Whytecliff Park [PPR: Local's Perspective]

Located at the very end of Marine Dr.

Throughout the summer of my epic journey, people have been asking me if I'd found the perfect park yet. I told them I already knew which one it was, but I was saving it for last. I knew right from the beginning that, at least for me, Whytecliff Park is the perfect 10. Let me explain why.

At the very end of Marine Drive exists a park that has everything. Since it has everything (I'm serious about that, by the way), Whytecliff Park is really big. It's got a whole ton of grassy space that wouldn't be good for any formal sports because it's on a little bit of a slant, but is perfect for casual games of all sorts.

The grass is really nice and soft, and full of surprises. Despite wide open spaces, there's also a lot of big trees in Whytecliff Park. Some of them are climbable if you've got some skills in that area.

Also pictured above is a picnic shelter. There's only two of these in all of West Vancouver (the other one is at John Lawson Park), which is a shame because they're great for so many things. There's a barbeque and a bunch of tables under there, making it the ideal location to hold an evening party in the spring or summer. But it's also great for colder rainy days when you want to be out of the rain but still outside. I haven't actually done this yet, but I'd really like to bring a set of speakers here on a day when it's pouring rain and have a dance party on the tables. Basically, picnic shelter = party central.

Of course, the perfect park would not be complete without a playground and kids playing on it.

This picture is terrible because it's far away and has a tree in the way, but you can still tell the playground exists. It's got a motorcycle rocker, a train, tall swings, and a big structure with slides, tic tac toe, bridges, and all that good stuff. It's not the best playground I've ever been to, but it's definitely up there. Besides, artificial play stuff isn't really the point of Whytecliff.

The point of WhyteCLIFF Park is the CLIFFS! You're probably wondering where they are at this point. Here they are:

The cliffs are nice and rugged, just like a Howe Sound shoreline should be. They're full of crevices to explore. I still find new things even after all these years of visiting. Despite all the chaos of the rocks, there's actually benches all over the cliffs. This is my favorite one:

It's one of the most ridiculously placed benches. You actually can't reach it safely without maintaining three points of contact. And obviously, it faces one of the many incredible views from the cliffs. This one is of Whyte Island and Passage Island. Other views feature Bowen Island's marina as well.

In between two cliffs, there's a spot that is known locally as "couple's beach".

It's hidden and the perfect size for two. If you ever happen to be trying to impress a hopeless romantic, then take them here. They'll love it. This park has always reminded me of something out of a movie set in the 50's where teenagers drive around in convertibles and go on dates.

Fun fact: Whytecliff is something out of a movie. A few things have been filmed here, including Scooby Doo. They built the haunted mansion up on the cliffs.

If you were thinking that couple's beach is a little small for your tastes, don't you worry. Just one more cliff over is Whyte Bay.

Hey look, sand! Unfortunately, the sand doesn't go too much further down the beach, but it's a great swimming spot nonetheless. I've swam here many times and actually enjoyed it. That's a lot coming from me. I hate swimming.

Because I hate swimming, I have never tried scuba diving, but everyone says that Whytecliff Park is one of the best dive spots in North America. It's Canada's first marine protected area. It even has its own tank at the Vancouver Aquarium. The Day I went to take pictures, there must have been a hundred people in scuba gear around. A lot of them were there taking lessons. The sheltered bay is great for beginners.

Whyte Bay is also a great one for collecting beach glass, particularly at lower tides. The tiny pebbles that are underwater in the picture are perfect for grinding down broken glass.

Another great thing about low tide at Whytecliff is the opportunity it provides to explore Whyte Island.

When the tide is low, it exposes a land bridge all the way out to that island. I won't tell you much about the island, but I will say that it's worth exploring. Make sure you check the tides when planning your visit.

Whytecliff park also has a tennis court,

decently clean washrooms that stay open until 10pm during the summer,

and a cafe!

The cafe is closed for the winter, but the food is fantastic when it's available during the summer, and they even have live music on the patio occasionally.

Until just recently, I thought that the one thing Whytecliff Park was missing was trails. But at the beginning of this past summer, I discovered a whole new section that I never knew existed.

