Stanley Park

The area of the park was once the cultural territory of a number of Coast Salish tribes and indigenous groups. The Squamish and Musqueam tribes had many villages in the park and used the region to gather food and resources; for example, cedar trees were used to build log houses and canoes. In the 1860s, the region was used as a military reserve for the colonial army. It was deemed a strategic location for defence against an American attack via the Burrard Inlet.

In 1886, Vancouver's city council voted to appeal to the Dominion government to charter the area for use as a park. A six-person park committee was formed in order to administer and oversee all park and recreation issues. The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation was thus born and Stanley Park was established. Named after Lord Stanley, Governor General of Canada in 1888, the park rapidly turned into a popular landmark for both locals and visitors. Today Stanley Park is one of the third largest urban-centred parks in North America and has an estimated 8 million visitors a year.

Stanley Park is full of activities that everyone in the family will enjoy. Get a little exercise on the seawall while admiring the charming beauty of the North Shore peaks, the verdant green forest and the surrounding coast. Everyone from cyclists, roller bladders, joggers and simple strollers roam and share the seawall path.

For those visiting with kids, the park includes a variety of facilities these youngsters will love. The children's playground, Children's Farmyard, Water Park and Second Beach pool are perfect for tiny tot adventures, the Miniature Train ride offers an incredible journey through tiny trestles and tunnels and the Vancouver Aquarium includes a variety of undersea creatures that will fascinate both the young and young at heart. The park also contains a number of great locations for group picnics and barbecues; get the whole family out for food, Frisbee and fun!

For those new to Vancouver and the Stanley Park area, take a tour of the region in the Stanley Park shuttle bus (open daily during the summer) or see the park in style on a peaceful horse-drawn carriage ride. As the most visited tourist site in British Columbia, the totem poles at Brockton Point are a definite must-see. Totem poles have been part of the park exhibition since the 1920s and although the current totem structures are not the originals that were first assembled (they were restored due to erosion over time), they still play a large role in recognizing and honouring the indigenous peoples that first inhabited the peninsula.

The Lions Gate Bridge, also known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the Burrard Inlet and connects downtown Vancouver (City of Vancouver) via Stanley Park with the municipalities of the North Shore (City of North Vancouver) and West Vancouver. The bridge was entitled "Lions Gate" after the Lions, a pair of mountain peaks in North Vancouver. The bridge includes three reversible lanes, each containing overhead lane signals to indicate the direction of traffic.

Talks surrounding the formation of the Lions Gate started in 1890, when many bridge builders saw the necessity of a bridge the would cross the first narrows of the Burrard Inlet. There was much dispute on whether the construction should go through; many protested that it would ruin Stanley Park, get in the way of the busy seaport or take away toll revenue from the Second Narrows Bridge. However, others thought it was essential to expand development on the North Shore and that many of the problems against could be overcome. It was not until 1933 that a majority vote for the bridge construction was obtained. Although Alfred James Towle, a member of the bridge proposal effort, owned the provincial franchise to build the structure, he did not have the finances to purchase the large sections of land needed in North and West Vancouver. He turned to the Guiness Family (of the renowned Irish beer) to help fund the project and invest in the land that was necessary.

The bridge was designed by the Montreal company Monsarrat and Pratley and although it was first built with just two-lanes, it was later repainted into three lanes to accommodate increased traffic flow. Since its construction, the Lions Gate has been restored and rebuilt by the City of Vancouver to prolong its longevity and to allow for more commuters such as bikers and pedestrians.

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