I Rode the Longest Waterfront Path in the World
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Date: 2025-09-01
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Comments and reviews: 20
fallenshallrise
It is a blessing to be able to just join the Seawall wherever is convenient and be away from cars for an easy ride somewhere Maybe just to sit on a beach and look out at the ocean. It's funny how on point his observations are. It's true that at one point they realized that the Seawall around the park was way too narrow for the demand so they removed bikes from the current pedestrian lane and added space in some places but in some other places bikes just got moved away from the beaches and ocean to a new route further away where convenient. There are examples all over the place where you used to ride right next to the beach but now are up on a street a block away.
Same goes for the area around the Burrard Civic Marina and Bard at the Beach where the city rather than the parks board must manage the parking lot so they have done nothing other than paint a yellow line. That's why the bike lane leaves park property you have to swerve around a City of Vancouver road barrier. And that stretch after Kits beach where the bikeway disappears for a couple of blocks and the UBC controlled lands. Whenever control over the property leaves Parks Board hands you get these abrupt changes between jurisdictions that are hard to navigate.
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It is a blessing to be able to just join the Seawall wherever is convenient and be away from cars for an easy ride somewhere Maybe just to sit on a beach and look out at the ocean. It's funny how on point his observations are. It's true that at one point they realized that the Seawall around the park was way too narrow for the demand so they removed bikes from the current pedestrian lane and added space in some places but in some other places bikes just got moved away from the beaches and ocean to a new route further away where convenient. There are examples all over the place where you used to ride right next to the beach but now are up on a street a block away.
Same goes for the area around the Burrard Civic Marina and Bard at the Beach where the city rather than the parks board must manage the parking lot so they have done nothing other than paint a yellow line. That's why the bike lane leaves park property you have to swerve around a City of Vancouver road barrier. And that stretch after Kits beach where the bikeway disappears for a couple of blocks and the UBC controlled lands. Whenever control over the property leaves Parks Board hands you get these abrupt changes between jurisdictions that are hard to navigate.
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canadagood
Writing as a person born in Vancouver who spent decades living in the West End, I must note that the only actual Seawall defined as a wall topped by a pathway along the sea would be in Stanley Park. There are a few patches in other places but most of your route is just a sea adjacent bike path.
In the seventies, I actually spent a couple months placing rocks and building a wall along Sunset Beach. But then within a year or two, the government in their wisdom pumped about 6 feet of sand on the beach leaving only the very top of the wall exposed.
The Seawall, especially in Stanley Park gets very busy on summer weekends. The space is shared with at least as many pedestrians as bicyclists. One design consideration is the need to allow maintenance vehicles access to clean up rockfalls and wall cracks, etc. The bike path gets the inside route instead of having people fall off bikes down to the barnacle-covered rocks.
Thanks for your comment about Smokies. Until today, I had not realized that Smokie was a Canadianism. The food at the concession stands is generally good. They are most famous for their fish and chips which while not Vancouver's greatest gets big bonus points for the seaside view.
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Writing as a person born in Vancouver who spent decades living in the West End, I must note that the only actual Seawall defined as a wall topped by a pathway along the sea would be in Stanley Park. There are a few patches in other places but most of your route is just a sea adjacent bike path.
In the seventies, I actually spent a couple months placing rocks and building a wall along Sunset Beach. But then within a year or two, the government in their wisdom pumped about 6 feet of sand on the beach leaving only the very top of the wall exposed.
The Seawall, especially in Stanley Park gets very busy on summer weekends. The space is shared with at least as many pedestrians as bicyclists. One design consideration is the need to allow maintenance vehicles access to clean up rockfalls and wall cracks, etc. The bike path gets the inside route instead of having people fall off bikes down to the barnacle-covered rocks.
Thanks for your comment about Smokies. Until today, I had not realized that Smokie was a Canadianism. The food at the concession stands is generally good. They are most famous for their fish and chips which while not Vancouver's greatest gets big bonus points for the seaside view.
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JanneBU
I have a 5k commute normaly, but once or twice a month a stay a night at my parents and then have a 26k commute.
My normal commute is through the city centre partly on unprotected bike painted path, partly through a road construction site, and partly through neighbourhood with a school.
My 26k commute is mainly through combined walking and bike path alongside rual roads with 80 km/h speed limits and a bike highway. On that commute I only crosses a road 8 times (not including driveways. The shared space with pedestrians are usaly empty or just other bikers due to its rural location so it feels more like bike infrastructure.
