Heywood Park Playground

Although located on busy Marine Drive in North Vancouver, Heywood Park offers an escape into nature and fun for all ages. With a zip-line, a huge sandbox, and easy access to the creek and nature trails, this park is a definite must-visit.

What makes Heywood Park unique and fun is the zip-line that runs from one side of the park to the other. There is always an eager kid waiting their turn on it -- and the occasional adult or two! The apparatus consists of a round seat suspended on a rope from the overhead wire. Kids sit or stand on the seat and hold onto the rope as they traverse the zip-line. With help from an adult, even young toddlers can enjoy this ride.

Another unique aspect of this park is the easy access to MacKay Creek, which is very shallow here. Bring your water shoes! Kids of all ages can enjoy walking in the shallow creek. Make sure there is adult supervision at all times.

The sandbox is huge and has two large cement fish sculptures in the middle, which can be decorated by artistic kids wielding coloured chalk. With the creek just steps away, providing an ample supply of water, epic sandcastles are possible, so bring your sand toys!

There are two playgrounds: one baby-friendly structure and a larger one for older kids. There is one baby swing and one regular swing, plus several log structures to climb on.

This park is ideal for hot days as it is surrounded by plenty of shade trees, which offer cover to most areas of the park.

At the front of the playground, there is a nice grass area to hold picnics or gather with friends.  Full washrooms and a picnic table make it a well-rounded option for a day of fun.

From this playground you can easily access MacKay Creek Park and all the trails it has to offer.

As it is located right on Marine Drive, there is plenty of noise and traffic.  The play areas are located towards the back but still not far enough to completely abandon sight of little runners without worrying.

Public transportation is very easy and accessible with more than one route stopping nearby. There’s parking along surrounding streets and in a small lot accessible through Hamilton Ave.