Stanley Park’s ‘counterpark’ in Vancouver is Queen Elizabeth Park. While Stanley Park is at sea level, surrounded on three sides by water, Queen Elizabeth is completely landlocked, sitting atop the so-called Little Mountain, an extinct volcano and the highest point in Vancouver at 500 feet (150 m).
From here, visitors have sweeping views in all directions across the city to such faraway places as Mount Baker to the southeast, the Gulf and San Juan Islands to the southwest, Vancouver Island to the west, and the Coast Mountains to the north.
This 131-acre (53-hectare) park is home to the Bloedel Floral Conservatory, a triodetic domed greenhouse that resembles a steel and plexiglas cherry atop a sundae. A well-groomed array of colourful flowers occupies the cone of the ancient volcano, the abandoned rock quarries of Queen Elizabeth Park have been transformed into huge sunken rock gardens with ponds and waterfalls at every level. It is quite deservedly the most popular spot for wedding photos in Vancouver.
Pathways circle the park, but it is best known as a place to revel in the cultivated beauty of the conservatory, or engage in recreational activities like tennis, disc golf (played with a Frisbee), and pitch-and-putt. When it snows, the slopes of the little mountain become a tobogganing haven.
The park is spread out between 33rd and 37th Avenues, and between Main and Cambie Streets.
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