Stanley Park advice

[ilgander]

We could use some advice on Stanley Park from people who have been there... we'll have all day on July 10 in Vancouver prior to our northbound cruise leaving the 11th. Our tentative plan is to book the Gray Line bus tour that goes to Capilano, Grouse Mountain and the salmon hatchery as those are must-dos for our family. That puts us back at the hotel around 4 pm.

 

We'd also like to see some of Stanley Park and maybe have dinner there. What we would be interested in appears to be nearish to the entrance - all of the gardens, the totem poles in particular. What are the walking distances really like? We don't mind some walking (up to a few miles is fine), but don't want to have miles and miles and miles to go unexpectedly. If we took a taxi from our hotel (Best Western Downtown) to the Stanley Park entrance could we wander around the gardens for a few hours and then have dinner? Are there good trails through the forest there that aren't too long and you'd recommend?

 

Also, any recommendations for a restaurant in the park?

 

Thanks for any advice you can give. We're a family of 4 - Mom, Dad, 20 and 17 year old daughters - no physical issues.

Edited June 9, 2014 by ilgander

[martincath]

Stanley Park is actually well-served by Google Maps - you can drag your route onto many of the trails and see exactly how far things are from each other. But in general, while it is enormous for an urban park, it's not the wilderness - and if you get lost and there aren't any friendly Canucks around to ask, in general walk downhill and you'll pop out from the trees soon enough.

 

You can walk the entire 9km/5.5 mile perimeter in 3 hours at a very leisurely pace, taking photos. Walking from the entrance to the totem poles, to the rose garden, past Lost Lagoon over to the English Bay side, is probably 2 miles/an hour on foot. If you feel like more of a walk, you might enjoy Beaver Lake in the middle of the park as a change from ocean views. Really any of the trails will let you get in among the trees, and if you get lucky you will have a few moments without being able to see anyone else around to just drink in the experience.

 

As to dining - I never recommend dining inside the park because IMO there's not a single dinner venue that is worth the mark-up from equal- or better-quality options outside the park. Just a few minutes walk brings you to a grouping of restos at English Bay, with far better views than Fish House inside the park, and comparable or better seafood for a lower price. My favourite among them is Cactus Club Cafe, but others recommend the Boathouse just behind it.

Edited June 9, 2014 by martincath
added links

[Putterdude]

A taxi to and from the park entrance would certainly be a good idea. With all you have got planned for a earlier in the day you may care to just to stay in the eastern portion of the park where the rose garden, totem and aquarium are. The park is 1,000 acres and is larger than Central Park in NYC so it really is impossible to see in an evening let alone a day....as a native Vancouverite I can honestly say that I have never seen the entire park. As for dinner, I would recommend Cardero's which is just to the west of the park.

 

http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Stanley-Park-Printable-Map2.pdf

https://www.vancouverdine.com/carderos