Howe Street stock broker can be seen jogging off the stress along any one of its 22 miles of forested trails.

Named after Lord Stanley (also of the NHL crown fame), this jewel is the largest urban park in North America and is one of the world’s finest. It is ringed by a 5.5 mile Seawall - a favorite for walkers, joggers, roller bladers and bikers - three large sandy beaches, a heated Second Beach Pool,  numerous promontories for picture-taking and in summer, an outdoor theater. The eight-minute trip on its miniature railway, a replica of the first Canadian Pacific Railway engine which completed its inaugural Trans-Canada journey is 1886, is a delight.

At the park’s entrance, there’s Lost Lagoon, so named because its waters once disappeared at low tide. Now landlocked, the lagoon is home for entire families of swans, ducks and Canada Geese which frequently have right of way across the causeway that runs through the park towards the Lions Gate Bridge and the North Shore. Stanley Park is where to find the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, Vancouver Cricket Club, a stand of Totem Poles, a Rose Garden and Shakespeare Garden, each planted in the 1920s, and the National Geographic Tree, widely believed to be the largest red cedar in the world at almost 30 meters around.

Touring information: Walking is a delight through trails or along the Seawall. Bike and roller blade rentals are nearby. Horse Drawn Tours are available early spring to late fall and a free summer shuttle also runs from Canada Place.

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