Burnaby's Central Park: reach out and touch nature

This 90 hectare park was opened by Prince Charles and Lady Diana during their Expo visit in 1986. The township saved this gem from the saw of the logger in 1891, and it was used primarily as a military training ground up until the royal opening. Most of the park is old growth rain forest; however, there are several groomed areas and amenities. The walking trails in most of the park are packed gravel and get an A for maintenance. You do have to remember it is a forest in the true sense of the word, so be prepared for a couple of turn arounds on your first few visits.  However, all in all the level ground, thoughtful planning, and well-marked trails make this park a favorite among Metro Vancouver's disabled population.

Swangard Stadium is one of the larger facilities in the park and has excellent disability access with seating, washrooms, and track access. Other amenities in the park are a semi-accessible horseshoe pitch (no clubhouse access), a swimming pool with stair and rail access to the water, a baseball diamond, lawn bowling and tennis courts.

The children's play area is for all abilities and has some state of the art adaptive equipment. There are picnic areas and plenty of accessible parking and washroom facilities. The lower pond, accessed most easily from Imperial Street, is a great place for model boat enthusiasts to enjoy sailing their craft and features an accessible model boat slip.

Getting into the park safely is easy with fully accessible transit routes www.translink.ca . All the crosswalks are audible and some are timed. The exception is the Patterson SkyTrain entrance to the park; however, it is being made safer and should be completed by July 2011.

The one black eye is the pitch and putt golf course. I approached the man at the counter and he was very clear that neither wheelchairs, strollers or wheeled club carriers were welcome. I may have to go hit a few balls down there with my legal advisor Leonard Biblitz. I'll keep you posted on how that goes . For more information go to www.burnaby.ca and follow the links to Central Park.