Vancouver: Stanley Park Ancient Trees Walking Tour

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/9

Duration2h 30m

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walk Vancouver’s oldest trails, meet ancient trees & hear hidden stories

You’ll step quietly into Stanley Park’s last ancient forest with Colin as your guide, tracing hidden trails beneath 1000-year-old cedars and Canada’s largest maple tree. Along the way, you’ll handle old postcards, learn Coast Salish history, and feel the hush of places most people miss — all within walking distance of downtown Vancouver.

2h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore ancient trees in Stanley Park

Meet guide Colin Spratt
Walk to ancient forest in Stanley Park
See 600-year-old Douglas firs
View 1000-year-old cedar trees
Visit Canada's largest maple tree
Learn about old-growth forest ecology
Discover park history and Coast Salish heritage
Use old maps and photos to explore

The Experience

We started just outside the city buzz — you can still hear a bit of traffic if the wind’s right — and then suddenly, you’re under these giant old trees in Stanley Park. Colin, our guide (he’s basically a tree detective), led us off the main path. I was surprised how quickly it got quiet except for crows and that damp cedar smell. He showed us a battered postcard from 1910 and pointed to where we were standing. The same trees, somehow still here. Felt strange and sort of comforting at the same time.

I’m not great at telling maples from firs, but when you’re looking up at Canada’s biggest maple — I mean, it’s huge — you don’t really care about names. Colin told us some Coast Salish words for cedar (Li laughed when I tried to say it) and talked about how people used these forests long before Vancouver was even an idea. There was this one moment where the light came through all green and gold, and everyone just stopped talking for a second. Kind of rare on a group tour.

We wandered different trails for about three hours (it didn’t feel that long), finding these massive Douglas firs and a cedar that Colin said is probably over 1000 years old. He had old maps and photos from the archives — holding them up next to the real thing so you could see what’s changed and what hasn’t. I kept thinking about all the stuff these trees have seen; it made me feel small but also sort of lucky to be there now, you know? I didn’t expect to leave with muddy shoes and so many new questions about what used to be here.

What’s included

Your day includes a guided walking tour through Stanley Park’s ancient forest with expert big tree seeker Colin Spratt; you’ll see towering Douglas firs more than 600 years old, stand beneath a 1000-year-old western red cedar and Canada’s largest maple tree while exploring with historic maps and vintage postcards that bring Vancouver’s past to life along each trail.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcome

Operated by Ancient Trees of Vancouver