|
Although
there are some lovely beaches along a 10-mile (16-km)
stretch of Vancouver's outer harbour, principally along
English Bay, many of them have come into being only
in this century. Some, like Wreck Beach, Spanish Banks
Beach, Locarno Beach, and Jericho Beach on Vancouver's
west side, receive regular deposits of sand courtesy
of the Fraser River's silt-laden plume, which arches
around Point Grey into English Bay. Sand has been trucked
in to create the beaches in the West End on English
Bay, including those in Stanley Park.
The sand at Stanley Park's Third Beach is noticeably
coarser and brighter in texture and colour than at either
First or Second Beach. A large, freshwater swimming
pool is located next to Second Beach. All three beaches
are located on the west side of Stanley Park, just off
Stanley Park Dr.
Of
all the outdoor swimming areas in Vancouver, Kitsilano
Beach is one of the most festive. Kitsilano Beach
Park's enormous, heated, saltwater pool stands outdoors
beside a wide stretch of beach opposite Cornwall Ave.
On bright summer days the atmosphere at Kits pool is
one of controlled frenzy, while action on the beach
is more characteristically mellow, a reflection of this
neighbourhood's laid-back reputation. More than a dozen
volleyball courts and nets are arranged on the beach.
Both organized and informal games rule here in the heat.
As at all city beaches, there are hot showers and change
rooms. Located on the north side of Cornwall St between
Arbutus and Vine Avenues, Kits Beach also features several
dozen tennis courts. Most visitors like to congregate
in this area. However, the farther north you walk along
the broad beach, the less crowded it becomes. A tall
stand of trees shades nearby Kitsilano Point
at the north end of Arbutus St, the best place to picnic
in hot weather. Splash in the modest surf while the
barbeque fires up. Kits Point is also a prime spot to
watch the international fireworks competition held in
July on English Bay. At such times the Kits Point neighbourhood
(as well as much of the West End) is closed to vehicle
traffic. Come early in the evening to get a good view.
Rounding Kitsilano Point, the beach continues east to
Vanier Park.
Jericho Beach Park, Locarno Beach, and Spanish
Banks Beach might well be considered as one since they
connect to each other along Point Grey's 3.7-mile (6-km)
shoreline. For the past two decades, the three-day Vancouver
Folk Festival has been held in July in Jericho Beach
Parks lush, weeping willow-draped grounds. During the
day, musicians from around the world entertain on small
stages in intimate settings. Passersby can tune in for
free to the evening performances held on the main stage,
as amplified melodies waft over the security fence and
onto the beach. Just park yourself on one of the driftwood
logs that dot the beach and revel in the waves - wave
lengths, that is - which don't recognize any borders.
Farther west lie tennis courts, a viewing pier that
attracts anglers and crab fishers, and the Jericho Sailing
Centre. Watch for the wild bunnies of Kitsilano, which
make the bramble bushes on the hillside above the beach
their home. They play a constant game of 'catch me if
you can' with the local coyotes. Jericho Beach is easily
reached from Fourth Avenue west of Alma St in the Point
Grey neighbourhood. Just west of Jericho, Fourth Avenue
heads uphill towards UBC while NW Marine Dr leads downhill
to Locarno and Spanish Banks. The two roads reconnect
at the UBC campus. The #4 bus travels this route.
Locarno
Beach begins just north of the Jericho Sailing Centre.
A pedestrian and cycle path runs beside the beach from
here west to Spanish Banks Beach. If you're looking
for seclusion, there are more tucked-away places along
Spanish Banks' sheltered beach than at Locarno's open
expanse.
When the tide goes out between Jericho and Spanish Banks,
it goes way out. This is a good place to explore the
sand flats and get a closer look at the freighters anchored
offshore. At low tide, skim boarders gather here to
play in the tide pools. At this point the forest closes
in as the hillside begins to rise towards the University
of British Columbia. The border of Pacific Spirit Regional
Park lies on the south side of Marine Dr. Pacific Spirit
Park's corridor of protected land stretches from the
North Arm of the Fraser River to Acadia Beach
at the mouth of English Bay. In addition to its forested
environment, a shoreline perimeter of rock, pebble,
and sand beach rings Point Grey between Acadia Beach
and Wreck Beach.
