White Rock is a walking community so park the car and don a good pair of shoes whether it's to stroll along the promenade, browse the plethora of Marine Drive merchants, boutiques, bookstores, restaurants and ice-cream shops, or to take on those hilly inclines.
The Promenade & Pier
With busy Marine Drive on one side and views of the bay and San Juan islands on the other, the red brick promenade is one of White Rock's biggest drawing cards. It runs almost 4.8km/3mi along the waterfront, passing by the Station House Museum, Visitors Centre, brightly decorated washrooms and plenty of benches en route. Roller-bladers, cyclists and dogs aren't permitted and although there are no authorized buskers, civic authorities are fairly tolerant of entertainers who don't seek to draw a crowd. Near the Museum, there's often an artist or two drawing a seascape, a portrait or still life. The Pier is nearly a half-mile return trip to the end. It's a favorite after-dinner walk and a hot spot for the sunsets. Watch for youngsters fishing and swimming from the docks below, and sailing craft mooring up for the day.
The Hill Walks
Homes scale up and across the steep hillside above the town, each house vying for a view or some fictitious award for having the most prolific garden. After all, White Rock did scoop up top honours in the 2008 Communities In Bloom program and is why savouring these neighbourhoods on foot can be fun. Look for a series of 14 different step pathways recessed in between the buildings along Marine Drive and heading straight up. Some are better exercise than a stair master. Here's a run-down of a few:
- Ash St – 49 steps; a good start for the out of shape beginner
- Cypress St – 139 steps; a toughie, but the ocean view is worth it
- Victoria Ave – 65 steps; the West Beach views are a favourite spot for local artists
- Vidal St – 90 steps; nicely landscaped with rest benches en route
- Oxford St – a good heart pumper
Note: tucked behind Ocean Park at 12500 block of 16th Ave, lies the 1001 step trail down to the Crescent Beach waterfront. This is also the destination of the 101 step staircase trail that starts at the foot of 24th Avenue.
Interpretative Walks
White Rock and Crescent Beach sit at the edge of Boundary Bay, a major stop-over on the Pacific Flyway and a designated Western Hemispheric Reserve as one of Canada's top bird areas. Still in their natural state, these beaches are alive with eco-systems of barnacles, periwinkles, hermit crabs and eelgrass beds that help support more than 333 species of birds. Birds on the Bay schedules frequent interpreted beach walks through the summer. Maps and information are available at the White Rock Visitor Centre.