Down (town) at the beach

English Bay

Kits Pool

Yikes! It's the last week of the summer season and I haven't evened combed Vancouver's downtown beaches. Blame the late start on the good weather or the fact that the lower mainland has so many things to do. But the good weather does not stop right after Labour Day. In fact we often enjoy days fit for the beach up until October. And after that we just bundle up and put on our wellies or whatever else is appropriate, including bathing suits on New Years Day for the annual Polar Bear Swim. I did it once if you're wondering.

The services after the unofficial end of summer will change, however, so if you want to take advantage of  the city's free beach wheelchair, soft mats or fully accessible pools at Second and Kits beaches this season, you'll have to hurry. So "giddy up 409, come on a surfing safari with me" (apologies to the Beach Boys). Here they are in order of accessibility. Coming in fourth place is Sunset Beach. There is lifeguard station and a beach concession, but the washrooms are not very accessible. It's better to use the facilities at the nearby Vancouver Aquatic centre which operates indoors year round. The area is on main bus routes and there is limited paid parking. Sunset Beach is a great place to sit and people watch, boat watch and swim.

The view is the main draw

Just 1 km down the seawall from English bay

Second Beach comes third. Technically in Stanley Park, its proximity to the bustling west end and a pool that's sure to please makes it a winner. There is a concession stand, accessible washrooms, change rooms and a children's play area that chairs can access but that has no adaptive play equipment . The pool has plenty of access features including accessible picnic tables, a sloped water entry, wheelchairs for use on pool decks and transferring into the pool. Parking is difficult and traffic in the summer is a nightmare, but if you are in Stanley Park it's a must see. For more information on Stanley Park and how to get there do check out my post "Vancouver's crown jewel does not sparkle as brightly for PWDs".

View of the pool from the beach along the seawall

Second place goes to English Bay. It has many amenities including a lifeguard station that offers beach wheelchairs, soft mats, accessible washrooms and a change area. The beach is right in the heart of the West End and is a .75 km flat seawall walk east of Second Beach. The famed beach house is undergoing some renovations and will be home to a restaurant/concession stand run by the Cactus Club with a menu designed by their food architect Iron Chef winner Rob Feenie.

English Bay

First place goes to Kits Beach just across the Burrard Bridge from Sunset Beach. It's home to the famous Kits pool with all the amenities for PWDs found at Second Beach.

Kitsilano Showboat

The best downtown beach

There is paid parking with plenty of marked stalls. The very busy beach makes peak parking access a premium,. There is a lifeguard station, Boathouse Resturant, concession stand, accessible change rooms, washrooms and soft mat beach access. There are also barrier free basketball courts, accessible change rooms and washrooms, lots of picnic areas. But new state of the barrier free children's play area with adaptive equipment is worth the trip alone. For information on these parks and services go to www.vancouver.ca/parks.

Lots of things to do
for all abilities

So better hurry or plan for next year. But don't worry, we'll be back in the winter as these downtown beaches give reason to visit all year long.