Erwin Park

Located on Erwin Dr.

I love getting to a park I've never been to before because of the surprise and feeling of discovery. I thought that Erwin Park was going to be like that, but when I walked around the corner of the hedge, I was instead hit by a wave of nostalgia. I had no idea that I'd been to this park before, but now I can remember visiting it once before. I went with my cousins to play on the playground.

It's a simple structure, but I remember having a great time on this playground. Unfortunately, I was not in the mood for a reincarnation of my childhood when I arrived at Erwin Park. I had already been to six parks that day and had been walking for a long time. All I wanted to do was sit, drink water, stare at the ocean, and relax. There is a bench next to the playground that looked great for parents to sit at while they watch their children play, but that's not quite what I was looking for.


I walked deeper into the park and immediately found exactly the place I was looking for.

Not just a bench, but a picnic bench! I always get excited to see picnic benches, even though I usually don't have a picnic with me. The tables are just so much better for sitting on, and the benches make great foot rests. You can spread all your stuff out beside you on the table and lie down if you want to. The merits of a picnic bench are infinite, and Erwin Park has one that's placed perfectly for viewing the classic West Vancouver waterfront view of Point Grey.

However, the benches in Erwin Park aren't all bad. I found another candidate for the best bench inscription there.

Here time stands still

and love and peace prevail

Ray & Ann Frost

I don't know what it is about this one, but I really like it. There's something about how it makes me feel. It's a nice sentiment and also very accurate. Erwin Park was the perfect spot to rest and regain my ability to move after a long walk.

PPR

Good: playground, picnic bench, nice view, well maintained, plenty of shade and sunlight, no hill getting there

Bad: playground not colourful, small & simple
6/10

Sandy Cove Park

Access via Marine Dr at Rose Cr.

When we arrived in Sandy Cove, the first thing that was noticed was how everything looked oddly familiar. Coincidentally, we had been in the same park the previous night. That night, for the record, was an excellent night.

The entrance to the park is a set of stairs on either side of a Marine Drive bridge. The first thing you will see after walking down the stairs on the ocean side is this:

It's not a terribly good photo, but that's a happy face smoking a joint that says 'be happy' next to a pretty flower. Sandy Cove clearly has a demographic.

But I personally have no problem with any one who writes 'peace n love' on a bathroom. Also, there's this cherry tree painted on another side that I didn't get a picture of. It's probably the most pleasant exterior to a public bathroom that I've ever seen.

Behind the bathrooms, there's a grassy area covered in dandelions. Nina had fun there.

But what really makes this park amazing is the beach. Sandy Cove is not actually sandy, but it has the next best thing: rounded pebbles. They're easy on the feet and great for skipping. In with the rocks, there are plenty of logs to sit on and watch the view (the view!)

We arrived at this beach just before sunset, so since Nina and I are platonic friends in the most romantic way possible, we decided to stay and watch the sunset. It wasn't the most dramatic sunset, but this would be the perfect place to watch a good one.

While we waited for the sun to set, two other groups of people showed up. Sandy Cove is secluded enough that it seems like nobody would know about it, but it's actually quite popular. Everyone who showed up was really friendly, but we all kept to ourselves mostly.

One last thing about this park is this rock ledge over to the side:

You're going to have to trust me on this one... being on top of that is awesome. But don't go up there! It is evil and hurt my leg. Luckily, the bus stop is right at the top of the park's stairs and this was our last stop of the night. I spent the next 24 hours limping around.

PPR
Good: happy hippy graffiti, excellent view, would be good for swimming, convenient location, friendly people
Bad: there's a little bit of penis graffiti, evil rock ledge
8/10

McKechnie Park

Several Access Points: Mathers Ave at Bayridge Ave (where we started), Westholme Rd, Mckechnie Ave, and at a few other places along Mathers Ave.

McKechnie Park is a big one. It's heavily wooded, and it's on a steep slope. It's the type of place where you walk in and it immediately feels like an adventure.

