Adventure & Outdoors
Vancouver showing off everything it has in one gloriously flat, car-free, 10 km loop where the ocean is the only map you need.
Stanley Park, off the West End at Coal Harbour / Denman Street
More infoSome dates need reservations; this one needs laces and three hours of ignoring your phone. The Stanley Park Seawall is Vancouver at maximum show-off, a 10 km flat, car-free loop where the ocean is your only map. You will pass the totem poles at Brockton Point, crane at freighters under Lions Gate Bridge, and find Siwash Rock offshore looking far too pleased with itself. Go early on sunny weekends.
Start at the Coal Harbour end near Denman Street, where Stanley Park Drive meets the water, park at the pay-by-plate EasyPark lots just inside the park entrance, or skip the hassle and take transit to the West End and walk in. The seawall is flat, paved and dead simple to follow: keep the ocean on your right and you can't get lost. Heading counter-clockwise you'll pass the Brockton Point totem poles (the most-photographed spot in the park), slip under the Lions Gate Bridge with freighters drifting overhead, and round the corner to Siwash Rock standing alone offshore, don't miss the little lookout just above it. Carry on past Third Beach toward English Bay, where an ice cream or a Teahouse stop makes a natural finish. Full loop is roughly 10 km / 2.5 to 3 hours of easy strolling. Short on time? Do Coal Harbour to Brockton Point and back for a ~45-minute taste of the best skyline-and-totems stretch.
Commit to an out-and-back stretch rather than the full seawall, unless you enjoy carrying a toddler the last kilometre. Stay on the walking side, supervise near the water, and you've got a genuinely scenic date with built-in exercise, minus the heroics of circling the whole park.
Waterfront walking route. Select a short out-and-back for smaller children rather than committing to the whole park. Stay on walking side and supervise beside water.
Official visitor informationFamily details checked 2026-10-05Been here? Share a useful detail from your visit, or ask what you want to know before going. Reader experiences are self-reported.
