Coal Harbour is no diamond in the rough

Lots of ways to travel 

I like to roll along this wide flat picturesque section of seawall

The Coal Harbour section of seawall actually serves as part of Trans Canada Trail. The 2.5 km trip connects Canada Place and Jack Poole Plaza (see post "The ups and downs of Jack Poole Plaza") and Stanley Park's Brockton Point travelling west along the large and extensive Burrard Inlet.  It's a 10 km trip to follow the seawall from Harbour Green Park all the way around Stanley Park to English Bay. Along the way there are float planes, celebrities, wildlife, weird life, art, ships of all kinds, shops of all kinds, eateries for every taste and budget, and a real mix of people that only a world class destination can combine. A step off the seawall into nearby accessible neighborhoods can save a lot of money eatery wise.

Children's water park

The parks along this path could use this statue titled the King and Queen

as an accessibility symbol

Sit along the floating dock and rock with the water

You can begin your trip at the foot of the stairs leading from Jack Poole Plaza to the entrance of Harbour Green Park. To get to the foot of the stairs take the elevator from the plaza, get out at the parking garage, travel past the motor scooter rental and training area, keep your head up and eyes open for those zooming vespas, go past Harbour Air terminal and take a left.It, a little dodgey but good news is on the way.  The new air terminal on the west side of the convention centre is almost complete and includes fantastic seawall access with new large elevators. No word yet on the audio features.

Tuck away into portal park just east of Coal Harbour Park situated above the Coal Harbour Community Centre

Say hi to the Buddhas

As you continue along Coal Harbour Park the seawall gets a little narrow for the amount of traffic it must accommodate because your are on your way to Vancouver's biggest attraction: Stanley Park. See post "Vancouver's crown jewel does not sparkle as brightly for PWDs". I was a little rough on Stanley Park in the macroscopic overview in that post, but over time we will visit different sections of the park, some of which will receive high marks. Because of the seawall foot and cycle traffic, it's better to enter the park off the seawall on the road less traveled, so  leave the seawall just after Devonian Harbour Park at the entrance to Stanley Park. The paths are well marked with maps, trail type and grade indicated. Head over the bridge at the old main road entrance moving north (towards the mountains). At the aquarium, turn east and the trail will take you to Brockton Point.  Although the trail turns from pavement to dirt, the surface is good even in the rain.

Dirt road trail

The reason Access Eco went to Brockton Point this time was to attend Vancouver's 125th birthday party (see post "The party's on, it's festival season). The city staff and the 125 committee did a fantastic job making this grassy field area more accessible. Lots of washrooms, raised marked viewing platforms, and mobi mats in areas to assist the trip over grass, and lots of willing volunteers made this three day bash a hoot.

Built in 1891, Brockton Oval was one of the original features in Stanley Park. Originally called the athletic field, it was home to ten different sporting groups. Today it's used for track and field, lawn bowling, and cricket. The field house has just undergone extensive renovations and is now very accessible.

Other attractions at the point/oval are the totem poles, a park attraction since 1920's, the Coast Salish gateway, installed in 2008, and the nine o'clock gun, installed in 1894.  The gun was an important piece of nautical equipment used by mariners to set their chronometers. Today the traditional firing of the cannon at 9:00 pm continues 365 days a year.  The point/oval features fantastic views of the Burrard Inlet, and the North Shore Mountains.  For more information on the parks and Coal Harbour Community Centre go to www.vancouver.ca/parks  If you want to know more about the Trans Canada Trail go to http://www.tctrail.ca/.