WhyteCliff Park a Gem in Howe Sound

Whytecliff Park is a gem of a place... if you're in West Van

Yesterday after a lunch of Vietnamese food to refuel from climbing up the Grouse Grind, we headed further west to Whytecliff Park, a small inlet in Howe Sound that has a beach (a rocky one, not sandy), where people sunbathe, go into the water and snorkel, or check out some sea lions frolicking in the water.

The park opened in 1909 and is apparently home to more than 200 marine animal species. Whytecliff Park is also one of the first Marine Protected Areas in Canada.

The water is relatively clear with marine life

We wandered along the shoreline, and on the east side it juts out to an island that can be accessed during low tide. We happened to be there during low tide and one of the tide pools had two giant purple starfish! 

Then we clambered onto the island and admired the panoramic views of Howe Sound, and could see Gibsons across the water (a 20-minute ferry ride away) on the Sunshine Coast. We managed to spot a sea lion poking his head above the water, and a heron standing on a rock.

The children we were with hand fun looking for tiny crabs that were hidden under barnacle-covered rocks; the crabs would flee to anywhere moist otherwise they would bake in the sun. One even found a live crab far from the shoreline and carefully brought it to the water in the hopes that it would be OK.

What a lovely place to visit! As my cousin who took us here said, one needs to take advantage of beautiful places like this (aside from paying for parking), as Vancouver is so expensive to live in!

Two purple starfish were spotted in a tide pool

It's also quite far -- about an hour away by car, but definitely a memorable visit on a gorgeous sunny day.