Nelson Canyon Park

Access via The Seaview Trail

At the Eagle Harbour end of the Seaview trail, where there's that big chain link fence and the railway tunnel, there is a narrow path heading up a steep slope. That path is the entrance to Nelson Canyon Park.

Nelson Canyon does, in fact feature a canyon. Nelson Creek flows through the park at an elevation much lower than the elevation you will be standing at. While it is possible to get down there, I haven't personally attempted this feat in many years. It's best just to look down at it.

Of course there are fancy bench and guardrail setups for doing this like the one above, but there's better views if you keep walking up that hill. I know it's painful, but it's worth it. This is the view:

That creek sure is a long way down. Here's another view from the exact same spot:

Here's what the pictures are taken from:

This is the old highway bridge. It's really cool. Feels very apocalyptic... in a good way. I'd call this a West Vancouver must-see.

There's also some cool graffiti underneath the bridge that's worth checking out:

But the real reason you'd go to Nelson Canyon Park isn't technically a part of the park, but the entire way there is. If you follow the bridge to your right when you emerge from the path, turn left when you get to the end, and follow the access road up the hill for a while, you will come to another trail head. If you follow that trail for a little over an hour, you will arrive at Whyte Lake.

Whyte Lake is a very tiny lake. You could swim to the other side in less than 5 minutes. However, that short swim would be exceptionally pleasant. After the long hike to get there, you're more than ready to jump in the water. And this water is the perfect temperature: cool, but not cold.

There's no beach to speak of, but that's no problem with the dock that the city has been kind enough to provide and the awesome raft made of scrap wood and dead trees that's got an old sign for a paddle.

The only downside is that it's a very small amount of space, so it's usually very crowded. Three groups of people and it's packed. With all the dogs running around, it gets straight-up chaotic. But practically everyone who goes there is friendly. So come here if you're friendly and stay home if you're not. Do your part and please don't ruin the vibes.

PPR
Good: abandoned highway bridge, cool graffiti, they didn't lie about the canyon, it's how you get to Whyte Lake
Bad: there's not much actually interesting in the vast majority of the park, that first hill is seriously steep, the lake can be quite crowded
7/10