The part that I never knew about was the giant area across the street from the main part. As you can see, it has a series of trails running through it. There's trailheads at the end of Hycroft Road and the park's overflow parking lot. I discovered them by accident when I was walking with my little brother half an hour before we had to be home for dinner. I came back the very next day to finish exploring the area.

What I discovered was a series of narrow trails (that you're allowed to let your dogs off-leash on) with the occasional bench off to the side.

One of those benches happens to feature one of my all-time favorite bench quotes:

"Try to be one of the people on whom nothing is lost." -Henry James

Peter Blutenhuis, lover of the sea & this park

The only problem I have with these trails is that they don't lead to any views. The benches were probably originally placed facing views, but the trees have since grown taller and blocked them out. But how much can trees really upset anyone? Besides, what the trails do lead to is the main part of Whytecliff Park: my favorite place in the whole world. 

PPR

Good: fields, picnic shelter, climbing trees for skilled climbers, playground, cliffs, well-placed benches, spectacular views, swimming beach, beach glass, scuba diving, island, tennis courts, washrooms, cafe, trails, teeming with adventure

Bad: I'm not allowed to live there

10/10

Larson Bay Park [PPR: Local's Perspective]

Access via trail from Orchill Rd or Gleneagles Dr.

When I was younger, my family used to refer to Larson Bay Park as "our beach". Despite my long history with this park, I've never actually been in the main entrance before. The main entrance looks like this:

For those of you wondering what that little shack is, it's a toilet. Not an outhouse, a real toilet...

What the heck is plumbing doing out here? It's surprisingly clean, too.

Another surprise at the main entrance is this tennis court that isn't marked on the map.

Unfortunately, it's got a big crack in the middle of it. That makes sense, though. This ground in this whole area is downright soggy half the year. Another thing that this tennis court would like to remind you about this area:

I don't know why, but the "positively" makes me laugh.

The way down to the beach from this entrance is incredibly steep. Not just "gee, I sure am out of shape" steep, but "ow, my ankles are not meant to bend like this" steep.

Slopes are always hard to capture on camera. They never look as steep as they actually are. The other entrance is not nearly as ridiculous. I'm going to keep on taking that one (It's a trail off of Orchill Rd.)

And now... finally... Larson Bay:

Basically, this place is gorgeous and it has a gorgeous view.

From left to right, that's Passage Island, Bowen Island and Kettle Point in the very edge of the foreground. On clear days like this one, you can also see Vancouver Island way in the background. And don't worry, of course there are logs to sit on and look at this from.

This beach is also a beach glass jackpot.

That's because it's a great place to drink beer and smash the bottles. Get excited if that's your thing, but don't let it scare you off if it's not. This is a perfectly acceptable place without any drunken teenagers until after dark. During the day, it's just a treasure chest of pretty coloured glass.

Finally, one thing that Larson Bay has that's always really cool is a fort. It's been a work in progress for longer than I've been visiting and a combined effort of probably dozens of children who never see each other collecting scraps of wood and making an old root ball into a home.

I love how a beach like this can bring people together without them even knowing it. This isn't a very popular beach, but it's not completely empty either. People visit it for solitude, but they leave with friends that they've never spoken to. A smile from a stranger in a place like this means something special.

PPR
Good: view, plumbing, fort, beach glass, generally really pretty
Bad: so much ground water, too many barnacles for swimming, cracked tennis court
7/10

Glenmore Park

Located at Bonnymuir Dr and Glenmore Dr.

If you're looking for a pleasant, well thought out park that's fun for the whole family in the eastern British Properties, look no further than Glenmore Park. Seriously, it's the only park in the whole area that's more than a bunch of trees.

The park greets you with an idyllic grassy slope with the occasional tree casting dramatic shadows on the ground. There were several joggers passing through on the trails.

I was feeling good about this park until I saw the playground equipment:

I was ready to be disappointed with yet another park only just barely following through on its promise of playground equipment, and sing the praises of this spinny bucket thing

(which actually is really fun), when I noticed this behind some trees:

Folks, Glenmore Park has a real live actual playground. I haven't even got pictures of all of it. Get excited!

It's even got one of those toy diggers. My little brothers used to think those were the coolest things ever invented.