I allways saying the 26k commute is easier than the 5k commute. Not physically, but mentally. When biking with few obstacles I can let my mind wander and the legs turning. When I bike through the city I have to be focused all the time. One moment of slipping and I can crash into a car, a pedestrians, traffic coin or a child. I can be seriously hurt or can hurt another person. I dont want that. I am so much more relaxed arriving at work after 26k than 5k, but I am not fit enough to bike 26k 2 times a day 5 days a week.
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I have a 5k commute normaly, but once or twice a month a stay a night at my parents and then have a 26k commute.
My normal commute is through the city centre partly on unprotected bike painted path, partly through a road construction site, and partly through neighbourhood with a school.
My 26k commute is mainly through combined walking and bike path alongside rual roads with 80 km/h speed limits and a bike highway. On that commute I only crosses a road 8 times (not including driveways. The shared space with pedestrians are usaly empty or just other bikers due to its rural location so it feels more like bike infrastructure.
I allways saying the 26k commute is easier than the 5k commute. Not physically, but mentally. When biking with few obstacles I can let my mind wander and the legs turning. When I bike through the city I have to be focused all the time. One moment of slipping and I can crash into a car, a pedestrians, traffic coin or a child. I can be seriously hurt or can hurt another person. I dont want that. I am so much more relaxed arriving at work after 26k than 5k, but I am not fit enough to bike 26k 2 times a day 5 days a week.
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colin-b2h
As a Vancouverite I have to add a few points. By wanting more stops and development, you're missing the point of living here. Namely, you can have city amenities and areas relatively untouched by humans or wilderness in the mountains within minutes of each other. You say that the narrow sections should be wide. How can you do that without destroying the natural cliffs or living shore line Vancouver is not a theme park and the seawall is not suitable for children. Some parts of the waterfront bike routes can get very busy with commuters and fast cyclists getting a good work out while breathing clean air off the ocean. Lastly, the waterfront bike routes connect with the city's excellent bike lane network and the city issues handy little folding maps showing all of them. The bike rental shop should've given you one. You can also pick them up from public libraries.
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As a Vancouverite I have to add a few points. By wanting more stops and development, you're missing the point of living here. Namely, you can have city amenities and areas relatively untouched by humans or wilderness in the mountains within minutes of each other. You say that the narrow sections should be wide. How can you do that without destroying the natural cliffs or living shore line Vancouver is not a theme park and the seawall is not suitable for children. Some parts of the waterfront bike routes can get very busy with commuters and fast cyclists getting a good work out while breathing clean air off the ocean. Lastly, the waterfront bike routes connect with the city's excellent bike lane network and the city issues handy little folding maps showing all of them. The bike rental shop should've given you one. You can also pick them up from public libraries.
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Phantom2502
Ah continuous. I was going to say there is a waterfront bike bath from Upper Canada Village to Cornwall Ontario along the St. Lawrence that is 40 some kms, but alas it is not continuous. It has a break in the middle and shares the road with the Long Sault Parkway for 11kms. Still shocked there is nothing longer. I thought Ottawa or somewhere in the Netherlands or something would have something longer. It is so long along the shore due to the flooding from the Power dam in Cornwall making the west of it flooded and all parks for several kms. As well Cornwall waterfront used to be an old canal, so wasn't build up and is all parks, so the bike path is able to be along the shore the entire way through the city as well as west of the city for a long while. It is a nice bike ride for you to try one day.
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Ah continuous. I was going to say there is a waterfront bike bath from Upper Canada Village to Cornwall Ontario along the St. Lawrence that is 40 some kms, but alas it is not continuous. It has a break in the middle and shares the road with the Long Sault Parkway for 11kms. Still shocked there is nothing longer. I thought Ottawa or somewhere in the Netherlands or something would have something longer. It is so long along the shore due to the flooding from the Power dam in Cornwall making the west of it flooded and all parks for several kms. As well Cornwall waterfront used to be an old canal, so wasn't build up and is all parks, so the bike path is able to be along the shore the entire way through the city as well as west of the city for a long while. It is a nice bike ride for you to try one day.
