“Here Vancouver Began” reads the plaque in New Brighton Park, a gem of a park tucked along the shore of Burrard Inlet in the northeast corner of Vancouver on the location of the former Hastings Townsite. Established in 1863, Hastings was the oldest of the many communities that would amalgamate to become Vancouver and as such, saw many of Vancouver’s firsts, including its first train station, post office, and hotel — the Brighton House — from which New Brighton Park got its name. Class dismissed. Let’s go run!
Turn-by-Turn Directions:
NORTH on Cambie — RIGHT on 2nd Ave > Great Northern Way — LEFT on Clark Dr — RIGHT on N Grandview — LEFT on Woodland Dr — LEFT on William St — RIGHT on McLean Dr — dog-leg RIGHT at Venables and continue on McLean — RIGHT on Powell St — LEFT on Wall St — follow Wall around to McGill St at Hastings Park and take the Commissioner St overpass to New Brighton Rd — follow New Brighton EAST past the pool and take the road LEFT to the New Brighton Pool Concession (or just take the path through the park to the concession) — SOUTH through tunnel — LEFT on Portside Bike Path — RIGHT on Bridgeway St through tunnel — LEFT on path next to Bridgeway — aim for the the Playland rollercoaster and continue past Empire Fields (keeners do a lap or two of the Empire Fields track) — RIGHT on Hastings St — LEFT on Windermere (opposite the main gate of Playland) — RIGHT on Adanac St — LEFT on Slocan St — RIGHT on 6th Ave — LEFT on Nanaimo St — RIGHT on 7th Ave — LEFT on Victoria Dr — RIGHT on 10th Ave — RIGHT on Yukon St — LEFT on 7th Ave to Cambie