LIGHTHOUSE PARK

Description

Essentials about Lighthouse Park in brief

If you like to walk in surrounded nature and enjoy breathtaking views of Burrard Inlet, the city of Vancouver and its surroundings, you should definitely make your way to Lighthouse Park. Lighthouse Park is a 75 hectare park, which is idyllically located on the western tip of West Vancouver on the north shore of Burrard Inlet. Known and loved for its well-preserved native rainforest vegetation, Lighthouse Park is a great place to explore. A ten-kilometer network of hiking trails opens up the park and is a paradise for all hiking enthusiasts.

Point Atkinson Lighthouse

The park owes its name to the famous Point Atkinson lighthouse, located on the southwestern tip of West Vancouver of the same name. A first lighthouse was built on the point in 1874. The land surrounding the lighthouse was acquired by the state in 1881 to protect the forest from logging so that the lighthouse would be more visible against a dark background. The lighthouse that exists today, built on a hexagonal plan, was erected in 1912.

During World War II, a gun emplacement, complete with barracks for its operators, was constructed on Point Atkinson to prevent enemy ships or submarines from passing through Burrard Inlet. Two of these barracks remain today.

The rainforest in Lighthouse Park

Lighthouse Park area is known and loved mainly for the well-preserved native vegetation of a piece of rainforest. The tree population consists of Douglas firs, hemlocks and giant live trees that are up to 500 years old and reach a height of over 60 meters. A ten-kilometer network of hiking trails opens up the park and is a paradise for all hiking enthusiasts.