Vancouver Park Board

Walking the Stanley Park Seawall

Stone Mason James Cunningham
nears unique Siwash Rock
with Stanley Park perimeter seawall.

September 27, 2004 - The 8.8 kilometer seawall is Stanley Park's most scenic and popular walking/biking/blading route. Though it took over 60 years to complete, starting in 1917, much of its incremental progress was overseen by Park Board Master Stone Mason James Cunningham from the late 1920s until his retirement some 35 years later. A plaque commemorating Cunningham's dedication can be seen in the rock face above the wall at Siwash Rock.

The truth is that many full and part time staffers, along with relief workers in the "dirty thirties" and "defaulters" serving punishment time, put back-breaking hours into a project originally conceived to hold back erosion. Only in the mid-1970s, when sections of the wall were effectively linked-up, did the Park Board of the day decide to properly surface the top making it more accommodating for walkers and the new crazes of jogging and cycling. The wall was completed in fits and starts and bits and pieces as money and labour were available, hence the long wait for a finished product, but well worth the wait it was.

Today, the Stanley Park seawall is the centre link of a seaside pathway system nearly skirting Vancouver's entire inner waterfront. The park's section of this greater walk is a wonderful way to see Vancouver's magnificent ocean views and with proper footwear takes about 2 hours to complete at a steady pace.

If biking or rollerblading is your preference, these can be rented just outside the park near Georgia Street at a variety of locations. Remember to check the park map for directional signs as these two modes of transportation can only go in a counter-clockwise direction.