Sunday 26 August 2012

Caufield Park

On Pilot House Rd.

Caufield Park is a long, narrow strip of land on the waterfront just east of Lighthouse Park. From one end to the other, it varies a lot. Starting with the municipal dock at its western edge.


Set in the charming Caufield Cove, this municipal dock adds the perfect flare of culture to the area. Although it's still in good shape, the dock shows it age with peeling red paint and weathered wood. I plan to come back here in the winter with a friend to take pictures. It's a very photogenic area from up close.

Moving east through Caufield Park, you will next come to a stretch of rocks covered in wild grasses.


As a rule, places with wild grass smell incredible. This place is no exception. I just want to sit there for hours and breathe.

This section of the park also happens to be the least popular for some reason. This doesn't make much sense because there are so many great patches of rock to relax on and it's easy to go swimming from several points in this area. There are a bunch of tiny bushwhacked trails from the road to the waterfront along the way that lead to a bunch of special places to discover. I didn't even have time to explore them all.

Right around the center of the park is an area with grass of a considerably less wild variety.


And yet, for some reason, this area of the park is much more popular. As you can see in the picture, there's actually people in this part. It does make a little bit of sense, though. This area is surrounded by several attractions.

Just behind the bushes in the background of the picture is a huge slab of rock that angles gently down into the ocean. I didn't get a picture of that because it was completely overrun with people on that day. It was just as packed as Ambleside beach gets on a hot day.

There's also this cool old navy anchor hanging off a rock.


It's fun to climb on and a great photo-op. In fact, standing on top of that rock at the time I took the picture was a professional fashion photo shoot team making important sounding phone calls.

Then there's one of my favorite parts of this park:


The old tire swing! I've been visiting this friend every once in a while ever since my Dad introduced us when I was 7 years old. You won't believe how much fun a tire and some rope can be.

In the eastern half of Caufield Park, there's a set of trails through some trees that lead to Pilot cove.


In the picture, you can see some people swimming. On the day I was there, the tide was abnormally high. Usually, there's a beach there made out of almost pure sand. Pilot cove is probably the best place to swim in all of West Vancouver.

Finally, at the eastern tip of Caufield Park, there is a bench. Of course, there are other benches in the park, but this one is by far the best. Why? Just take a look at this view:


PPR
Good: municipal dock, good smelling grass, tire swing, anchor, great swimming beach, good views, washrooms, variety of stuff
Bad: quite popular, washrooms are outhouses
8/10

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