The Stanley Park Seawall Revisited

• Author: WantsToTravelMore
• Accommodation: Vancouver Accommodations

In the spring of 2015, Vancouver had an unusual run of dry weather — milimetres of rain, not the usual feet of rain. So when our work team decided to do our second (now annual) team bike ride around Stanley Park we were expecting to work up a sweat. Of course it rained. Not hard and not for long but it was cool and damp.

Another expectation I had was that it would be crowded on the sea wall walk, which is a 10 km scenic trail around this massive park. I’d heard of incidents of cyclists, inline skaters, pedestrians and racoons (yes, raccoons) that have led to personal injury.

Of course, it wasn’t the case on our ride day. It was peaceful, still very scenic, and without any traffic issues.

This of course doesn’t mean that you bike for speed through Stanley Park. For example when you come along the part where Siwash Rock is, it’s very narrow for the bicycle section. Apart from our group, a few locals and tourists were out.

This year, I was reminded that it’s cool to ride under the Lion’s Gate Bridge. If you’ve every driven over the bridge, there’s a stunning view mid-span and to be so small and insignificant cycling underneath the south end is a daunting feeling.

If you happen to catch the Stanley Park Seawall on a busy day, and are stopping all the time to dodge other users of the path, remember that there’s always a good view to enjoy.