Stanley Park - Definition and Overview

Stanley Park resembles the head of a duck, with Brockton Point as the bill and Beaver Lake as the eye. The park connects to the rest of downtown Vancouver by an isthmus at Lost Lagoon (bottom), and to West Vancouver by the Lion's Gate Bridge (top).

Stanley Park is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, close to the West End of the city. The 1,000 acre (4 km²) park is one of the largest urban parks in North America.

Seawall at Stanley Park

Attractions located in the park include:

• Lion's Gate Bridge, which connects downtown Vancouver to the North Shore (opened 1938)
• Seawall (construction of the 8.8 km/5.5 mile trail was begun in 1918, but not finished until 1980)
• Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre
• Cultural Exhibits
• Trails
• Beaver Lake
• Second Beach
• Third Beach
• The naval station/museum HMCS Discovery, on Deadman's Island in Coal Harbour
• A large colony of cormorants on the cliff below Prospect Point
• Many huge Douglas-fir, Western Redcedar, and Western Hemlock trees, hundreds of feet tall and hundreds of years old

The park is named after Lord Stanley, Governor General of Canada when the park was opened in 1888. Lord Stanley's other legacy to Canada is the Stanley Cup, of hockey fame, which he donated.

External links

• Vancouver Parks web site (http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/parks&gardens/stanley1.htm)
• Vancouver Aquarium (http://www.vanaqua.org/)

There is also a Stanley Park in Liverpool, England.

Stanley Park is also the title of the first novel by Canadian author Timothy Taylor.