In the north end of the park, we found an old set of cobblestone steps. We followed them up the side of a rock and above the tree canopy until we found this:

This would be a perfect place to come in a group of three. Each person could have a bench to sit on and put their stuff. If you all face the middle, you can talk to each other with a snack, a board game, or anything else you want in a place where everyone can reach it. It's just a nice place to be. Although the trees are too tall for a view of the ocean, the cloud watching is fantastic.

McKechnie Park, despite its slope, has a set of tennis courts in the middle of it. It's quite dramatic: up on a concrete platform that is at least four meters tall at the highest point. Talented graffiti artists have taken advantage of such a large and secluded canvas:

This park is a great one for trails. I found myself wishing I had a dog so that I could walk it through McKechnie Park. There are plenty of wider trails for a relaxing stroll, but if you choose to head off down one of the narrower paths, you will find this amazing view:

It's down at the southern tip of the park, right above the train tracks. The only thing missing at this viewpoint is a bench. Somebody get on that!

Unfortunately, Nina and I didn't get to see the whole park this time. It really deserves a whole afternoon instead of just an hour. We're excited to go back, though. If anyone goes to McKechnie and discovers anything else cool, make sure to let us know!

PPR
Good: awesome lookout points, beautiful graffiti, tons of space to explore
Bad: needs more benches, a little too sketchy for solo exploring (bring a friend)
7.5/10

Sharon Park

Located on the corner of Bayridge Ave and Sharon Pl.

We walked right past Sharon Park. So that doesn't happen to you, it looks like this:

After a double take and an "Oh there it is!", we were not disappointed by what we found. It has a small grove of trees surrounded by grass with a creek running along the edge. We missed it only because it's so tiny and looks like somebody's well-loved backyard. It was by far the most adorable park we saw that day.

Usually, cherry trees are my favorite kind of tree to climb, but in Sharon park, there was a cedar tree with a low branch just perfect for sitting on. I felt like I was riding a brontosaurus.

We didn't stay in this park very long, partly because it's small, and partly because it's so visible from the road. When you're fully grown and still hanging out in parks, the people walking by tend to judge you. While that puts a damper on our fun, it makes it the perfect place for little kids to play. If you live in the Bayridge area and don't have the best backyard, send them over to Sharon Park for a fun afternoon.

PPR
Good: adorable, completely visible from the road, well maintained
Bad: tiny, completely visible from the road
6/10

Westridge Park

Access via Westridge Ave at Westridge Ave (seriously).

You might not think much of Westridge Park at first. It's on the small side, right next to the highway, and the playground equipment leaves much to be desired:

...and you can't even golf there

But the thing about Westridge Park is that, despite its size, it's not hard to feel like you're in the middle of nowhere while you're in it. The trees keep the area private, and the sound of running water from the two creeks drown out noise from the highway.

There's a network of about five trails through the park that all lead to a large meadow. It's covered in daisies, has a bench on the edge of it, and it's almost perfectly flat. We imagined a great casual evening game of ultimate there with a group of friends and a glow in the dark frisbee.

We were on our way out of Westridge park when I spotted a trail we hadn't been on yet. Since we're such keeners, it seemed wrong to leave a portion of the park unexplored, so we decided to go check it out. The final trail meandered around ferns for a while before it turned a corner to reveal...

A WATERFALL!

Who would have expected to find a waterfall (quite a big one, too) in a little neighborhood park? The photo of the waterfall was taken from a narrow bridge with wide railings. If we hadn't been there on a wet day, that would have been the perfect place to sit. So if it's a dry day and you feel like sitting and watching a waterfall, you should probably pay Westridge Park a visit. It's a long way up from marine drive, but it's worth the trip.

PPR
Good: tennis court, nice bridges, meadow, waterfall
Bad: terrible playground equipment, inconvenient location, beside highway
7/10