Biking Stanley Park (Vancouver) + the 5 Best Stanley Park Bike Rentals

There’s nothing nicer on a sunny Vancouver day than biking Stanley Park – it’s one of those Canadian bucket list things to do!

But don’t stop there.

The Stanley Park bike route continues around the Seawall to Granville Island and beyond.

Conveniently-located Stanley Park bike rentals make it easy to get in the saddle and go for a ride.

5 Best Stanley Park bike rentals

There are no actual bike rentals in Stanley Park.

The Stanley Park bike rental shops are located on and around Denman Street, right near Stanley Park.

The following are the five most convenient Stanley Park and Seawall bike rental shops. (We’ve rented from most of them.)

1) Spokes Bicycle Rentals

Spokes Bicycle Rentals is the biggest and most prominent bike rental near Stanley Park.

It’s also the closest bike rental to the park (at the corner of Denman and Georgia Streets).

Spokes offers a large selection of cruiser bikes with different speeds (1-speed and 7-speed), plus mountain, city, tandem and children’s bikes.

All very new and clean, their bicycles are some of the best Stanley Park bike rentals.

Spokes bike rental rates:  

At the same time, Spokes Bike Rental is probably the most expensive of the Vancouver Seawall bike rentals.

Their hourly rate is certainly more expensive than some of the other shops listed here if you want to be out for more than an hour.

However, if you’re short on time and can only do a quick Stanley Park cycle, Spokes is a great option.

See here for Spoke’s rental rates.

Minimum rental time:  

You can rent for just one hour (with an extra charge for each additional 15 minutes).

Hours: 

When we have longer daylight hours, the shop stays open later, until 9:00 pm in late spring and summer.

2) Yes Cycle Tours and Bicycle Rentals

Yes Cycle is another great Stanley Park bike rental shop.

They also offer guided Stanley Park bike tours (3 hours long), leaving at 9:30 am.

You’ll see the totem poles, Brockton Point Lighthouse, Lost Lagoon, Beaver Lake and the beaches (all of which we cover further down in the section on the sights you see when cycling Stanley Park).

Bike rental rates:

Their regular bikes are all the same rate, no matter the style. Bikes come with a basket, lock and helmet. There’s a $15 charge to keep the bike overnight.

See here for Yes Cycle’s bicyle rental rates.

Minimum rental time:  

You have the option of renting for just one hour.

Hours:  

Yes Cycle is open until 9:00 pm in late spring and summer.

3) Jo-E Cycles

Walk a block further up Denman Street away from Spokes and Yes Cycle, and you come to Jo-E Cycles.

They offer comfort bikes, MTB bikes, cruiser (step-through) styles, as well as tandem bikes.

And they rent bike trailers for toddlers.

On our most recent visit to Vancouver, we rented from Jo-E. The 21-speed bikes were great with some shock absorption (though a bit used-looking).

If you want an easy ride, Jo-E also rents e-bicycles, capable of going 18+ miles (30 km) to 62+ miles (100 km) without recharging.

(After riding e-bikes on our Seine River cruise in France, we bought e-bikes for ourselves back home. Love them!)

Bike rental rates:

Their half-day rate is probably the best (cheapest) per hour, as it allows you to take out a bike for up to 5 hours.

To rent an e-bike, you have have to leave a pre-authorized amount of $250 on your credit card (to protect against damage, etc.)

See Jo-E’s regular bicycyle rental rates. And see their e-bike rental rates.

Minimum rental time: 

There’s no minimum rental – rent only for an hour if you wish.

Hours: 

In high summer, Jo-E Cycles is open Monday to Sunday from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. But their hours change seasonally, depending on the daylight.

4) Bikes and Blades

This bike rental shop has been in the business for more than 25 years.

Bikes and Blades support the local market by offering Canadian-made bicycles and roller blades for rent. Choices include bicycles for children and bike trailers to tow kids.

Bike rental rates:

Helmets are included in the rates. Locks and baskets are $2 extra.

Overnight charges apply if you don’t return the bike before closing time.

See here for the complete rental rates.

Minimum rental time:

Bikes and Blades has a minimum charge of 2 hours. After the 2 hours are up, they charge you for every 15 minutes.