This park is pretty manufactured, but there's a little bit of wildlife left. There's a creek running through the middle of it, and the natural vegetation around that has been left intact. That vegetation includes trees! Trees that you can climb if you're good.

But if you don't like nature, there's a bridge over the creek so you don't have to touch it.

PPR
Good: grass, creek, trees, playground, tennis court, right on a bus route
Bad: um... there could always be more trees, I'm not sure
8.5/10

Burley Drive Park

Located at Burley Dr & Mathers Ave.

Burley Drive Park is another one of those playground/ tennis court combinations tucked just underneath the highway like Cedaredale and Westridge.  From my experience with those other two, I assumed that the playground equipment at Burley Drive would be equally skimpy. Fortunately, I was wrong.

Whoever designed the Burley Drive Park playground went all out.

There's swings for big kids

and for babies.

There are not one, but two teeter-totters,

a set of bars that would probably be a lot more fun for people more skilled than Douglas and I,

and a pirate ship!!!

There's also a tennis court, but those all look the same and I don't care about them much.

I know several families with young kids who end up as regulars at certain playgrounds. They're all starting to get bored with the ones they know, but I don't think any of them know about Burley Drive Park. This is a hidden gem of a playground that could be a great change of pace for a 5 year old who is so over John Lawson.

PPR
Good: playground, tennis court, on a quiet street
Bad: no slide
7/10

Normanby Park

Located on Pinecrest Dr.

In an area like the British Properties where most parts of it are not designed for kids, a place like Normanby Park is a breath of fresh air.

When I saw this park on the map, I assumed that the promised playground equipment would be super lame. I'd been to a playground in the British Properties before in a park that was much bigger than Normanby Park, and that playground was just three dinky little structures. My jaw dropped when I came around the corner and saw this:

There's slides, monkey bars, a flying fox, and a bunny to ride. If you think bunnies are stupid, then there's another choice of animal to ride that I didn't get a picture of. I believe it might have been a whale. And can we talk about the colours? These aren't the normal bright primary colours that we're used to seeing on playgrounds. These ones are a little more subdued and very pretty.

Most importantly, just look at this flower swing:

Isn't it precious?

The other half of this park is occupied by tennis courts.

There's two of them cut out of the steep slope of the land. There's also a list of rules on the gate that make it seem like there have been issues with sharing the courts in the past, such as "If there are players waiting, please limit your game to 30 minutes." Nina and I have seen a lot of tennis courts in our travels, but we've only ever seen tennis players once or twice. We were just having a conversation pondering the question, "what time do the tennis players show up?" when two groups of players entered the park. Tennis players show up at 6:35pm. I'd recommend that players show up to Normanby Park at 6:30 to beat the after dinner rush.

PPR
Good: amazing playground, tennis courts, well-maintained, located where it's needed
Bad: steep hill, only one swing in the playground, not enough tennis courts (what?!)
8/10

Cedaredale Park

Located at 3rd St and Inglewood Ave.

Cedaredale is full of delightful surprises everywhere you look. Right at the entrance, there's Blues Clues stickers on the "Dog Owners..." sign. That's cute, but not nearly as exciting as what you'll see once you walk down the corridor of hedges and around the corner:

Guys, there's a spaceship in the playground, you guys. Can we talk about this? That's the coolest thing to happen in a low-budget playground ever. There's also a tiny slide and a few little diggers. But more importantly, there's a spaceship in the playground. 

One of my favorite sort of park surprises is the cool graffiti sort. This park doesn't have much in the way of spray painted masterpieces, but it does have this little guy:

He hides behind some trees, but he's just there to make sure you don't hurt yourself. He's super friendly. Look for him if you visit Cedaredale park. 

Cedaredale Park also has a tennis court. Like most tennis courts, it has a couple of basketball hoops. But the special thing about this one is that there's a full basketball court.

It has keys, and a center circle. No 3-point line, but at least the two hoops are actually opposite each other. So when you tire of playing half court, make a trip to Cedaredale Park.

That's all, but every part of Cedaredale Park is used wisely. With it's limited space, it provides the perfect balance of entertainment for children, teens, adults, and childish adults. 

PPR
Good: spaceship, smiley dude, tennis court, full basketball court, blues clues stickers
Bad: right beside the highway (noisy)
7/10

Altamont Park

Located at Rosebury Ave and Gisby St.

