Stanley Park

Markus smiling for the camera in front of the Vancouver skyline at Stanley Park

About Stanley Park

Whenever we want to take a scenic stroll in Vancouver, we'll often think of going to Stanley Park. A beautiful tourist attraction known around the world, Stanley Park is home to thousands of trees and includes trails, beaches, lakes, play areas and the Vancouver Aquarium. It is a public park that gets 8 million visitors a year and it's just off of the border of downtown Vancouver, surrounded mostly by water. You will regularly find people walking, running or cycling the outer path of the park, which is also known as the Seawall.

Markus walking along the wall of the Seawall in Stanley Park during low tide

This past weekend, our group of dog friends went for a walk at Stanley Park and it did not disappoint. Though the Seawall is not the traditional dog walk with grass and trees everywhere (well, there are a lot of trees, but not on the path), there are definitely enough areas for dogs. Keep in mind that the park can get very busy with all the visitors and people exercising or enjoying a night out with their dogs.

We highly recommend the walk around the park and we think you'll love it. For this post, we wanted to share our path with you because we tend to start at a different location (but still within the park). The walk around the park is also very long and could take up to 2 to 3 hours depending on how many stops your dog takes, so we normally double back once we've gone far enough.

Our Recommended Path

Type: Off-Leash Dog Park/Trail/Beach
Length: 5.8 km (from Stanley Park Tennis Courts to Brockton Point and back)
Traffic: Heavy
Route Type: Out & Back

We normally start by parking by the Stanley Park Tennis Courts since there are usually more spots available there. Depending on where you're coming from, starting here also saves you from having to cut through the busy parts of downtown to get to the park, which may save you some time getting there. From the Tennis Courts parking area, go down one of the paths that will take you to the Lost Lagoon.

At the Lost Lagoon, you can walk fairly close to the water and in our time here, we managed to see different types of ducks and birds that we don't typically see in other parts of Vancouver. This area is a lot calmer and if your dog is reactive, this is a good area for them to stay since the Seawall is a lot busier. You can go around the Lost Lagoon, which is a full walk in of itself. To continue on our path, from the Lost Lagoon, you'll want to cut under BC-99, which will take you to the Seawall.

Markus quietly enjoying the calmness of the Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park

From here, the off-leash dog area is on your right, but for our path, you'll want to head left and make your way around the park. Remember that there are lanes specific to cyclists and pedestrians, so be aware of where your dog might pull you. On this path, you'll first come across a log and we often like to get our doggies to stop for a post here!

The rest of the walk is really just following this path and as you keep working your way around the park, you'll come across amazing views that make Stanley Park and Vancouver so beautiful. There are areas to stop and capture Vancouver's skyline and other beautiful scenes.

Markus (right) sharing looks with his dog friends in front of the Vancouver skyline at Stanley Park

We normally stop around the Brockton Point Lighthouse, though you can definitely keep going. We pick this area because it allows us to turn the corner and get the view of the other side, including the Lions Gate Bridge. By this time, it will have already taken 35-40 minutes (depending on how many times you stopped for photos!), so stopping here and double back will give your dog a fairly decent walk.

As a whole, we love coming to Stanley Park. For those of us who live in Vancouver, it is such a beautiful piece of our backyard that too many of us take for granted! We've said it many times already, but we highly recommend stopping here and soaking it all in. For our other walks in Stanley Park in future, we'll pick a starting point somewhere else in the park and we'll be sure to share all that with you as well.

Devonian Park Harbour Off-Leash Dog Area

Type: Off-Leash Dog Park
Size: Small
Enclosed: Partially
Doors: None
Traffic: Low

There is also an off-leash dog area right before entering the park, but we haven't brought Markus in there yet so I can't speak too much on it. Part of the reason why we haven't is that the fences are low and there aren’t any doors to the enclosure. This means that dogs are actually free to run in and out of the dog park, though I would imagine that owners only take their dogs there if they’re trained well. The secondary issue with this is that the off-leash dog area is fairly close to traffic and I simply don't have that type of control or recall with Markus while he's off-leash. Since I haven’t gone in with Markus, all of this is based on observation and not from experience.

What we liked

It is a beautiful park that's known around the world!
The walk and the views are amazing.
People are very respectful on the walk.
You get to see different animals that you normally won't see in other parts of Vancouver.

What we didn’t like

The off-leash dog area is missing gates and it's really close to traffic.

Our Recommendation for Reactive Dogs

For reactive dogs, we generally find that this path is pretty safe. While it can be busy, it's usually busy with cyclists and pedestrians. There are dogs, but they're almost all on-leash since there's a drop off the side of the Seawall and owners aren’t comfortable with their dogs running freely next to it. The paths can be narrow, but there is enough room to avoid other dogs if necessary. You can also temporarily step on the cyclist path, but just be very careful to check before doing it.

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.