We’re not under complete lockdown or a Shelter-in-Place order like other parts of the world, but no one is going to work in office buildings or doing the social things we typically would. We are working from home (WFH), shopping less often and in larger amounts, cooking our own food instead of ordering in and generally staying inside a very small footprint. Just like everyone else. We cook a lot of our own food normally but in the last month we ordered in dinner only once. That is way down from normal. So many things have changed. And with all this time spent at home we see far more people walking around our neighborhood: Individuals, families and those just walking the dog. Plenty of dog-walkers.
Taking the dog for a walk is a great excuse to get outside for a hike and some fresh air but after a while the same routes get old. I started exploring some of the Secret Beaches of West Vancouver and discovered a few real gems.
Radcliffe Avenue
We know this spot well. My father and step mother lived in quaint little cottage right opposite one of the three beach accesses on this notable street which is why the dog runs up to the door of that house every time we stop here. Radcliffe Avenue is only about a block long but is home to some of the priciest houses in all of Canada. A waterfront property on this street starts at $10 million(?) for a lot with a knock-down house on it. Secluded, quiet and sporting only a few parking spaces for non-residents, Radcliffe has one main access to the beach at the West end of the road, a second right in the middle (opposite the cottage my family used to own) and a third near the beginning of the street that is one of my favourites. None have good parking but that is a common theme across almost all of the Secret West Van Beaches that helps keep them secret. The first beach access has a bench to take in the view but not much else unless you are willing to clamber down some rocks and walk across the front of a few houses. Doing so dumps you out onto what is essentially a private beach for the houses backing onto it. Sandy and open enough to play frisbee or throw a stick for the dog to chase it is a quiet little enclave especially during the evening high tide or sunset.
Altamont Beach Park
This clutch of trees sandwiched between Marine Drive, the rail line and the water is one of the biggest secret beaches I found because it is a full-on park taking up more than just one lot or a path down to the waterline. Proper access is along Park Lane beside the rail line where a few parking spaces are provided right near the top of a steep stair case leading down to the water. You can cross the rail line and walk the north side of the park but the other side is a stretch of Marine Drive with no cross walk so you either take the sidewalk or go back into the park. The stairs on the south side lead down to the water and a stretch of beach where you can see from the edge of Stanley Park right across to Lighthouse Park. With the sun arcing across over the parked freighters and plenty of space to walk it is not bad. Sadly, it is not Dog Friendly. That is not the case with all beaches in West Van but this one has a sign indicating no dogs allowed.
Kloochman Park
At the top of my list of favourites, I stumbled upon this place simply by looking at a map.
Progressing West to find more secret beaches I eventually ended up at Lighthouse Park. A brilliant place for a walk or gentle hike on a Sunday but not at all secret so I drove past it and took the first left available. It is a quiet stretch of road called Howe Sound Lane that almost feels like someone’s driveway. I ended up at the end of it wondering where the beach access was to what looked like an ocean-side park on the map. I turned around and slowly drove back out thinking it was a dead end when I discovered the park entrance set back from a couple of parking spaces.
Framed by trees and set back from the road, Kloochman Park has nice looking sign and an inviting path leading to a chunky bridge over a creek. The path immediately turns down a very rocky cliffside into a ravine. Wooden stairs and a ramp or two get you down a fair bit of elevation where the trail winds its way out of sight. The trail is a single path with a number of spurs off it, most leading to a magical perch or opening with a view of the water. Each was a secluded enclave, perfect to take in the sunset with a glass of wine and a picnic. Some were at the waterline, while others were cliffside ledges often used by thrill-seekers to leap into the water. Ever one I saw was a very long drop.
It turns out Kloochman is just as well known for its sunsets as it is for cliff jumping. We found this out from the waterside. Checking out Kloochman from a boat about a week later we got a surprise as some dude, in full wetsuit and boots, jumped off one of the highest perches and seemed to take forever to hit the water.
This was an incredible drop. And the guy doing it was clearly prepared but when his head popped up out of the water he called over to us asking how high we thought it was. I guessed 100 feet just looking at it. Then my 16 yr old son says “We can calculate the distance from the timecode on the video.” He was right. Almost a full 3 seconds at 9.8 metres per second squared penciled out to more than 130 feet (exactly 3 seconds would have been 144 feet). He was doing almost 65 miles per hour when he hit the water. And after swimming to shore we watched him scramble up the rocks to a path leading back to the top so he could do it again.
Well, at least he wasn’t injured from the first jump…
Tall Trees Park
After Kloochman we continued along the coast toward Horseshoe Bay and found another noteworthy secret beach. Without knowing its name we just turned down a residential road that looked like it was the nearest point to another beach I could see on the map. Again, brilliantly camouflaged, I drove right past the entrypoint. At a walking pace. You have to be certain a beach access exists to find some of these and in this case it was on one side of turnaround. More of a cul de sac with a grass patch in the centre of it the driveways of each house ringed the outside so we had to park further up the hill in front of one of the houses.
The beach access is literally a gap between the fences of two residences leading down between them. Wrapped in foliage, a set of stairs descends out of view between two properties. You know you’ve found it when you see an official-looking badge on one of the wooden posts stating it is maintained by the District of West Vancouver. They maintain other stuff too because I thought I saw a sign attached to an orange traffic cone saying something about Tree Work. We climb down to discover a quaint little beachfront with a flat spot to skip rocks. Double-checking my location I pull up a Google map and zooming in I see the label Tall Trees Park.
Wait a minute. What did that sign say? “Tree Work”. And what was on that patch of grass? I could’t quite visualize what I saw there so I made a mental note to check on the way back up to the car. When I get there, standing proud in that patch of grass in the centre of the turnaround, were two fresh stumps. That’s right, it looks like we arrived literally days too late to see the majestic trees West Vancouver chose to name an entire park after.
Ouch.
Whistlerborn's Blog 