Talking Trees: Stanley Park Indigenous Walking Tour Led by a First Nations Guide

Each Talking Trees tour is unique, shaped by the land, the season, and the stories shared along the way.

Your experience begins with a brief land acknowledgment and gentle introduction from your Cultural Land Ambassador.

Together, you’ll walk among towering cedars, maples, firs, and wild berries, learning how Indigenous peoples have lived sustainably in this region since time immemorial.

Through engaging storytelling and land-based teachings, you’ll discover how local plants and trees were traditionally used for food, medicine, technology, and cultural practices.

Your guide will share the story of the “Tree of Life” and its many gifts, including uses connected to transportation, housing, clothing, and ceremony.

Along the way, you’ll learn how Indigenous communities practiced stewardship through selective harvesting and reciprocal relationships with the land, knowledge systems that continue today.

Each tour is shaped by the season and the interests of the group.

When driving, You enter into Stanley Park from Georgia Street via the Causeway.

You will go on the Round About.

Pass the first exit and continue onto the exit for Pipeline Road.

You will drive up the hill past the Rose Garden and turn right into the Parking Lot for the Stanley Park Mini Train and Aquarium.

Also in this location is the Stanley Park Bus Loop.

There is only one Bus Loop that picks up and drops off passengers in the Park.

Your guide will be waiting in the round wooden Gazebo for you.

The building is a hut like dwelling with open spaces (no walls).

The guide will introduce themselves to you when they see you.

From the Stanley Park Bus Loop, guests will set out on a guided walking route toward Beaver Lake, following shaded forest trails and pausing at several iconic points along the way for storytelling and knowledge sharing. As the group walks, the Cultural Land Ambassador will introduce key plants, trees, and landscape features, sharing Indigenous teachings, stories, and traditional uses connected to food, medicine, technology, and cultural practices. The pace is relaxed, with regular stops to observe the land, ask questions, and engage in discussion. The route loops around Beaver Lake before returning along the trail toward the Stanley Park Bus Loop. The walking portion of the experience takes approximately 90 minutes in total and concludes at the same meeting point where the tour began.

After completing the loop around Beaver Lake, the group will make their way back along the forest trail toward the Stanley Park Bus Loop, where the tour concludes. The return walk offers a relaxed opportunity for guests to ask additional questions, reflect on what they’ve learned, and engage in informal conversation with their Cultural Land Ambassador. The tour ends at the same meeting point, allowing guests to easily return to their cars, buses, or continue exploring Stanley Park on their own.

• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

• This Tour is Rated 4.9 Stars based on 86 valid reviews on VIATOR