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babybloc
1: 10
Separated from Crab Park and Gastown by a few hundred meters because everywhere East of the Sea Bus remains dedicated to industrial use
Which left Downtown Eastside (the ghetto) residents to fight for Crab Park and it being Bob Mosesedoff from the rest of the Sea Wall all these years
If they socially cleanse the city of Vancouver of the thousands of people living outside because there is no affordable housing, maybe this area will get added to the Seawall too
That seems to be the intention for the neighbourhood now. But no one has explained where the people forced out of housing every time housing prices rise are supposed to go
Tortured metaphor:
Seaside bike paths wash up against the walls of the global real estate speculation/ money laundering industry that runs Vancouver
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1: 10
Separated from Crab Park and Gastown by a few hundred meters because everywhere East of the Sea Bus remains dedicated to industrial use
Which left Downtown Eastside (the ghetto) residents to fight for Crab Park and it being Bob Mosesedoff from the rest of the Sea Wall all these years
If they socially cleanse the city of Vancouver of the thousands of people living outside because there is no affordable housing, maybe this area will get added to the Seawall too
That seems to be the intention for the neighbourhood now. But no one has explained where the people forced out of housing every time housing prices rise are supposed to go
Tortured metaphor:
Seaside bike paths wash up against the walls of the global real estate speculation/ money laundering industry that runs Vancouver
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le2382
By the way, your Great Cities episode on Cairo had some inaccuracies. The main error is that New Cairo already exists, and is different from the new Administrative Capital, which is still under construction, has loads of issues, and is struggling to get people to move there. New Cairo has been around for more than 25 years, I lived there back in 2004-2014, and there were already a lot of existing settlements and people living there. Now it’s a huge, bustling area that is rapidly integrating into the edges of Cairo proper. At least a few hundred thousand people live there now, I don’t know the numbers, could be millions already. I was disappointed that you didn’t have any Egyptians working on that episode or cited as a source, and it seems like you didn’t actually visit the city.
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By the way, your Great Cities episode on Cairo had some inaccuracies. The main error is that New Cairo already exists, and is different from the new Administrative Capital, which is still under construction, has loads of issues, and is struggling to get people to move there. New Cairo has been around for more than 25 years, I lived there back in 2004-2014, and there were already a lot of existing settlements and people living there. Now it’s a huge, bustling area that is rapidly integrating into the edges of Cairo proper. At least a few hundred thousand people live there now, I don’t know the numbers, could be millions already. I was disappointed that you didn’t have any Egyptians working on that episode or cited as a source, and it seems like you didn’t actually visit the city.
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DejanOfRadic
With very minimal road detours, Toronto's Waterfront Trail is about 80 km of bike trail from my front door in the west end of the city all the way to Oshawa. It is pretty much 80% lake front bike paths, with about 19% picturesque side streets and only about 1% detour onto a road. even then you can ride the sidewalk if you are timid.
Alternatively, you can circumnavigate the city of Toronto on series of connected bike paths that span 80km. from the Humber River trail to the Finch Hydro Trail to the Don River trail to the Waterfront Trail and back to the Humber.
Granted this Vancouver trail is lovely, but the best or longest in North America
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With very minimal road detours, Toronto's Waterfront Trail is about 80 km of bike trail from my front door in the west end of the city all the way to Oshawa. It is pretty much 80% lake front bike paths, with about 19% picturesque side streets and only about 1% detour onto a road. even then you can ride the sidewalk if you are timid.
Alternatively, you can circumnavigate the city of Toronto on series of connected bike paths that span 80km. from the Humber River trail to the Finch Hydro Trail to the Don River trail to the Waterfront Trail and back to the Humber.
Granted this Vancouver trail is lovely, but the best or longest in North America
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robws007
Interesting video, but as a resident of Vancouver there were some jarring errors, mostly due to the fact that videographer is trying to make the seawall seem like a discrete route rather than a section of a larger network, which is what it actually is There is no clear end to the seawall path at Spanish Banks because you CAN continue on to UBC quite easily on a clearly marked bike lane. and continue on the network, cross the Fraser River into Richmond, etc.
Also, the beginning at the Convention Centre implies that there is no bike lane to the east, which (again) is quite untrue as you can bike via the network into Burnaby and beyond.
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Interesting video, but as a resident of Vancouver there were some jarring errors, mostly due to the fact that videographer is trying to make the seawall seem like a discrete route rather than a section of a larger network, which is what it actually is There is no clear end to the seawall path at Spanish Banks because you CAN continue on to UBC quite easily on a clearly marked bike lane. and continue on the network, cross the Fraser River into Richmond, etc.
Also, the beginning at the Convention Centre implies that there is no bike lane to the east, which (again) is quite untrue as you can bike via the network into Burnaby and beyond.
