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Published: July 20th 2010
jian and aaron
stanley park seawallAt the beginning of the year, we made a resolution to become more active in our lives. Working full-time in an office, it is very easy to get lost in a sedentary lifestyle. Our goal is to be able to hike the 4-day trek to Machu Picchu...without collapsing. We lead a fairly active lifestyle in that we do not own a car, so we are constantly walking everywhere and catching public transport, but we are not also running more, swimming more and going on extended (leisurely) hikes on weekends whenever we get a chance. We found an excellent site that lists and describes all the different walking trails in Vancouver - http://www.vancouvertrails.com/ and in the next 8 months until we leave, we are going to try and do as many as we can (though some are limited as they are not accessible by public transport).
Vancouver public transit is a great and economical way to discover the city, and with Aaron's one-zone monthly pass he can go anywhere (even 3 zones) in the greater Vancouver area on weekends and after 6:30pm. On Sundays and public holidays, he can take me (and up to 4 children, if we had any) for
lion's gate bridge
stanley park seawall free. So here are some snaps from the first two adventures we've had - the first along the seawall of Stanley Park, and the second through the Pacific Spirit Regional Park which is only a 10 minute bus ride from our place.
The Stanley Park seawall is absolutely gorgeous on a warm sunny day, and whilst we chose to simply walk it, you can also roller-blade or bike around it. It is a very easy 8km as the whole seawall is flat, and there are plenty of opportunities to rest and take in the fresh ocean air (albeit with some ferry smog mixed amongst it) and watch other passers-by. There are great views of the Pacific Ocean and of the hills of North and West Vancouver.
The Pacific Spirit Regional Park is a leafy oasis in the middle of UBC, the grounds which are still owned by the First Nations. It has been somewhat plagued by scary stories of rape and muggings, so if you're on your own you're best off doing it in bright daylight or preferably with a partner. Unlike the seawall which only has one path to follow, this park has a number of trails
downtown skyline
stanley park seawall that snake and weave through the tall douglas firs and wide oaks. We chose our own adventure and walked about 14km through the park, enjoying the peace and serenity...though it was slightly marred by the occasional honk from a semi-trailer or a rev from an engine as the roads and civilisation are actually not that far away.
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