West End

 

With 1000 acres of mostly forested land at the western tip of downtown this is one of North America's largest urban parks (http://www.city.vancouver...), and quite literally, is an oasis of wilderness in the middle of the city. The park is surrounded in its entirety by a 9km paved path called the seawall; a great place for rollerblading, cycling, jogging or just taking a pleasant walk. There is also hundreds of kilometers of inland trails crisscrossing the park in every direction. Stanley Park park attracts over 8 million visitors per year.

The park includes both heavily forested natural areas, manicured gardens and totem poles. As tall and old as the trees appear, it is interesting to know that much of them are second-growth, as the area was heavily logged from 1860-1880. There is a free bus that shuttles visitors around the loop to the different parts of the park. The bus operates in the summer, every 12-15 minutes. It takes 45 minutes to do the full loop. There are stops near all of the major attractions including:

 

Miniature Railway

+1 604 257-8531. Who doesn't like to ride a miniature railway? At Christmas, there is a very popular light display for the miniature railway. Adult $5, less for seniors, children and youth Slightly higher during special events.

Prospect Point

At the north tip of Stanley Park, Prospect Point affords stunning views of the Lions Gate Bridge and First Narrows. There is a concession and bathrooms here, and sometimes you may spot a large contingent of racoons begging for food. Please don't feed them.

Nine O'clock Gun

Originally used by mariners to set their chronometers. However, during and after World War II, this gun has marked 9PM every night since 1894.

Totem Poles

Near Brockton Point is this collection of eight totem poles, colorfully painted and intricately detailed.

Trivia: Every single one of Stanley Park's grey squirrels was descended from eight pairs given to Vancouver as a gift from New York City in 1909.