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derekr6239
The Seawall is a great for running, as noted the only time you need to stop is under the Granville bridge to check for cars. Pedestrians have the right of way. As shown in the video on the ride back we have lots of designated bike paths through the city and on all three bridges into down town that separate you from cars. For road cyclist / bike commuters city of Vancouver has created multiple traffic calming roads you can ride to other parts of the lower mainland including the north shore with some epic climbs ( Seymour mountain). I use them all the time. Good video should have show off the beaches lol
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The Seawall is a great for running, as noted the only time you need to stop is under the Granville bridge to check for cars. Pedestrians have the right of way. As shown in the video on the ride back we have lots of designated bike paths through the city and on all three bridges into down town that separate you from cars. For road cyclist / bike commuters city of Vancouver has created multiple traffic calming roads you can ride to other parts of the lower mainland including the north shore with some epic climbs ( Seymour mountain). I use them all the time. Good video should have show off the beaches lol
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WhizBack
Fun fact - the Vancouver harbour seaplane port is a real airport. its code is CHX and it has over 60, 000 aircraft movements per year (with many more ship movements through the same space. The air traffic control tower is perched 30 stories up on top of the Granville Square office tower office building just to the east of Canada place. This makes it the tallest control tower in the world. If you look at a picture of the skyline of downtown Vancouver from Coal Harbour you can see the iconic control tower angled glass windows on top of the tower just behind the Canada Place cruise ship terminal.
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Fun fact - the Vancouver harbour seaplane port is a real airport. its code is CHX and it has over 60, 000 aircraft movements per year (with many more ship movements through the same space. The air traffic control tower is perched 30 stories up on top of the Granville Square office tower office building just to the east of Canada place. This makes it the tallest control tower in the world. If you look at a picture of the skyline of downtown Vancouver from Coal Harbour you can see the iconic control tower angled glass windows on top of the tower just behind the Canada Place cruise ship terminal.
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graham1034
A few thoughts:
- Point Grey road is a compromise between cyclists/pedestrians and the richest people in the city. Lo and behold the rich people won and it's basically the only area along the main Vancouver shoreline that has no public access
- The geese are notorious and occasionally aggressive
- Extending the path to UBC would involve putting it up a large hill. There is no beach access (wreck beach is the exception) as it's basically cliffs for quite a ways
- As a local, I'm thankful that he learned how to properly pronounce the city name. His last video hear hurt my ears
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A few thoughts:
- Point Grey road is a compromise between cyclists/pedestrians and the richest people in the city. Lo and behold the rich people won and it's basically the only area along the main Vancouver shoreline that has no public access
- The geese are notorious and occasionally aggressive
- Extending the path to UBC would involve putting it up a large hill. There is no beach access (wreck beach is the exception) as it's basically cliffs for quite a ways
- As a local, I'm thankful that he learned how to properly pronounce the city name. His last video hear hurt my ears
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city_beautiful
We started riding the Stanley Park Seawall in the mid 1970's, and through parts of downtown - before it was a thing.
We used to live on the Seawall at the foot of Hornby. The stretch from Yaletown to Hornby was part of my commute home.
I think one of the best features is taking the water taxi from Granville Island to Hornby. On a nice day I would ride from Hornby out to Pacific Spirit Park (start of UBC) and then back to Granville Island for lunch. Sometimes my wife would meet me at Granville Island Hotel for the best burger and beer in town. Then take the water taxi home.
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We started riding the Stanley Park Seawall in the mid 1970's, and through parts of downtown - before it was a thing.
We used to live on the Seawall at the foot of Hornby. The stretch from Yaletown to Hornby was part of my commute home.
I think one of the best features is taking the water taxi from Granville Island to Hornby. On a nice day I would ride from Hornby out to Pacific Spirit Park (start of UBC) and then back to Granville Island for lunch. Sometimes my wife would meet me at Granville Island Hotel for the best burger and beer in town. Then take the water taxi home.
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ricferr2
I don't know who decided that was the longest waterfront bike path in the world. It's just rubbish. I never measured the bike paths along the portuguese coastline, but I'm sure you can do more than 28km on bike paths along the ocean. And that's Portugal!
Imagine the bike paths along the rivers and canals in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, etc. I can think of 10 different countries in Europe with longer waterfront bike paths.
Check the Eurovelo network for more info.
Thanks for the video, but this one was below your average quality informational ones
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I don't know who decided that was the longest waterfront bike path in the world. It's just rubbish. I never measured the bike paths along the portuguese coastline, but I'm sure you can do more than 28km on bike paths along the ocean. And that's Portugal!
Imagine the bike paths along the rivers and canals in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, etc. I can think of 10 different countries in Europe with longer waterfront bike paths.
