Ambleside Park

Grew up here so my review might be biased but this place is perfect — get a nice 5K run in, checkout the dogs living it up at the dog beach, play some golf at Par 3, grab a green juice or latte at the nearby juice bars or cafes…
This place is perfect. And if you want to stroll at night, it’s perfectly safe to do so here. I’ve gone on tons of late to midnight runs on the seawall.

I came here at least once a year as a short stop over when my best friend and I go across the border for shows. On a sunny day this is an awesome way to kill time as well as there have been some amazing live shows in the summer. Tegan and Sara? The beach is an underrated gem. Lots of pic nic space.

Almost 4 stars. Just a bit short compared to others in Vancouver but for West Van, it is nice enough. Not my usual habit of pulling here unless looking for parking on side streets here.
Not overly crowded or rollerbladers or cyclists.
Small sanded beach off to the left.
Found more of an adult crowd but being a weekday, who knows if kids come out on weekends.
Didn’t notice any public washrooms.
But what a view of Lions Gate and the water, as my pic deftly shows ;)

This park is full of memories for me so possibly a bit biased. It’s a nice mellow area to hang out. At times it can get too crowded but overall we live in a part of this world where nature’s beauty is at its very best so can’t complain.

Great place to have a picnic with friends or family.
Really busy on a sunny day so if you plan to stay more then 3h you better come early to get a long term parking spot.

Nice park easy access from Lions Gate Bridge via bikeway. Nice Pier’s to look on on the landscapes. For some reason West Van is a good place to watch storms coming into town.

I love this beach/​park! More importantly my dog Oscar loves it even more. We drive to here often. The off leash park is great, its packed with happy puppies especially on the weekends. I love the view of the ocean, Stanley park, and of course downtown Vancouver. Location is excellent!

This is the most beautiful and clean and big off leash area’s for dogs! We traveled to Vancouver with our dogs, so we needed a nice ‘dog park’ to let the pooches run free for a bit. The views of downtown, Lions Gate Bridge, and Stanley park were gorgeous. And to top it off, the day was beautiful and sunny. This place has fields of green grass, woods, and even a beach. We were happy and the dogs were happier prancing along the paths and playing with the tons of other dogs here.

The highlight of this park is its view: open water, a lovely point of view of Stanley Park and Vancouver skyline crawling from behind it.
The off-​leash dog area is nice, although the big rocks and pebbles don’t seem to be very comfortable to the doggies’ paws. Some sand is closer to the side walk which is busy all the time.
There is also a grassy area to let your dog run happily.

F***** sea lions!!!
Beautiful park here! The view of Vancouver is simply amazing here! I love fishing/​crabbing at this locations mainly for the scenic very on a clear sunny day!
There’s a large wooden dock were many people trap crab and a few fish off of. I would watch were I sit on this dock though cause all the lurking birds around crappy everywhere.
Not a bad spot for crabbing, but not the best for fishing. Oh getting back to those darn sea lions. they are thieves! They steal your crab bait and sometimes your fish if you don’t reel them in fast enough. Grrrrr nemesis!

My husband is an avid Chrismasaholic! Me, I was a wee humbug this year because of construction going on in my house and not being able to decorated. Oh I digress.
As part of his Christmasaholic trips we went to see the Christmas trees and I was quietly impressed. The different themes were great and the photos I was able to take were beautiful. Since it was the dark I wasn’t able to see much of the area but what I did see was so serene and peaceful that it put some Christmas back in my step.
I will definitely be back next year to see the new trees. Just have to make sure my Puck doesn’t decide he wants to «own» all of them by peeing on them.

Another reminder why I live in this place called Vancouver.
Stellar views of the downtown skyline and stanley park. Look at the people around you. You won’t find a grumpy person. Sit, relax, breathe the ocean air. Watch the amateur fisherkids go nuts at the sight of a crab or fish.
This is home.

