The seawall in Coal Harbour is a paved walking and cycling pathway that runs along the Vancouver Harbour from Stanley Park to the Vancouver Convention Centre.
The Seawall in Coal Harbour
Coal Harbour is a body of water. It’s also the neighbourhood of Vancouver between Canada Place and Stanley Park. The area features many tall glass skyscrapers, boats in the harbour and restaurants and shops to explore.
The seawall in Coal Harbour is a wide, paved pathway that runs from the south/middle section of Stanley Park (near Georgia Street and Lost Lagoon) all the way to the Vancouver Convention Centre. The place is popular with both cyclists and pedestrians since the path is separated. One side is reserved for cyclists and the other side is reserved for folk on foot.
Coal Harbour’s seawall features sweeping views of the Vancouver Harbour, Stanley Park, downtown Vancouver and the North Shore Mountains.
Points of Interest
The Coal Harbour Seawall connects with several popular tourist attractions and places of interest along the Vancouver Harbour waterfront.
At the east end of the Coal Harbour Seawall is Canada Place. It is a noticeable feature of the surrounding cityscape with its iconic white sail roof. The building is a great place to walk around and watch the cruise ships come in. In addition, Canada Place is home to FlyOver Canada, a unique multi-dimensional flying experience.
Right next to Canada Place is the Vancouver Convention Centre. It’s an impressive glass building right on the waterfront overlooking the Harbour. On the west side of the building is the Olympic Cauldron, a remnant of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Popular restaurants at the Convention Centre include Cactus Club, Tap and Barrel and Mahony & Sons.
At the northwestern end of the Coal Harbour Seawall is Vancouver’s Stanley Park. The park features an impressive multi-use seawall of its own as well as many hiking and biking trails. Stanley Park is also home to other popular tourist attractions such as the Vancouver Aquarium, Lost Lagoon, Prospect Point and some beautiful beaches.
(Note: The Coal Harbour Seawall and Stanley Park Seawall connect with each other. The park is huge though. Consequently, the beaches and places like Prospect Point are quite a ways from Coal Harbour).
An interesting piece of art along the Coal Harbour Seawall is the LightShed. Designed by artist Liz Magor, the structure is located near the northwest corner of Harbour Green Park (where there are water fountains that children can play in during the summer).
Coal Harbour Cycling Video
Below is a video of the Coal Harbour Seawall in the spring. It was filmed in the middle of April (which is why there aren’t yet leaves on some of the trees). It was also taken in 2020, near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (which explains why there are so few people in the scenes).
The video includes scenes from a few different areas. It starts with a cyclist at the end of the seawall not far from Stanley Park. It then jumps to the other end, near Canada Place and the Vancouver Convention Centre, before heading back towards where it started.
As you’ll see in the video, from the seawall you can see beautiful views of the city with its skyscrapers and boats in the water. Whether you’re walking, jogging or riding a bicycle, the seawall in Coal Harbour is a beautiful place to be!
Other Information
For more information about the area visit our page about Coal Harbour.
The City of Vancouver published a scenic walking route through Coal Harbour and the core of downtown Vancouver that includes the most important attractions along the Coal Harbour Seawall. For more details visit the Coal Harbour Scenic Walk page.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Coal Harbour
- Stanley Park Seawall
- False Creek Seawall
- Places for Walking, Jogging and Cycling
- Vancouver on a Budget
- The City of Vancouver
- Vancouver Restaurants
- Downtown Vancouver Hotels