Hours:

Opening hours vary, depending on the season and daylight.

5) EzeeRiders Bike Rentals Robson

This is one of the cheapest Stanley Park cycle rental outfits close to the park.

(It’s also one of the cheapest Vancouver bike rental places.)

There are two locations.

The EzeeRiders shop closest to the Stanley Park entrance is on Robson Street, so you have to walk a teeny bit further than the four other Stanley Park bike rental stores covered here. (They also have a location near Canada Place, which is super convenient if you’re staying near there.)

Need a little power assist? They have great rates on electric bike rentals in Vancouver too.

Bike rental rates: 

At EzeeRiders, you pay by the minute after the first hour (the only shop to pro-rate by the minute).

Minimum rental time: 

You only need to rent for a 1-hour minimum. So for a quick ride, this is also one of the best places for bicycle rentals in Vancouver.

Hours: 

EzeeRiders are open until at least 8:30 pm in peak months.

Location map: Renting bikes in Stanley Park

See this Seawall bike rental map showing the location of the above five bike rentals near Stanley park (in the West End of Vancouver). Zoom in if need be.

Stanley Park, Vancouver

Visiting Stanley Park is one of the best things to do in Vancouver, British Columbia, in summer (if not year-round).

And move over Central Park! Stanley Park is bigger than you.

There’s another beautiful park in Vancouver: Get your flower fix at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden (the rhodos are gorgeous in spring!)

Stanley Park map

Stanley Park bike trail

Two lanes:  

The Stanley Park Seawall is divided into two clearly marked paths – one for walkers and runners (closest to the water), and one for bicyclists and roller-bladers.

To avoid accidents, stay in the bike path.

Direction:  

The Stanley Park bike path is one-way only, going in the direction from Coal Harbor to Brockton Point, past the Burrard Inlet, then around to English Bay (see the direction arrows on the map above).

Stanley Park bike route

Many people enjoy just biking Stanley Park. But the Seawall actually extends much further.

After you pop out from Stanley Park at English Bay, you can continue along Beach Avenue and all the way around False Creek (an inlet from English Bay) to Granville Island, even a little further to Kitsilano Beach (next to Vanier Park).

The full Vancouver Seawall bike ride is 13.5 miles (22 km) one way, from the Vancouver Convention Center to Kitsilano Beach.

(The red biking path shown above, from the Coal Harbor side in Stanley park to Granville Island, underneath Granville Street, is slightly shorter.)

What do you see when you bicycle Stanley Park?

The following are just some of the sights that catch your attention biking Stanley Park to Granville Island.

Vancouver Rowing Club:

Being almost surrounded by water, Vancouverites are pretty passionate about all water sports, including rowing.

One of the first sights you see as you start your Stanley Park bike ride is the Vancouver Rowing Club, still going strong after more than 125 years.

Harry Jerome statue:

You can’t miss the 9-foot bronze sculpture of Canadian track and field runner, Harry Jerome (1940 – 1982).

He’s leaning forward, as if he might vault right off the pedestal.  

A Vancouver athlete, Harry set a total of seven world records and won gold medals in the 1966 Commonwealth and 1967 Pan American Games.

In 2001, he was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Brockton Point Lighthouse:

Built in 1914, the Brockton Point Lighthouse was busy in the days of old – alerting ships to potential collisions and warning them of impending storms.

It was decommissioned as a lighthouse in 2005, and now serves as one of Stanley Park’s best viewpoints.

We always stop here to look out at Burrard Inlet (which separates downtown Vancouver from Vancouver’s North Shore) and the Lions Gate Bridge.

Girl in a Wetsuit:

No, she’s not a mermaid.

“Girl in a Wetsuit” (with flippers on her feet and her mask pushed up on her forehead) is a life-size bronze sculpture of a scuba diver sitting on a granite rock in the water.

The creator who sculpted her in 1972 was inspired by the fact that scuba diving was becoming quite popular in Vancouver at the time.

Lions Gate Bridge:

You’ll cycle right underneath the Lions Gate Bridge, a suspension bridge that connects the city of Vancouver with Vancouver’s North Shore communities.