As a person who does not play tennis, I am usually disappointed when a park turns out to be not much more than a tennis court. Altamont Park is one of those disappointing parks. But this one is especially bad. Even tennis players would be disappointed with this court.

Pictured above is one of the many large cracks in the court's floor. Although I don't know much about tennis, I'm pretty sure that a cracked court could cause some wayward bounces. Also, only one of the two courts still has a net. If you're looking for a place to play tennis, you should probably look elsewhere.

Beyond an unsatisfactory game of tennis, there really isn't much to do in this park. There's a narrow strip of grass around the edges of the court, but it's not flat enough for ball games and it's too muddy for sitting.

However, there is one thing to do in this park...

Even when it seems like there's nothing left to do, you could always draw penguins.

PPR
Good: drawing surface
Bad: broken tennis courts, muddy grass
2/10

Benbow Park

Located adjacent to West Bay Elementary School.

Benbow Park is a pleasant park in the quiet Westmount neighborhood. It was a tedious trek up from Marine Drive to get there, but despite the steep slope of the area, there are still many things to do in this park. They even managed to carve out enough flat space to make a tennis court.

I've seen nine tennis courts in my park routing so far, and yet I've only seen two groups of people playing tennis. West Vancouver's courts are tragically under used, so I'm always impressed when I see people taking advantage of them. But overhearing their conversation, I realized it was father's day (yes, I found it was fathers day while skulking around parks by myself). Even though these people probably aren't super keeners, Benbow Park seems like a great place to take your Dad for father's day or any other day for that matter.

But tennis players and Dads aren't the only ones who would enjoy Benbow Park. Throughout the park, I spotted these narrow little trails:

They smell like mountain bikers to me. In the forested area on the western side of the park, there are more trails and also some makeshift jumps set up. It's not the most intense mountain biking location I've ever seen, but it would be good for bikers who are still learning.

Even if you lack any sort of special sports skill, there's still fun to be had at Benbow Park. That's because there's playground equipment!

That's West Bay Elementary School in the background. They've got a pretty nice playground that would be fine to visit outside of school hours (which will be all the time soon! summer is coming!), but that playground lacks a spacenet. In layman's terms, it lacks one of those red rope pyramid things. Fortunately, Benbow Park has that covered. However, it's an unusually small spacenet. I was a little bit disappointed by that, but I suppose that makes it better for young children.

There's also a piece of playground equipment that I'd never seen before at Benbow Park. It's a sort of standup teeter-totter device. I'll need someone to come back to Benbow Park with me, because I really want to try it out.

After exploring Benbow Park and my camera battery dying, I went home and phoned my Dad. That's why this route happened over two separate days. Happy belated father's day!

PPR
Good: tennis courts, mountain biking trails, playground, nice scenery, right beside a school
Bad: up a huge hill, muddy in some sections
7/10

Westwood Park

Main entrance at the end of Woodburn Rd.

We knew this was going to be a great park when we saw the entrance:

That's not just one entrance, that's three! You know it's going to be good when it splits up like that right away. Anyhow, we chose the entrance with the bike jump:

We didn't have bikes with us, but we managed.

That is not even close to all that this park has to offer... there's a tennis court that's entirely green!

Tennis courts look a lot better without the orangey stuff if you ask me. The green ground was also really warm. The sun had only been out for a few hours at this point. It really doesn't take much to heat up this surface, making it a great place to hang out on a colder sunny day.

But wait, there's more!

Now that is a beautiful playground. They don't make playgrounds like this any more, but this one is somehow in perfect condition. It's a three structure set: the one in the picture, a shorter platform with a slide that the picture is taken from, and a playhouse. It might just be me and my 90's kid heart, but I am in love with this playground. It is actually made of wood!

There's also a trail leading off into a forested area, but we ran out of time to explore that part of the park. But we'll get around to it. Without even seeing the forested part, we are sure that Westwood Park is worth returning to. I can't wait to see what's in those trees, run across the bike jump again, and visit my new favorite playground.

PPR
Good: bike jump, trails, playground, tennis court
Bad: inconvenient location (lucky locals)
8/10