Stanley Park Vancouver

Stanley Park is a 404.9 hectares (1,001 acres) urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was opened in 1888 by Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor-General of Canada.

It is more than 10% larger than New York City's Central Park and almost half the size of London's Richmond Park. The park attracts an estimated eight million visitors every year, including locals and tourists, who come for its recreational facilities and its natural attributes. An 8.8 kilometres (5.5 mi) seawall path circles the park, which is used by 2.5 million pedestrians, cyclists, and inline skaters every year. Much of the park remains forested with an estimated half million trees that can be as tall as 76 metres (250 ft) and hundreds of years old. There are approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) of trails and roads in the park, which are patrolled by the Vancouver Police Department's equine mounted squad. The Project for Public Spaces has ranked Stanley Park as the sixteenth best park in the world and sixth best in North America.

Stanley Park is a great way to relax and see all of what Vancouver nature has to offer with Cedar, Hemlock and Fir trees. The park is filled with lush green foliage and wildlife that has a way of easing the stress out of any visitor, even the person in Vancouver on business.

There are also activities at Stanley Park like the art events that can be seen at the park often or the summer event known as the “dance at dusk.” In an area known as Ceperley Meadow local artists can be seen painting in Painters Circle at Stanley Park.

Stanley Park is made for walking and that means it does not matter what time of year it is there is always something to do at the park. There is the miniature train that travels a miniature railway in the park and the train is modeled after the Canadian Pacific Railway #374. This was the first transcontinental passenger train, which traveled to Vancouver in the 1880’s. This miniature train has three sets of cars and four engines that travel over trestles, through tunnels and over one an a quarter miles of track through the forests of Stanley Park. The original engine is on display at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre.

Stanley Park is also home to many monuments, sculptures and plaques, each having its own unique story to tell and a part of history to tell. Stories like the Edward Stamp monument and plaque that memorializes where the lumber operations in Stanley Park began in 1865. The Garden of Remembrance monument and plaque for the Air Force Memorial or the Pauline Johnson memorial plaque in 1913 to honor of the famous Vancouver poet.