The Seawall in Vancouver

Vancouver has the world's longest uninterrupted waterfront path. The 28 km Seaside Greenway is an uninterrupted pathway, including the Stanley Park Seawall, that extends from the Vancouver Convention Centre to Spanish Banks Park. Perfect for a walk, cycle, or jog, it is the most popular recreational spot in the city.

The Seawall is divided in to two clearly marked sections - one for walkers and joggers (closest to the water), and one for cyclists and inline skaters (inside path).

Be sure to follow the signs to make sure you use the seawall safely, especially on sunny summer days and weekends when the area is particularly busy.

Printable map of the Seawall

Click the image, above, to view a printable map that fits on a 8½×11-inch sheet of paper.

Improvements to cycling

Stanley Park Cycling Plan
Learn about the Park Board's plan to improve cycling in Stanley Park.

About the Seawall

Walking and cycling around Stanley Park on the Seawall
The 9 km portion around Stanley Park takes two to three hours to walk, or one hour to cycle.
- Visit Stanley Park
- Learn about the Stanley Park Cycling Plan
Annual slope stabilization and maintenance
Every winter, the Vancouver Park Board closes the seawall between Prospect Point and Third Beach for about three weeks, and for a few days at Ferguson Point to do maintenance work (“rock scaling”) on the rock slopes and cliffs along these sections of the seawall.

Work includes:
- Power washing and hand scaling at Siwash Rock and Prospect Point and a couple of other areas where the sandstone is compromised
- Vegetation removal
- Debris removal in catchment areas, around catch basins and along the drainage channel
- Inspections of netting and rock anchors to ensure they are secure
Rock slope maintenance is essential to reducing risk of rock and debris slides onto the seawall pedestrian and cycling path, which is caused by heavy rain, windstorms, ice accumulation, and spring thaw. Rock slope maintenance has been taking place in Stanley Park every year for almost two decades.

Signs about the closure of the seawall between Prospect Point and Third Beach will be posted throughout Stanley Park with recommended detours.
History of the Seawall

Construction of the Seawall began in Stanley Park in 1917. Much of its incremental progress was overseen by Park Board master stone mason James Cunningham from the late 1920s until his retirement 35 years later.

A plaque commemorating Cunningham's work can be seen in the rock face above the Seawall at Siwash Rock.

On September 21, 1980, the entire Seawall loop around Stanley Park was declared officially completed with the final paving between Third Beach and Second Beach.

Since 1980, the Seawall has been extended outside of Stanley Park.

In 2010 and 2011, two portions of the Seawall, Stanley Park (near Second Beach) and English Bay (near Sunset Beach), were renewed to address ongoing concerns with erosion.

With deep foundations and renewed surfacing, the new Seawall is built to withstand the tides for many years to come.