Parks and the outdoors in North Vancouver

25 parks, gardens, beaches and walks in and around North Vancouver.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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Capilano Fish Hatchery
This is a working fish hatchery on the Capilano River within Capilano River Regional Park. There are many displays about salmon and the glass walls allow you to see the salmon jumping up the ladder during spawning season (roughly July to November). Within the park, there are many hiking trails and a picnic area at the Cleveland Dam.
Open daily spring/summer: 8AM - 9PM; at other times: 8AM - duskFree
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Capilano River Regional Park
26 km of hiking trails mostly set in the rain forest along the Capilano River canyon. Trails are up and down with occasional steep sections. The Second Canyon Viewpoint Trail (starts near the fish hatchery) provides some stellar views of the canyon and Cleveland Dam in spring when water levels are high.
June-Aug 7AM-10PM, Sept-May 7AM-8PMFree
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Capilano Suspension Bridge
The largest of the two suspension bridges in the North Shore at 137 m across and sitting 70 m above the Capilano River, the Capilano Suspension Bridge offers visitors more than a wobbly walk. The area includes Treetops (a series of elevated platforms near the tree canopy), Cliffwalk (a series of narrow platforms suspended over the edge of the canyon), totem poles, and a few restaurants. Expect a curated, compact experience of British Columbia's nature; no hiking trails here. Gets very crowded on summer weekends. Bridge and far side of park are not wheelchair accessible.
Open daily June to Labour Day: 8AM - 8PM; winter: 9AM - 5PM (except Dec when it's 10AM - 9PM for the Canyon Lights); closed Dec 25$25 child (6-12), $44 youth (13-16), $61 student (17+ with student ID), $68 senior, $73 adult
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Cates Park
Good-sized community park with beaches, views, play areas and trails. The western part of the park has a sand and pebble beach with views of the Second Narrows Bridge, Burnaby Mountain, Burrard Inlet and the entrance to Indian Arm. There are a number of picnic tables, grassy areas and two playgrounds for children. In summer, there's a concession stand (Wally's Burgers). Easy to walk trails through the forest along the shore lead to the eastern part of the park, which has another playground, tennis courts, rocky beach and views of Indian Arm.
6AM-10PMFree
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Cleveland Dam
Located within Capilano River Regional Park. A good spot to take in the view. Looking north from the dam are the Lions and Capilano Lake, while south is the nearly 300 ft high spillway from the dam and Capilano Canyon. There are also some picnic tables nearby. The dam was built to build a reservoir for Metro Vancouver's drinking water and has appeared in TV shows (Smallville) and movies (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes).
Free
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Deep Cove & Panorama Park
One of the prettier spots on the North Shore, with a beach, a couple of marinas and a cove framed by mountains. Panorama Park has picnic tables and grassy areas to sit and enjoy the view, as well as a beach with a roped off area for swimming. Across the street from the north end of the park, is the start of the popular Quarry Rock hike. At the south end of the park is Deep Cove Kayak, which has canoe, kayak and stand-up paddle board rentals and lessons. Gallant Ave is the main street and has shops and restaurants. Deep Cove is very popular on summer weekends, so take public transit or come early if you want to find a parking spot.
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End of the Line General Store
Cafe with a good selection of sandwiches, baked goods and little bites good for a full meal or a post-hike snack. There's also a shop with clothing, local arts and crafts, imported food and other odds and ends. The shop has a bit of history — it is the site of one of the original stores in Lynn Valley and is so named because it was the "end of the line" for the streetcar.
Sun-Thu 8AM-8PM, Fri Sat 8AM-9PMSnacks and baked goods $2-6, sandwiches $8
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Grouse Mountain Regional Park
Features the Grouse Grind, The busiest and best-known hiking trail in the Lower Mainland, the Grind is more of a fitness challenge than an outdoor experience. Nicknamed "Nature's Stairmaster", the 2,830 steps (2.9 km) climb nearly 1,000-m up the forested slopes of Grouse Mountain. There are unfortunately no real views from the trail but it does give a real sense of accomplishment when you break through the trees at the top and see the chalet. Fit hikers can do it in under an hour, the average time is 1.5-2 hours. Good footwear is recommended (no flip-flops), and in the late afternoon, make sure to allow enough time to complete the climb before dusk. Travel is one direction — up. Downhill travel is not permitted for safety reasons so hikers are expected to take the Grouse Mountain Skyride back down. It's possible to take the neighbouring BCMC trail back to the parking lot, but it is easy to miss the turns in that trail and the downhill is very hard on the knees.
Usually open May-Oct from an hour after dawn to a couple of hours before sunset (roughly 6:15AM-7:30PM in summer)Use of the trail is free, the tram ride back down is $15
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Grouse Mountain Skyride
The iconic ride up Grouse Mountain to the "Peak of Vancouver". The view is lovely although it can be quite cramped in the gondola when it's busy. Admission includes (depending on the time of the year) hiking, Theatre in the Sky, ice skating, sleigh ride, snowshoeing, the lumberjack show and the refuge for endangered animals. The Skyride does not provide admission to the ski area, ziplines or the Eye of the Wind.
Daily 9AM-10PM$29 child (5-16), $49 senior, $56 adult. Download only is $15
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Indian Arm / Say Nuth Khaw Yum Provincial Park
Indian Arm Provincial Park
Charter a boat or rent a kayak in Deep Cove to explore this nearly 20 km long fjord. Sights include the mountain scenery, the two pumphouses along the eastern shore, and two waterfalls: Silver Falls and Granite Falls. Activities include fishing, crabbing or swimming. There are also three camp sites with minimal facilities within the park if you wish to stay overnight: Twin Islands (49°20'55.1"N 122°53'29.2"W), Granite Falls (49°27'02.4"N 122°51'43.1"W) and Bishops Creek (49°25'58.5"N 122°52'24.3"W). All but Bishops Creek have government wharves but no overnight moorage is allowed. These campsites are all boat-in only. Remember leave no trace.
