Known as one of the best city parks in the world; Stanley Park is one site you cannot forget to see while in Vancouver. Located just on the tip of Vancouver’s downtown hub, this evergreen peninsula of 400 hectares (1,000 acres) is a place of recreation and leisure. The park is abundant with stems of cedar, hemlock and fir trees and is the home of many wildlife creatures. Along the park’s outer perimeter is an 8.8km seawall path used for cycling, inline skating, jogging and more. Most of the park is covered in forest with an estimated half a million trees that stand as high as 76 metres (250ft) and are hundreds of years old. Learn more about the history of Stanley Park and find out all the activities you can do there on your next visit!

Stanley Park History

The area of the park was previously the cultural land of a variety of Coast Salish indigenous tribes. The Squamish and Musqueam clans had large communities in the park and used the area to collect food and gather materials; for example, cedar trees were used to build canoes and log houses. In the 1860s, the region was used as a military reserve for the colonial army, it was deemed a strategic location for defence if the American’s chose to attack through the Burrard Inlet.

In 1886, Vancouver’s city council decided to petition the Dominion government to licence the land for park use. A six-member park committee was created to supervise and manage all park and recreation issues. The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation thus came into existence and Stanley Park became a public park. Named after Lord Stanley, Governor General of Canada in 1888, the park rapidly turned into a popular attraction for both locals and visitors. Today Stanley Park is one of the third biggest urban-centred parks in North America and has an estimated 8 million visitors a year.

Things to Do

There are tons of things to do at Stanley Park that everyone can enjoy! Get a little exercise on the seawall while admiring the charming beauty of the North Shore peaks, the verdant green forest and the surrounding coast. The seawall traffic usually contains a mix of cyclists, inline-skaters, runners and walkers.

For those visiting with kids, the park includes a variety of facilities the youngsters will love. The Children’s Farmyard, children’s playground, Water Park and Second Beach pool are great kid-friendly escapades; the Miniature Train offers an unforgettable adventure through tiny tunnels and straits and the Vancouver Aquarium houses an array of undersea creatures that will wow and amaze. The park also contains a number of great locations for group picnics and barbecues. Get the whole family out for food, frisbee and fun!

If it’s your first time visiting Vancouver and the Stanley Park region, take a tour of the area on the free Stanley Park shuttle bus (open daily during the summer) or discover the park the chic way and take a peaceful horse-drawn carriage ride. As the most visited tourist site in British Columbia, the totem poles at Brockton Point are a definite must-see. Totem poles have been an element of the park display since the 1920s and while the present totem poles are not the initial structures that were first assembled (they were restored due to degeneration over time), they still play a pivotal part in recognizing the indigenous groups that first inhabited the peninsula.

Devon O’Malley is a staff writer for alluraDirect, a vacation rental website featuring Vancouver lodging direct from owners, free from commission fees. Experience one of North America’s greatest urban parks and visit Stanley Park today!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/your-guide-to-vancouvers-stanley-park-1001837.html

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