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Stanley Park

Vancouverites have a never-ending love affair with this 1,000-acre spread of temperate rainforest, which occupies the entire northwest end of Vancouver's downtown peninsula. Almost completely surrounded by water, the park remains mostly wild; exploring its inner trails among giant ferns and towering cedars is a nature-lover's nirvana. Strollers along the seawall that stretches from English Bay Beach to Third Beach may encounter the famous “rock balancer” making his gravity-defying towers at low tide; the park's other (few) groomed areas include rose and rhododendron gardens, stands of beautifully carved First Nations totem poles, a small golf course, an outdoor summer theater, a seaside swimming pool, and areas for lawn bowling.