Jeffrey S.
Yelp
If you're visiting Vancouver, chances are that the seawall has come up in your online searches of things to do in this town. It's hugely popular, and the photos are enough to make you want to head straight from the airport. In fact, in my recent visit, a friend at home messaged me to tell me it was her favorite part of her Vancity visit, and I'm excited to catch up to share notes that I'm home.
If you're not familiar, a seawall is a wall or some kind of an embankment that's constructed at the beach--where water meets land--that's designed to keep the beach from eroding. Thy exist all over, but you're not coming to town to look at a wall. No, this is a glorious, long, interrupted walkway along the waterfront.
Most folks will probably think of it as the ~1.4 mile (2.2km) stretch that runs between the Canada Place building and the entrance to Stanley Park. Maybe they'd also include the stretch that runs around Coal Harbour, or even the entire eastern side of Stanley Park up to the Lions Gate Bridge, bringing the total to 3.1 miles (5km). Shoot, you might even argue that everyone considers the entirety of the walkway all the way around Stanley Park as the Vancouver Seawall proper. That's a whopping 5.5 miles (8.8km). But strictly speaking, the entirety of the seawall is some 13.7 miles (22km) in length and runs around a huge chunk of the city.
Before the description, there are just a few things to point out:
-- Bikes are allowed and very well-accommodated, however the entirety of Stanley Park is one-way travel only (counter-clockwise, if you will) so plan accordingly.
-- There is occasionally maintenance, and parts will be closed. On my trip, a tiny portion near Granville Island was closed and re-routed. Later that day, I encountered a big chunk of that was closed between Prospect Park and Ferguson Point, closed from October 30-November 17, 2017. Bummer, but I get it.
-- Going out is optional, coming back is not. Meaning... mind your mileage, because it can get dark or stormy while you're out, and you've still got to get back.
-- There are some public restrooms along the way, but plan ahead, especially in the park when they're less common. Lots of local shops have those "restrooms for customers only" signs, so you know they get sick of being asked.
My experience was just lovely. I walked about eight or nine miles of the seawall itself, with another several miles of trails, paths, and connecting routes via surface streets. It takes you through beautiful parks, huge sweeping sea vistas, intimate curves, shopping, a science center, quiet places, highrises, and loads of people.
The city deserves HUGE props for piecing this all together and maintaining it. I could have walked it again the next day. And again. And again. It seems like the kind of place you can see a thousand times and it's always just a little bit different. And double kudos for being so bike friendly. They have their own path/lane and there are those bike rental stations all over the place. I'd like to do it on two wheels sometime to see what it's like.
Whether you do the city segment for just a mile, or the whole whopping thing across the entirety of the city, it's bound to show you something you've never seen before. Join the lovebirds holding hands, the moms and their strollers, the dads and their strollers, the nannies and their strollers (seriously so many strollers), the joggers, the kids, the dogs walking their humans, the tourists, and the locals. Take a walk, ride a bike, meander, mosey, saunter, or sashay. Just get out and see the seawall.