 Hiking Stawamus Chief, Marlene Ford photo You'll be charmed by the desultory ambles at Alice Lake and Manning Park. Walk around Stanley Park’s Seawall with it’s spectacular views.
Local bookstores offer an array of books for the self-guided traveller, while Visitor Info Centres and many park entrances offer trail maps.
A word or two on your excursion:
- Please leave the area you visit undisturbed and be sure to carry out your garbage
- If travelling with pets, be aware that restrictions may apply
- Obey posted signs and keep to designated trails
A word or two on safety:
- Cougars, bears and other wildlife inhabit the region
Alice Lake Provincial Park
A popular camping, fishing and swimming destination, Alice Lake offers numerous picturesque trails from which to choose. The gently winding trail around the lake itself makes for a leisurely after-dinner stroll. Another popular route is Four Lakes Trail, a 2-3 hour circuit which takes walkers through canopied Douglas-fir and western redcedar forest past four charming woodland lakes.
Watch and look for wildlife here: the calm of Alice Lake is balanced by the musical chirrups of warblers, Steller's jays, robins and chickadees. Raccoons, squirrels and chipmunks play in the trees.
Alice Lake is situated off Highway 99, approximately 10 minutes north of Squamish.
A word or two on your excursion:
- Rated: easy
- Approximate time required: varies by route
- Best time: March - October
> Alice Lake Park website.
Manning Provincial Park
Manning has 70,844 ha (175,000 ac) of magnificent parkland welcoming hikers of all levels. The area's marvels include mountain summits covered in heavy green forest, alpine meadows, deeply sliced valleys as well as cool lakes and rushing rivers. Two of the more notable ones are the Sub-Alpine Meadows and the Lightning Lake Loop.
To reach the Sub-Alpine Meadows, drive up the winding road just opposite Manning Park Resort. From the meadows parking lot, you can enjoy a panorama of the surrounding splendour as well as an up-close perspective of summer wildflowers. Routes from the meadows range in length from 20 minutes to several days. Hiking is at its best July - September. The best time for viewing wildflowers is between late July and early August.
Visitors in search of a stroll through gentle wilderness will value the Lightning Lake Loop, which skirts the shoreline of the first of four lakes in the Lightning Lake Chain. The nine-km (5.6-mi) loop takes approximately 2-3 hours and is at its best May through October.
Manning Park is located along Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton, three hours east of Vancouver.
A word or two on your excursion:
- Rated: easy to difficult
- Approximate time required: varies by route
- Best time: July - September
> Manning Park website.
Stanley Park Seawall
Stanley Park is the crown jewel of Vancouver's parks. Crowds of international tourists and locals alike can be found enjoying a brisk jog or leisurely stroll all year round.
While there are a multitude of places where the famed Stanley Park Seawall can be accessed, the most common starting point is at the park's east-side entrance on Georgia Street.
From here, the invigorating walk loops around spectacular Coal Harbour and Burrard Inlet to scenic English Bay and around.
Approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) in length, the seawall presents a never-ending vista of mountains, ocean, forest and cityscape. While the Seawall is the park's most famous walking route, numerous trails cut through its thick-forested interior.
Stanley Park is within easy walking distance of downtown Vancouver.
A word or two on your excursion:
- Rated: easy
- Approximate time required: 3 hours
- In the summer, tired pedestrians can see the park's most popular attractions by hopping aboard the free Stanley Park Shuttle Bus
> Stanley Park website.
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