What a gorgeous park. I’m not from West Vancouver and I rarely cross the bridge except occasionally for work, so I had never been here before this weekend — I’m sure glad I discovered it though, as my boyfriend and I (and Indy our boxer puppy) had a wonderful time here.
The weather was not great to say the least — gray and rainy, but even that couldn’t take away from the loveliness of the park. It’s right on the water and you get a spectacular view of the Lions Gate bridge descending into Stanley Park and the water in between.
There are a lot of areas in the park that are not dog-​friendly/​dog-​off leash, but there is also a lovely offleash walkabout along the water that is unmatched anywhere else in Vancouver that I know of. It’s great to walk along the path with your pup and meet so many other people with wonderful doggies for him to play with as well!
All the dog owners we met were very friendly, and the puppy had a wonderful time with them all.
Next time the weather is better, we’ll be back!

Best off leash dog park in the world… IMHO,
I travel 10 KM to get to this park and my wife’s dog «Wolfie» loves it. and since it tires him out I love it!

I remember walking the length of the beach here once. It’s quite a walk.
If you have the time to spend here, it’s worth a visit.
My last trip here reminded me of just how lovely this place is.
It can be quite serene at times.
There is the large wooden dock (a few have mentioned this in their reviews.).
For some this is their dream place. The beach, the park, the dock, the West Van-​ness of it all.
I used to have a business here years ago and I can still say that the people in this neck of the woods are very very nice.
Come and enjoy an afternoon stroll and just relax.
Or re-​live your youthfullness and take a swing on a swing!
There is ample parking and wonderful shopping just up the streets.
You could literaly spend a day here and let all that work week stress wash away.
I’ll post up some pics.

Arguably the best place to socialize your dog in West Vancouver. I have never been to the designated off-​leash area and not encountered more than a few furry friends for puppy play-​time. Friendly dogs of all shapes and sizes, running, swimming, digging, fetching… Most of the dogs are well socialized, and the ones that have issues are usually kept on leash. I wish I could say the same for the people… Being a Doberman owner, most small dog owners pick up their dogs as we approach. That’s doggy racism. When I have children, I am going to pick them up and give you dirty looks every time I pass you and your small dog on the street and see how that makes you feel.

Ambleside Park is a litle park in West Vancouver. There is a sandy beach with really coarse sand, so I wouldn’t run around it with my bare feet. There is a large wide wooden dock that was constructed in the late 80’s. The dock is popular with fisherman and crabbers. Unfortunately, the dock is very dirty with tons of bird droppings and the City of West Vancouver should spend some time cleaning it at least once a week or more. This is a nice park to spend some time after or before shopping at Park Royal Shopping Centre.

At the end of 15^th past Bellvue there’s a perfect little park and the west side of Ambleside beach.
Benches overlooking the beach with a view of the Lion’s Gate bridge to the East.
I sat on the flood wall watching the Salmon fishing boats scatter and part as a HUGE Cruise Ship passed, and then a smaller one less than 10 minutes later.
This is a wonderful spot to wander around and feel the pebbles under your feet.
Just up on 15^th, (1 minute away) is Crema. One of the best café’s on the north shore.

I like this place as a thinking spot. But there’s also many activities here as well. The path along the beach is a great place to stroll and just be lost in the setting. Watch the clouds move past and tide roll in… There’s many logs to sit on and catch a daydream.
For the more active type, you might prefer to run, play golf, take your dog for a walk, let the kids play on the playground, eat some ice cream… Definitely a lot of families enjoy coming here. But I find that it’s a big space, and I can usually find time to sit back and enjoy the view.

Ambleside Park gets lots of points for its location, views, and amenities. It has a huge beach, plenty of grassy fields, decent parking, and a seawall trail that is a link in the bigger waterfront seawalk from Park Royal Mall all the way out to Dundarave.
Ambleside also has lots of rules: no riding bikes or rollerblading on the seawalk, and dogs must be walked only in specific areas. These rules tend to be enforced not by cops and bylaw officers, but by scowling West Van matrons, making it all the scarier to risk a transgression.
But beyond all that, there are few better beaches to hang out on to listen to the waves roll in, and to wave bu-​bye to yet another cruise ship heading out into the sunset. Ambleside also features a large welcoming statue that will surely provoke titters when you look at it from the right angle. What is it with the North Shore and these statues?
I mostly come here for the off-​leash doggy beach, which is big and features lots of logs and sandy spots where you can lounge while your dog tires itself out. For this, it’s best to park behind Park Royal and walk down the trail; the restrictions on actually parking at Ambleside and being able to walk to the dog beach are too Byzantine.