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Inter River Bike Park
A bike skills park with three tracks: a beginner paved pump track, a more advanced dirt track and a BMX track. All tracks are open to the public, although the BMX track is closed when events are on.
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Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve
The main feature is the paved multi-use 10-km trail in the Seymour Valley Trailway. There are also a number of side trails of varying length and trail quality.
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Lynn Canyon Park
A great little park set on the forested slopes of Lynn Creek. The main draw is the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, which is shorter, less busy but almost as high as the more noted Capilano Suspension Bridge. The bridge connects to hiking trails on the both sides of the creek, with a common 20-30 minute hike being a loop that crosses the suspension bridge and follows the canyon down to Twin Falls. The creek is a popular swimming spot in the summer with pools above the suspension bridge and below Twin Falls. But be careful if swimming — the water is icy cold (it is snow melt, after all) and read the warning signs; there are deaths almost every year.
Open daily 7AM-duskFree
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Lynn Headwaters Regional Park
A popular spot with locals that has picnic tables on the river close to the parking lot. There are a number of trails of varying difficulty on the other side of the river. The most common are to take the trail along Lynn Creek or do the Lynn Loop, a 5 km trail that loops through the forest and back along Lynn Creek to the parking lot. There are also longer, more difficult trails that go into the mountains.
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Maplewood Flats
A conservation area and popular birders' destination on Burrard Inlet. A restored mix of deciduous forest, meadow and wetland supports local wildlife and migratory birds. There are about 3 km of trails (mostly wheelchair accessible) and some benches and platforms to take in the view.
6AM-10PMFree
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Mount Seymour
A ski area in Mt Seymour Provincial Park that provides downhill skiing, tubing, a toboggan area and snowshoeing.
9:30AM–4PM, with night skiing until 10PM as snow conditions permit (usually early/mid Dec to March)$51/39 (adult full day/after 4PM), $44/34 (youth & student), $42/32 (senior), $24/20 (child 6-12)
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Mount Seymour Provincial Park
Provincial park with 14 hiking trails of varying lengths and difficulty, from a couple of km to 14 km (all distances round trip). Sights include views of Greater Vancouver, lakes, forest trails and climbing some peaks. The trail to Dinky Bluff is under 1 km with a small elevation gain and provides views of the Lower Mainland. Dog Mountain is a popular trail with views of Vancouver and the Seymour River valley. The trail is rolling and mostly in forest until you reach the bluff, distance is about 6 km roundtrip. Another popular but more difficult trail is to the top of Mount Seymour. Return distance is 8 km and the elevation gain is 450 m. Hikers are rewarded at the top with panoramic views of the Lower Mainland, the North Shore Mountains, and on clear days, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Most trails are accessed from the north end of Parking Lot 4 (the parking lot at the end of the road). There are also information boards with trail maps at a few of the parking lots along the access road (including the main trailheads at Parking Lot 4). Most trails are not open in winter due to the snowy conditions and the operations of the ski resort.
Free
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Mount Seymour trails
Around 110 trails, mostly intermediate and advanced. Old Buck is the climbing trail from the main parking lot to access other trails. There are also some beginner trails/access roads near the Northlands golf course that can be reached from Northlands Drive.
Buy
Park & Tilford Shops & Gardens
An outdoor shopping mall built around a unique garden. The garden was built when the mall site was occupied by a distillery.
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Park and Tilford Gardens
Well maintained and pleasant garden in the southwest corner of the Park & Tilford shops. From the entrance, it doesn't look large, but there are eight themed gardens blended together with over 300 plants. The gardens include: the Oriental Garden, the White Garden, the Rock Pool, the Native Garden, the Herb Garden, the Display Garden, the Colonade Garden and the Rose Garden. During December, the garden opens at night for a Christmas lights display and a room with Santa Claus. Opened in 1969, the garden was a gift to North Vancouver from the distillery that owned the land, and a promotional tool for the distillery's liquor. The distillery is long gone now but the garden is still enjoyed.
Open until duskFree
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Quarry Rock hike
An up-and-down hike through the forest with plenty of cedars, waterfalls and wooden bridges along the way. The reward is a big outcrop with nice views of Deep Cove and Burnaby Mountain. It's a very popular hike so expect to share the trail. Total hiking time is typically around 45 minutes each way and the hike can be done any time of the year.
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Reckless Shipyards
Bike rental shop that focuses on e-bikes and is close to Lonsdale Quay and the Spirit Trail. Rental options include e-bikes, e-mountain bikes and some (non-electric) cruisers.
Regular bike $23 for 2 hrs, $30 for 4 hrs & $40 for a full day; standard e-bike $28 for 2 hrs, $40 for 4 hrs & $70 for full day; e-mountain bike $70 for half day and $90 for full day
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Victoria Park
Lovely midtown park with walking paths, gardens, and several sculptures and other pieces of public art. On the east end is a Cold War air raid siren that was saved from removal and preserved as a municipal heritage site.
Free
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Waterfront Park
Small park on the waterfront looking across to downtown Vancouver. There is a small Japanese garden, a gazebo on the water and lots of green space and benches to enjoy the view or have a picnic. The curvy bars in the middle of the park are an artist's interpretation of the North Shore mountains. The park also hosts a number of summer festivals including Canada Day activities and Caribbean Days.
Do Not mapped
Spirit Trail
Paved multi-use trail stretching across most of North Vancouver with some waterfront and nature sections, a couple of interesting bridges, and access to Lonsdale Quay and the Shipyards.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to North Vancouver (CC BY-SA 4.0).