Lighthouse Park

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Lighthouse Park is a popular park in West Vancouver, Canada. It was originally set aside in 1881 as the lighthouse reserve. Its area is about 75 hectares (185 acres) and it is almost completely covered with rugged, virgin rainforest spared from clearcut logging. The park contains the city's last remaining stand of first-growth Douglas fir, as well as some magnificent Western hemlock and Western Redcedar. Some ancient trees reach heights of up to 200 feet. A tree that fell in the 1990s had the amount of rings that suggested it had already been a mature tree at the time of Christopher Columbus.

At the southermost tip of the peninsula is Point Atkinson with an impressive landmark lighthouse built in 1914 on granite boulders jutting out into Burrard Inlet. Point Atkinson was first charted and named by Captain George Vancouver in 1792.

There are a number of hiking trails in the park. The park receives more than 50 inches of rain annually and has an abundance of various ferns, berries and mushrooms. Visitors should wear good walking shoes as the trails are often slippery due to the damp microclimate. Another word of caution: do not leave any valuables in the car as the parking lot at the entrance to the park is a scene of regular break-ins. Access is through Beacon Lane off Marine Drive.