Location: downtown Vancouver

Cost: free

Parking: paid parking available

Stanley Park is definitely the place to go, if you want to take a walk with or without kids. It took me a while to discover the full potential of this natural masterpiece, but I finally have and it is great. For a long time, we used to drive up to a certain location and park, but didn’t really ventured inside, on the trails. And there are a lot of them, that you can explore.

We’ve always enjoyed the seawall, on foot or by bike when we didn’t have kids, but this time we took the kids for half a day in the park. It was the first time we’ve done it with them. We started with the Aquarium and moved our way on the trails, our aim being to get to Beaver lake.

We’ve recently got equipped with a Thule, which is awesome for trails and off-roads. I truly recommend it if you’re into hiking and going with the kids in the parks. It is worth the investment and then of course you have the option to attach it to your bike, which is its primary scope. The bike trailer is  actually meant to be attached to the bike, and if you want to turn it into a stroller, you have the option to add a third wheel in front and that’s it.

We haven’t used it as a bike trailer yet, as my son is under 1 yo and it is not recommended. And you won’t find a helmet that fits his head either for the reason mentioned above, so for now it is a stroller. A double stroller. Good for napping too.

I mentioned parks earlier and as most of us know already, most parks don’t have a lot of paved trails, it is more gravel roads. Having a stroller with good wheels comes in handy.

Coming back to Stanley park, we went on the seawall a little bit then entered a trail that led us straight up to Beaver lake. We walked for about 30 minutes, on a beautiful quiet trail. Beaver lake is pretty well hidden and covered, at some point you couldn’t tell it is a lake, more of a marsh actually.

We took a tour, the kids fell asleep. Soon we got to the Rose garden, beautiful flowers everywhere. A nice place to lay a blanket and have a quick snack.

I didn’t run into any playgrounds, there could be some, but I haven’t found them, I can’t tell for sure. Honestly, there are so many things to do and see , I wouldn’t really focus on that.

As for parking, there is plenty of paid parking available, washrooms too in certain location.  The park is gorgeous if you want to take photos or simply enjoy nature. Definitely worth a visit. Although we don’t live that close, we try to see Stanley park as often as we can.

I hope you enjoyed this post, happy seawalling!

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Also, share your experience if you happen to visit the park!

Sorina