Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, is a beautiful strand of old-growth temperate rainforest nestled in West Vancouver, Canada, at the entrance of the Burrard Inlet.
The park is a neighbourhood park located in a residential area in West Vancouver, Canada. It is a top-most tourist attraction for visitors to Vancouver as it is a National Historic Site of Canada.
Why Visit Lighthouse Park Vancouver?
Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, is one of the foremost photographed and recognizable landmarks within the Lower Mainland. It is a well-maintained park, open throughout the year in all seasons. Lighthouse Park is found off Marine Drive at the south end of Beacon Lane in West Vancouver.
Lighthouse Park, Vancouver is a beautiful park with nature, ocean, trails through forests, and views of Vancouver. It is one of the best places for exploring the West Coast shoreline and also for photography. It gives an excellent representation of the West Coast flora and terrain.
The Valley of the Giants to Eagle Point route offers folks looking for a nature experience a quick loop guide to getting the most out of this small park that connects the ocean to the forests.
But, make a note: Camping is not permitted at Lighthouse Park, Vancouver. One should visit lighthouse Park in Vancouver once in a lifetime as it is incredible. Tourists stop there to click and capture beautiful scenic views around the forest.
Are Dogs Allowed At Lighthouse Park, Vancouver?
Dogs are allowed in Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, but they must be kept in your control. Just make sure they stick with the paths and do not go exploring too distant from you. So, if you are travelling towards Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, with your dog, you will be happy to know that well-behaved dogs are allowed off-leash in the park.
Note: Dogs may not be allowed on some trails within Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver lighthouse park.
Things To Do In Lighthouse Park, Vancouver
1. Point Atkinson
Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, is home to an impressive Lighthouse that was rebuilt in 1912, which replaced the original lighthouse built in 1875. The Lighthouse is located on Point Atkinson, which was chartered and named by Captain George Vancouver in 1792. You can’t go inside the lighthouse, but you’ll get close enough for photos.
Famous for-Tons of hiking trails under old-growth forests.
2. Lions Gate Bridge
The Lions Hike at Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, is an iconic natural landmark, easily spotted from many parts of the city. A hike to the Lions Gate Bridge at Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, provides one of the most scenic vantage points of any hike around Vancouver.
3. The Coastal and Rugged Park
The coastal and rugged park is top-rated for day hikes. A beautiful old-growth temperate rainforest covered with beautiful panoramic views. At low tide, this place is the perfect area to have a picnic with family and friends and enjoy the view that extends from the Lions Gate Bridge to the University of British Columbia.
You can swim but need to wear wet socks due to mollusks and barnacles covering rocks. One should also take care of children as the rocks are very slippery.
A beautiful walk, with two main pathways to choose from, at the Lighthouse Park, Vancouver parking entrance is a short windy path that leads to the ocean, quite rugged with rocks sticking out of the trail.
4. Beacon Lane Trail
Beacon Lane Trail at Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, is a single-track trail, and it is an access trail that leads to a beautiful view of the lighthouse. The relatively straight and level trail terminates at the south end of the Point Atkinson Peninsula at Lighthouse Park, Vancouver.
The park’s many trails make for a great family outing on a hot summer day or a rainy day. Beacon Lane Trail is the shortest walk that takes you directly toward the lighthouse. To take this route, follow the wide trail for about 10 minutes.
Then, to the proper of the picnic tables, a path leads up onto a rocky outcrop giving a view of the lighthouse just over the timberline. If you would like to continue your loop around the park, keep walking west along the trail.
Soon you will connect to Shore Pine Trail. Following Lodgepole Trail, there’ll be several other viewpoints you’ll inspect. To get down to the bottom of the West Beach Trail, we have to take a combination of trails. We can start on Lady Fern Path and switch onto the Seven Sisters Trail.
- West Beach Trail,
- Jack Pine Point and
- Shore Pine Point are three of them at Lighthouse Park, Vancouver.
You can detour to any of these spots as you would like. The best part is that the trails are well-marked, and everything connects back to the main trail at the same point.
5. The Hiking Trail
Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, is free to visit and offers several miles of hiking trails through old, uncut rainforests. Whilst, you can’t get super close to the lighthouse itself, several easy walking trails open up onto the views of the Lighthouse and the Sea.
Visitors to the park can take their dogs for a walk or have lunch along the rocks of the beach near the Lighthouse, as well as enjoy the varied beginner-level hiking trails. There are a few picnic benches strewn about the park’s paths, but none near the beach or, by extension, the lighthouse.