Third Beach:

Got your bathing suit on? Join the many cyclists biking Stanley Park who stop to cool off for a swim at Third Beach.

The logs are handy for resting against in the sand.

Washrooms and a concession stand are tucked up behind the beach.

If we’re visiting Vancouver on a hot summer day, you might find us swimming here – the water is calm and surprisingly warm!

Visiting Victoria in summer? Chill at the best swimming beaches in Victoria

English Bay:

Continue biking Stanley Park and you reach English Bay.

It’s a gorgeous beach area in Vancouver’s downtown, on the edge of Stanley Park.

When the thermometer rises, sun-starved Vancouverites love to hang out here on the large swathes of grassy lawn and sandy beach.

Burrard Bridge:

After English Bay, you come across the north end of Burrard Bridge.

From here, the distance around False Creek to Granville Island, another star attraction for Vancouver visitors, is about 4.7 miles (7.6 km).

Yaletown:

On the north side of False Creek in downtown Vancouver, Yaletown was once an industrial area full of warehouses and railyards.

But that was back before Vancouver morphed into the cool city it is today.

The warehouses have now been converted into funky residential lofts, and a slew of ultra-modern, high-rise condos have since been built.

You’ll find many of Vancouver’s best restaurants in Yaletown – Cioppino’s, Blue Water Café, The Flying Pig – along with swanky hipster bars and nightspots.

Science World:

It looks like a giant golf ball. But Science World is actually a geodesic dome, built for Expo 86 (when Vancouver hosted a huge World Fair).

And it’s a very interesting place – a non-profit science center with tons of hands-on, interactive displays and the world’s largest OMNIMAX dome theater screen.

When our son was still a kid, the three of us spent many a happy winter day at Science World learning about the human body (should you drink your own pee?), puzzling over illusions and generally having geeky fun.

You’re probably not going to stop here on your bike ride – but Science World is definitely worth visiting in Vancouver (especially if you have kids and it happens to be raining).

Granville Island:

Hey, you made it to Granville Island!

Like Stanley Park, it’s one of Vancouver’s most popular visitor attractions, and a thriving shopping and entertainment hub for locals as well.

Home to art studios, boutique shops, restaurants, a live theater, craft breweries and colorful floating homes, Granville Island is anchored by the huge Public Market.

We never tire of browsing its cheese stalls, bakeries, deli counters, and fresh fruit, veggie and flower stands.

Vancouver Marathon

Very occasionally, the Stanley Park bike route is closed for a few hours for various events.

The day we took many of these photos, we couldn’t immediately start biking Stanley Park as the BMO Vancouver Marathon was finishing up. (Forbes Travel Guide called the Vancouver Marathon one of the “12 top marathons worth traveling for.”)

But what fun it was to watch and cheer on the last of the 16,500+ runners from over 60 countries! Some were dressed in costumes as they jogged (and limped) toward the finish line.

Once we were given the “all clear” by marathon organizers, we were able to start our Stanley Park bike ride on the Vancouver Seawall.

Practical tips for bicycling around Stanley Park (and beyond)

How long does it take to bike around Stanley Park?

You can comfortably pedal the Stanley Park Seawall (including photo stops) in 2 hours.

Allow up to 4 hours for biking Stanley Park and around the False Creek waterfront to Granville Island (more if you stop for a leisurely lunch or swim along the way).

Be aware:

Stanley Park is one of the most popular Vancouver attractions.

Biking Stanley Park therefore gets very busy on warm sunny weekends and in summer.

You’ll have to share the trail with thousands of other people all wanting to enjoy exactly what you want to do.

So be careful and go slow – you don’t want to mow down a pedestrian!

It’s best if you go first thing in the morning – or make it a late afternoon or early evening ride. (Vancouver has long days of sunshine in the summer, when it’s still light past 8:00 pm – and the Stanley Park bike rental shops stay open late.)

More information on Vancouver, Canada

See these Vancouver travel guides on Amazon. (As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

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Photo credits: 1, 2, 6, 14, 18 to 20, 22 to 27, 29, 31 to 33 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase

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