Check the Eurovelo network for more info.
Thanks for the video, but this one was below your average quality informational ones
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seanlaur
I imagine that if a similar effort was put in to put in a seawall around UBC like the one around Stanly Park, it could be done. But. It would have to pass Wreck Beach - a popular nude beach, and it would wind up on Musqueam First Nation land before it reaches a point where it can be connected to SW marine drive without a significant hill climb. The only way to get on the path without navigating a steep slope is from Spanish Banks. Modern ecologists would not be happy about the disruption to the shoreline eco systems either.
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I imagine that if a similar effort was put in to put in a seawall around UBC like the one around Stanly Park, it could be done. But. It would have to pass Wreck Beach - a popular nude beach, and it would wind up on Musqueam First Nation land before it reaches a point where it can be connected to SW marine drive without a significant hill climb. The only way to get on the path without navigating a steep slope is from Spanish Banks. Modern ecologists would not be happy about the disruption to the shoreline eco systems either.
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karlmckinnell2635
Years ago when I lived off Commercial Drive in Vancouver and worked on Annacis Island in Delta I would take the SkyTrain with my bike to work in the morning (7am start) and the ride all the way home on the BC Parkway trail which ran under the SkyTrain route. In the spring, summer and fall those were some beautiful and relaxing afternoons. If you are ever able to give it a ride it’s 26 km long going from suburban Vancouver to the heart of Surrey.
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Years ago when I lived off Commercial Drive in Vancouver and worked on Annacis Island in Delta I would take the SkyTrain with my bike to work in the morning (7am start) and the ride all the way home on the BC Parkway trail which ran under the SkyTrain route. In the spring, summer and fall those were some beautiful and relaxing afternoons. If you are ever able to give it a ride it’s 26 km long going from suburban Vancouver to the heart of Surrey.
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amadeosendiulo2137
North America is so strange for me for many reasons and this place 7: 57 is just so much less crazy for me. For example, it's weird to me how your traffic signs are often just text (maybe not so often in Canada, here they are green but otherwise just like the round blue international standard for 'mandatory' type signs. And the buildings on the left could just stand in Poland and not feel strange. Not the palm tree though.
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North America is so strange for me for many reasons and this place 7: 57 is just so much less crazy for me. For example, it's weird to me how your traffic signs are often just text (maybe not so often in Canada, here they are green but otherwise just like the round blue international standard for 'mandatory' type signs. And the buildings on the left could just stand in Poland and not feel strange. Not the palm tree though.
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city_beautiful
You keep talking about long distance commuting. As you said the Seawall is more for recreation. If you look at the BC Parkway and Central Valley Greenway. These bike trails are rail trails that follow the skytrain and allow me to commute 20km to downtown. It has road crossings but is still mostly dedicated cycle paths the entire route, only the odd few moments on quite side roads.
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You keep talking about long distance commuting. As you said the Seawall is more for recreation. If you look at the BC Parkway and Central Valley Greenway. These bike trails are rail trails that follow the skytrain and allow me to commute 20km to downtown. It has road crossings but is still mostly dedicated cycle paths the entire route, only the odd few moments on quite side roads.
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mushroomsteve
Wow, what a beautiful trail! The Row River trail in Oregon - while not as spectacular as this one - is 14 miles long (22 km) and follows the Row River and Dorena Lake near Cottage Grove. So in that sense, it can also be considered a waterfront trail. I've ridden the entire length out and back and it's peaceful and beautiful - a nice mix of rural farmland, forest, river and lake.
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Wow, what a beautiful trail! The Row River trail in Oregon - while not as spectacular as this one - is 14 miles long (22 km) and follows the Row River and Dorena Lake near Cottage Grove. So in that sense, it can also be considered a waterfront trail. I've ridden the entire length out and back and it's peaceful and beautiful - a nice mix of rural farmland, forest, river and lake.
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lindsayder
Small children do just fine without more stops and amenities along the seawall. My family often rode around Stanley park when we were little. Its not an issue.
It's funny that you call that park wild, that's just a normal park for us. The geese also have nothing to do with that construction, the geese are just geesing.
A smokie is like in between a bratwurst and a hot dog.
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Small children do just fine without more stops and amenities along the seawall. My family often rode around Stanley park when we were little. Its not an issue.
It's funny that you call that park wild, that's just a normal park for us. The geese also have nothing to do with that construction, the geese are just geesing.
A smokie is like in between a bratwurst and a hot dog.
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