Coal Harbour Seawall

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.

Between November 2024 and February 2025, there are light installations along the seawall as part of the Destination Downtown event.

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Coal Harbour Points of Interest | Cycling Video | Other Information

The Seawall in Coal Harbour

Coal Harbour is a body of water. It’s also a Vancouver neighbourhood located between Canada Place and Stanley Park. The area is known for its many tall glass skyscrapers, boats in the harbour, and restaurants and shops to explore.

The Coal Harbour seawall 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 as the path is separated. One side is reserved for cyclists and the other for pedestrians.

Coal Harbour’s seawall features sweeping views of the Vancouver Harbour, Stanley Park, downtown Vancouver and the North Shore Mountains.

Coal Harbour Cycling Path — Seawall by Harbour Green Park

Coal Harbour 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’s 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 during the spring/summer months. 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, an iconic remnant of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Popular restaurants at the Convention Centre include Cactus Club, Tap & 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. Several wildlife such a coyotes, raccoons, squirrels, harbour seals and a variety of bird species also inhabit the park.

(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 at a distance 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 hot summer months).

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’s also from 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.

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