Beaver Lake, Stanley Park

This mother duck and her two ducklings are learning to navigate the waters of Beaver Lake. Teaching the skills of survival to her babies is an important role to preserving the Mallard population in the Park and thrilling visitors who view the new ducklings at Beaver Lake. CREDIT: Venture Vancouver, SOURCE: www.venturevancouver.com

Spring at Beaver Lake sees many new additions to the park such as ducklings following their mothers and learning how to navigate the Park.

STATS

Type:

Lake

Season:

All Seasons

Weather:

All Weather

Time:

45 minutes

Cost:

Free

What to bring:

Camera, Binoculars, Hiking Boots, Bird Book, Plant Identification Book

Stanley Park's interior oasis is Beaver Lake, a beautiful wilderness full of trees, animals and plants, creating a serene place to enjoy the Park at its finest. Its allure is its seclusion from vehicular traffic - there are no roadways or parking lots nearby - therefore, all traffic to this section of Stanley Park requires walking or biking. A popular scenic area, naturalists and onlookers come throughout the year to enjoy the ducks waddling along the pathways or to discover evidence of the Beaver who lives in the Lake. Beaver Lake is a quiet and reflective space in Stanley Park, shutting out the surrounding city and crowds and opting to emphasize the Park's first priority - preserving the space for future generations.

Beaver lake is an interesting interior walk within Stanley Park and is a suggested stop for any person able to hike the steep trail to it.

Encompassing a large brood of ducks within its confines and many water plant species not seen in the larger man-made Lost Lagoon, it is a popular place for photographers and naturalists enjoying the surrounding environment.

Cattails, lily pads and other plant varieties create a serene and beautiful locale which does not have a lot of human traffic due to the popularity of the seawall, but is one of Stanley Park's lush and more inviting interior spaces.

The beaver lake trail also circles the lake taking visitors around the lake's picturesque shoreline and through newer stands of forest surrounding it.

Many animal species can also be spotted here - its namesake is rare but sometimes seen looking for new trees to fell and many bird species have made their home on, around and above the lake due to its central location which shelters from wind, rain and most other undesirable weather. Turtles and other water loving creatures can be spotted as well as many thousands of bug species.

A great leisurely stroll, bring along some nature identification books and explore this beautiful lake.