The
atmosphere is definitely different at Wreck Beach,
Vancouver's official clothing-optional beach. 'Bare
as you dare' is the byword here, and most bathers wear
little more than smiles and sunscreen. Owing to the
steep hillside that surmounts the beach, visitors have
to make their way down to it from Marine Dr at one of
three approaches on the UBC campus: Trail 3, Trail 4,
or Trail 6 (the numbers correspond to the entrance gates
to the university along Marine Dr, which encircles the
university). Allow 10 minutes to make the descent, which
is often slippery at wet times of the year. Trail 6
leads to the kookier part of the beach, where at the
height of summer strolling, vendors proffer a variety
of mood- altering substances, from frozen daiquiris
to headier fare. Traditionalists will enjoy the more
tranquil side of Wreck Beach, reached via Trails 3 and
4. (Note: 'Wrecked' Beach is regularly patrolled by
members of UBC's Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment.)
You can also walk around to Wreck Beach from Spanish
Banks. It's a lengthy stroll, made more difficult by
the soft sand and piles of driftwood, particularly when
the ocean crowds up against the hillside at high tide.
Along the way you'll pass an old concrete gun emplacement,
left over from defence preparations during World War
II. The views from the beach, and from some opened sections
of trail in the forest, are of the Coast Mountains as
they run along the North Shore and along the Sunshine
Coast. From Point Grey the views expand out across the
Strait of Georgia towards Vancouver Island. The nature
of the shoreline changes as it rounds the point and
begins to follow the mudflats beside the North Arm of
the Fraser River. Booming Ground Trail (3 miles/5
km return) follows the river from the UBC Gate 6 and
7 entrances east towards the Musqueam Indian Reserve.
There's always plenty of activity to watch on the Fraser,
from herons stalking the beach to a constant parade
of boats, particularly on weekends. The occasional harbour
seal will pop its head up to check you out. There's
a tranquillity here and also a feeling of great release
as the muddy Fraser rolls out into the strait, its momentum
finally spent.
Burnaby's Barnet Marine Park is located on the
site of an old logging community that flourished in
the first half of the 20th century. All that remain
are the massive concrete towers and a squat scrap burner
hunkered on the broad beach. Burnaby has replaced the
old wharfs with a pier from which visitors can scan
Burrard Inlet for marine and birdlife. A large boomed-off
swimming section fronts the hard-packed sandy beach.
Picnic tables with barbeque stands are shaded by tall
poplars. There's also a boat launch here. A level pathway
leads west of the park and runs for much of the distance
towards the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Bridge.
It provides visitors to Barnet with a chance to walk
or cycle on those overcast days when the beach is not
the exclusive reason for visiting this charming site.
To find the park, drive east from Vancouver on Hastings
St towards Port Moody. This route leads to the Barnet
Hwy - you'll see the signed entrance to Barnet Marine
Park on your left. Thick foliage hides any view of the
park from the road, and railway tracks obscure the shoreline.
Park and walk across the tracks to reach the beach.
Although
Belcarra Regional Park and Buntzen Lake Recreation
Area are both located directly across Burrard Inlet
from Barnet Marine Park, it will take you 30 minutes
to drive around the end of the inlet to reach them.
Follow Hastings St east through Burnaby to its junction
with the Barnet Hwy, then east to Port Moody. As you
enter Port Moody, turn left onto St. John's St; six
stoplights later, turn left again onto well-marked Ioco
Rd. In hot months the beaches at Belcarra's Sasamat
Lake and at nearby Buntzen Lake are so popular that
park information signs, which appear immediately after
you turn onto Ioco Rd, will tell you if Belcarra and
Buntzen are full. (You can probably sense this on a
hot day before you even leave the house. On weekends,
unless you get an early start for their beaches, look
elsewhere for a destination.) Ioco Rd soon turns left
at an intersection marked by a green GVRD sign pointing
the way to Belcarra. The route to Buntzen lies straight
ahead at this well-marked intersection along Heritage
Mountain Rd.
Once
at Sasamat Lake, follow the signs to White Pine Beach.
There's plenty of parking here on a benchland above
the sandy beach. There's one critical difference between
this beach and nearby Buntzen Lake: although the sun
shines equally warm on both, the water in Buntzen is
far colder than in Sasamat.
There
are two beaches at Buntzen Lake, one at each end. You
can drive to South Beach, where there is a boat launch
(nonmotorized only) but you'll have to paddle, or walk
or cycle along a gated access road from the parking
lot to North Beach. Whereas South Beach has a gentle
incline, the lake drops off sharply at North Beach.
One of the lake's attractive features includes a small
island offshore from South Beach, a magnet for stronger
swimmers.
Vancouver
and Burnaby both have beaches on the Fraser River's
North Arm, and both are named Fraser River Park. Watching
activity on the Fraser is the main attraction from both
beaches. The beach at Burnaby's Fraser River Park lies
at the south end of Byrne Rd off Marine Dr in Burnaby.
Vancouver's lies at the corner of 75th and Angus.
|
Web
Design by Sage
Internet Solutions.
