Walks and Views

A year round day use area in the west part of Fish Creek Provincial Park with several pathways for all fitness levels, picnic tables, fire pits, modern washrooms and views of Fish Creek. Walking the trails is free. For directions, call the park information line at 1 877 537 2757.

A free self guided 2.12 km city walk (about 2,782 steps) that starts at the steam engine at the Roundhouse, passes through Yaletown along a historic route and ends near the Steam Clock in Gastown. The route uses sidewalks with curb ramps and is wheelchair accessible.

A sandy beach on the seawall where False Creek meets English Bay, next to the Burrard Bridge and the Aquatic Centre. It is a designated quiet beach with a big lawn behind it, and as the name says, it is a classic place to watch the sun go down. Free, with washrooms, a summer concession and a False Creek ferry dock.

One of Vancouver's quiet beaches, a long sandy stretch between Jericho and Spanish Banks with tall evergreens behind it. Views reach across English Bay to West Vancouver and Bowen Island, and sunsets here are some of the best in the city. Free, with picnic tables, washrooms and seasonal lifeguards in summer.

A big waterfront park at Kits Point with views of downtown, Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains. Open fields, ponds and the seawall make it the city's favourite spot for flying kites, picnics and sunset walks. Free and open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (the museums inside the park charge admission).

A 62 hectare riverside park in southeast Calgary with the largest fenced off-leash area in the city. Paths wind along the Bow River past an island, flood plain and marshes, and you will find picnic tables and the public artwork Deux Chiens Assis. Free and open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

A large natural park on the north bank of the Bow River in northwest Calgary, with an escarpment that shows the city's geological history. Trails lead to Waterfall Valley, Nautilus Pond and Dale Hodges Park, with river views along the way. Free and open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with an off-leash area for dogs.

The North Shore's wild bird sanctuary: a conservation area of salt marsh, tidal mudflats, ponds and woods on Burrard Inlet with about 5 km of easy trails and more than 200 bird species, from herons and eagles to ospreys in summer. Run by the non profit Wild Bird Trust of BC, with free guided nature walks on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. Access is free; donations welcome.

A seaside park on Burrard Inlet near Deep Cove, an ancestral village site of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation whose name Whey-ah-Wichen means "faces the wind". About 6 km of easy waterfront and forest trails, sandy and rocky beaches, a big playground, picnic spots and a pier with views across the water. Free to visit all year, a District of North Vancouver park.

A waterfront park at the foot of 13th Street with a sandy beach, a duck pond, a playground and a skate park, and the start of the West Vancouver seawall that runs west toward Dundarave. It has some of the closest views of the Lions Gate Bridge and Stanley Park. Free, a District of West Vancouver park, lovely for a walk any time of year.

A prairie park on the southeast edge of Calgary set in Canada's largest man made wetland, with trails, viewing decks, a natural playground, a community orchard, public art and mountain views. The Environmental Education Centre, which stands on stilts over the water, is open Wednesday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the park is open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Free. No dogs, and bring bug spray in summer.

A wild natural area of about 237 hectares where the Elbow River winds into the Glenmore Reservoir, forming Calgary's only river delta. Trails and the Barry Erskine Bridge lead through forest, meadows and wetlands rich in birds, beavers and deer, and connect to North and South Glenmore parks. Open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Free, a City of Calgary park.