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Cates Park
Categories: Active Life Parks Active Life Beaches Parks, Beaches [Edit]
Dollarton HwyNorth Vancouver, BC V7G 1S3
2 reviews for Cates Park
2 reviews in English
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Review from Tim L.
Vancouver, BC
4/18/2009
This is absolutely my favourite park in the lower mainland bar none. Cates has an isolated feel to it but it's just a hop, skip and a jump away from the city. Good stuff. Why so good you ask? Ah, so much to love about this park. First of all it has all your basic park needs like nice green-space large enough for games of frisbee or catch as well as the requisite bathrooms and park benches.
If you're into rock-in-water related activities like I am then Cates is an absolute gem. Skipper fans rejoice. There's a bounty of primo skipping rocks to be had here. Rocks with 10 or-more skip potential lie in wait for you my friend.
The rest of the beach is great too. As Christine mentioned there's lots to see while breach-combing. Amazing purple starfish, crabs and just a wealth of weird sea-life to gander at. I saw some folks doing some crab fishing as well so it's got that going for it too. Pick up a crab trap, some chicken necks and a license and you're halfway to a delicious meal!
There's also a little park for kids, lots of neat little trails and this strange former-mill foundation at the edge of the park that could easily be used for some cult-related ceremonies. Crazy!
So yeah, a great place to while away a Sunday afternoon with or without a loved one without having to deal with tourists, obnoxious roller-bladers etc and just minutes from the city. Oh, and Cates is the site for Under the Volcano which is pretty awesome in its own right. Go now. Do it. -
Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
8/31/2008
This North Vancouver park is surely one of the best places to go beachcombing without really leaving the city. When the tide is out, you can walk along for ages finding starfish and crab, or simply enjoying the scenery. Depending on which direction you walk, it's cool to see the landscape transform from the industrial Burrard Inlet to the serene Indian Arm, dotted with houses and beaches and wharfs. Indian Arm is also popular with recreational boaters and kayakers.
When the tide is in, Cates offers plenty of trails, including the Malcolm Lowry trail (named after the famous author who squatted here in the early 20th century, before it was a park). There's also an upper trail for off-leash dogs. At either end of the trails, you'll find Big Cates and Little Cates, as they are known, both with washrooms and playgrounds for the wee ones. Big Cates is the one you'll enter just off Dollarton Highway. It has plenty of parking for all but the craziest summer weekends.
Most of the time, however, Cates feels relatively deserted, as most people stick to the grassy area and swimming beach in front of the concession stand at Big Cates. This is a good park for when you feel like being in the woods, either for solitude or for sharing a pretty view of the seaside with someone special.
