Stanley Park is a 1001 acre public park of West Coast rainforest. The land was home to the Burrard, Musqueam and Squamish First Nations people. In 1858, the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush brought the British which colonized the area. A lot of settlers lived here because it was rich in natural resources. It was named after Lord Stanley, a British politician and was turned into a park when the city incorporated in 1886.
Walking along the water to Stanley Park.
We walked along the water and beaches to get to Stanley Park, the urban green oasis. We wished we picked a hotel closer to the park so we could have views of the surrounding mountains and trees everyday. We loved it more than Central Park, we appreciate the wild touch Stanley Park retains.
We were in awe of the wildlife. Today there are 5 breeding pairs of bald eagle that call the area home. In the 1960s, it was only one pair. Beaver lake didn’t have beavers till 2008, they can be seen as dusk and dawn. In the 1980s, coyotes arrived in Vancouver and at least one family lives in park. They aren’t nocturnal but only come out at night to avoid people. Harbor seals are pretty common sight from the sea wall. 10 species of bats can be found here. It’s a rest stop for migratory birds and in one year 230 species of birds can be seen. Let’s not forget raccoons and the 3 types of squirrels: the eastern gray squirrel (invasive species given as a gift from the Mayor of NY in 1909), Douglas squirrel, and the northern flying squirrel (very rare to see).
Yes, this is how many babies they have. They have their wings full!
Look carefully – eggs in the nest!
Stanley Park has one of the largest urban great blue heron colonies in North America. It was soothing to hang out for 2 hours taking pictures of them. We had to force ourselves to move along or we’d never see the rest of the park.
Unlike other urban parks, Stanley Park is the evolving forest and in an urban area. At lot of the park is heavily forested like it was in the late 1880s. There are over half a million trees that are 2nd and 3rd growth.
There are beaches, playgrounds, forest trails, lakes and the Vancouver Aquarium to check out. Our favorite part was around Beaver lake.
Beaver Lake.
You’re not suppose to feed the wildlife but it was nice to get up close and see this little guy. The couple was really nice and let us snap a pic.
The is a great place to stretch your legs and enjoy a day in the city.
Jebus Mews & Andrea 
Your post for Stanley Park didn’t come through.
I love the idea having urban forest..hope it will stay that way..
Think so. They seem eco friendly. The park was a real treat.
It looks like a great place for wild life. I am glad to hear the story for such places.
It’s a wonderful park. We couldn’t get over how much wildlife was there. We really wanted to see beavers.
Beautiful photography of my favorite park in Vancouver!
Next time we would stay near Stanley Park. We didn’t realize how small it was. We walked everywhere. We loved it in here.
Great photos – I’ve really liked all of them from your West Coast trip!
Thanks! There’s nothing like west coast beauty 🙂
Lovely captures! We only had the time for a quick stop when we visited Vancouver, wishing we had more time now that I see your photos. The great blue heron looks so elegant:)
You guys drive so I’m sure you saw even more of the Vancouver area than us. It’s so stunning there. We weren’t into the city, we liked the outside areas 🙂
I’m sorry I didn’t see this when you first posted it. Now I want to visit Stanley Park! Those baby geese made me go AWWWW! though I’d love to do some serious birdwatching out there. I love water birds, especially herons. They’re beautiful birds, albeit the last time I had one fly over me, it was like a pterodactyl, it was so big and intimidating.
Are there places to stay near the park? It looks like a great place to camp in, though I imagine like most urban parks, camping is forbidden.
I messed up and posted a few weeks ago and took it down immediately. I didn’t get to edit it. Guess thats a glitch. When you repost it doesn’t re-email. A wild looking park in some areas. There were hotels a few blocks away. Next time we will stay around here. We were in the middle of all the tall modern buildings and didn’t like where we were. It was a good spot we hate the architecture.