THE DARK SECRETS OF STANLEY PARK TOUR
THE DARK SECRETS OF STANLEY PARK WALKING TOUR
Discover the jaw-dropping beauty – and sinister stories – of Stanley Park. Behind those majestic forests, picturesque gardens and stunning beaches lies a history of forced evictions, buried treasure, shocking crime scenes, and the macabre tale of Deadman’s Island.
ON THIS WALKING TOUR YOU’LL DISCOVER…
Buried treasure
Dark forested trails
Historic totem poles
Bizarre public art work
Notorious crime scenes
The tale of Portuguese Joe
Secrets of Deadman’s Island
The best views in the entire park
The tale of a community that fought back
Strangeness beneath the famous seawall
And more!
*TOUR ON HOLD FOR CONSULATION*
FLEXIBLE CANCELLATION POLICY
You can cancel your experience for a full refund up to 24 hours before your tour start time. Less than 24 hours before the start of your tour, you can receive a full credit for future use. No questions asked! Prices exclude fees and taxes. Student and senior pricing available on all tours. Contact us to arrange a private tour.
TESTIMONIALS FROM TRIPADVISOR
“Bravo Forbidden Vancouver!! I live in Vancouver. I have walked in/around Stanley Park literally hundreds of times. I learned SO MUCH on this tour!!! Hundreds of years of history that has been all but lost in the hustle and bustle of this fast growing city.”
– KAREN Z, VIA TRIPADVISOR
“Rowan was our friendly, fearless, animated and exceptional walking tour guide for the Secrets of Stanley Park. He engaged all of us and really made for a memorable time for our group of friends. I won’t give away the highlights… you just need to do the tour!”
– MATTHEW F, VIA TRIPADVISOR
OUR AWARDS
WINNER TRIP ADVISOR CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE 2012 – 2022
WINNER LONELY PLANET “TOP CHOICE” 2022
WINNER CITY OF VANCOUVER HERITAGE MEDAL OF HONOUR
WINNER MUST DO CANADA FEATURED EXPERIENCES 2022
MEET OUR DARK SECRETS OF STANLEY PARK WALKING TOUR GUIDES
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
When you buy a ticket for this walking tour, two percent of the ticket cost goes to support the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. The IRSSS was established in 1994 and its mission is to provide physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual growth, development, and healing through culturally-based values and guiding principles for the survivors, families, and communities of Canada’s residential school system.
AS FEATURED ON
TOUR DESCRIPTION
THE DARK SECRETS OF STANLEY PARK
Stanley Park. It’s almost 1,000 acres of pristine wilderness. Half a million trees including giants hundreds of years old. Eagles soar overhead while salmon, seals and even the occasional whale swim in the surrounding waters. It’s the city of Vancouver’s greatest treasure.
But there’s more to this park than incredible scenery. It’s also been home to crime, riots, persecution, political intrigue, class warfare, logging, hunting, disease, military installations, remarkable public art, ecological catastrophes, secret construction mega-projects, poetry, scandal, and murder.
So take the Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours — you’ll roam the trails, seawall, sights, and sounds of one of the world’s great urban retreats.
BOOK YOUR TOUR
EXPLORE STANLEY PARK’S HISTORY
The story of Stanley Park extends back deep into the past. The park was created in the 1880s thanks to a backroom deal between the Canadian Pacific Railway and the federal government. Thwarted in their plan to build a railway line through the city’s western peninsula, the CPR figured the next best thing was to request the government make the land into a park. That way no one could build homes on the land that would rival the railway company’s great land holdings nearby in the West End.
But caught in the crossfire of one of Vancouver’s biggest and most secretive real estate deals were the residents who made the land their home. The village of X̱wáýx̱way had been home to Salish people for thousands of years. Other residents lived at Brockton Point and dotted elsewhere along the shoreline. Their plight and the courageous battle many residents fought to stay in their homes is not acknowledged by any memorial or plaque today. We’re honoured to share the real story of Stanley Park’s history on the Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour.