Lighthouse Park, Vancouver Map
The trails are all fairly easy, with only a couple of having a brief hill to ascend or descend. One must surely take a look at the Park map at the trailhead and plan the route accordingly so that you can do a circle through the park and end at the Lighthouse. Before you start exploring, take a look at the Park map in the car parking lot and plan your route.
It will be helpful to return armed with a Lighthouse Park, Vancouver Map. There are printed copies of the Park Map available at the trailhead at Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, once you get there. Following the Park Map route will take about two hours, depending on how much time you spend stopping and enjoying the scenery.
6. Park Royal Shopping Centre
Park Royal Shopping Centre, also known as Simple Park Royal, opened in 1950 as a shopping mall located in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Park Royal Shopping Centre was Canada’s first shopping mall. West Vancouver is also home to Park Royal Shopping Mall, Canada’s first mall.
Opened in the 1950s, it now consumes 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of each side of Marine Drive near North Vancouver. Park Royal is the second largest mall in British Columbia, after the Metro Town shopping mall in Burnaby. It is also a serious bus depot for Blue Bus and North Vancouver Translink buses.
7. Evergreen Forest Area
The Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver is about 185 acres in size and is full of trees, trails through the forest and a rocky shoreline. There are giant old-growth forests all around the trail. The trees are uncut, and it gives a peaceful atmosphere all around the scenic views.
The Park boasts a number of the most important Douglas Fir Trees in Greater Vancouver as breathtaking views of the water. The old giant forest area at Lighthouse Park, Vancouver is the most attractive view for tourists here.
There are a variety of trails through the park that take you past old-growth Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir trees. Rocky Hill is the best path leading down from the parking lot to the water and the terrain.
8. Parking
Public parking at the park is restricted and fills up quickly in the weather. Parking lots remain close once it is full.
Lighthouse Park is accessed from a parking zone just off Beacon Lane. When travelling along Marine Drive towards Horseshoe Bay, turn left on Beacon Lane and follow the signs for Lighthouse Park, Vancouver.
Note:Â No buses are permitted down Water Lane or into the Lighthouse Park, Vancouver parking zone.
9. Picnic Tables
West Vancouver’s Parks are an excellent place for a picnic. It includes the use of barbeque pits and shelters. To the right of the picnic tables, a path leads up onto a rocky outcrop giving a view of the lighthouse park tours.
Before you pack your picnic, be sure to read the guidelines and some restrictions as they may change.
Some Guidelines
Please read and follow the guidelines so that everyone can enjoy a picnic in the park.
- Access to any park location, including shelters, should not be reserved or roped in.
- To reserve space, avoid using tents, canopies, decorations, chairs, or signs. Let’s share our parks and picnic areas. They are for everyone!
- Please clean up after yourself. Place your garbage in appropriate bins.
- Alcohol consumption is not allowed in certain areas of Ambleside Landing, John Lawson Park (excluding the playground)
- No open fires. Beaches are included in this prohibition.
- In West Vancouver parks and beaches, smoking is strictly prohibited. Even in urban areas and designated areas, make sure to dispose of all types of cigarettes safely.
- Maintain the status quo. Portable sound systems and microphones, and other devices that produce amplified sounds are not permitted.
- You can bring your tent to shade your picnic, but tents can’t be larger than 10X10 feet. No stakes in the ground, please!
At What Time Does The Lighthouse Park, Vancouver Gate Gets Locked?
The Lighthouse Park, Vancouver gates close around 10 pm.
Closing Thoughts
If you want to escape the city for a few hours, then plan a trip to Lighthouse Park, Vancouver.
Lighthouse Park, Vancouver is unique in that it’s Vancouver’s last standing first-growth Douglas fir tree forest. The entire park is 185 acres, and therefore the lighthouse has been there since 1874; however, the one you will see isn’t quite as old and was built in 1912.
The lighthouse has since become one of the most photographed landmarks in Lower Mainland British Columbia. Easy to get to and beautiful views; hard to believe just a stone’s throw away from an incredibly busy city because it’s so peaceful! It is also so clean, and the trails are well maintained.
Lighthouse Park, Vancouver, is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places to go. It is suitable for a short trip with family and friends. Relax at this scenic view and the best place for getting away from busy and crowded cities.
Why are you waiting then? It is the perfect time to pack your bag and visit this beautiful Lighthouse Park, Vancouver in the West. If you have already visited the place, please don’t forget to comment your thoughts.
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Last Updated on by Narayani Bhardwaj
