Best Jog in the World
by Mom
Activity:
My husband and I are two of the fussiest joggers around. Neither of us likes to go up and down hills, and we’re not big on going back and forth over the same scenery. We both agree however that Stanley Park, hands down, is the best jog in the world. Mind you, I guess you could say, since we live in Vancouver, we’re biased. However, we’re not the only ones thinking this way: in fact, Trip Advisor chose Stanley Park as the top park in the world in 2014. The park is 1,000 acres big and is surrounded by water. We run on the paved seawall which goes all the way around the park. Our run starts at Coal Harbour and finishes at Lost Lagoon. It’s about 9 km long. You can extend your distance if you want and add on Yaletown, False Creek, even go as far as Kitsilano Beach if you’re exceptionally keen, which would make it closer to 22 km. What I like about the Stanley Park run is the scenery. You get a picture postcard view of the city and the North Shore Mountains. You’ll run past landmarks like the Totem Poles, Siwash Rock (32 million years old), Girl in a Wetsuit sculpture (my husband’s favorite), Third Beach, Second Beach (playground and outdoor pool attached), and, my favorite, The Lion’s Gate Bridge. The Lion’s Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge connecting the North Shore to downtown Vancouver. In my opinion it rivals San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge any day. I guess the main point is there is always something to marvel at and distract yourself away from the job at hand, running. It usually takes us just under an hour to run the complete circle; but that’s with most people passing us. Afterwards we usually walk over to Denman Street and have a cup of coffee. I can’t think of a more fun way to spend time with your family and get some exercise. Having said that, you might think twice about whether your children can make it or not. A few times we’ve had our kids conk out on us, which spelled the end of our run as well. You might want to consider roller blades and bicycles as an option for your kids.Details:
You'll find Stanley Park to west of downtown Vancouver at the end of Georgia Street. The Stanley Park seawall can get congested (especially on a nice day), so we usually start our jog at 8:30 am.Area:
VancouverSeason:
All year round.
Doesn't get any better than this