Today Matt, Avy and I decided to head down to Spanish Banks for a walk in-between rain and thunderstorms. We decided to hit the trails first (Pacific Spirit Park) so Avy could have a good off-leash run there and then rounded it out with a walk along the dog beach back to the car. What we didn’t know is that today was an exceptionally low tide day (see the picture below) which made it a PERFECT day for exploring the sand and playing in puddles.
Apparently lots of other people were already aware of this because there were a ton of people and dogs out in the sand playing with their dogs. The dogs were having a great time running back and forth in the puddles and their people were having an equally good time watching and playing with them.
It’s never occurred to me to look at the tide schedules before hitting the beach, but now that I see how much fun it can be (for humans and dogs) you can be sure I’ll be checking them out in the future. A word of advice though: either plan to wear shorts and go barefoot or bring a pair of rubber boots – it gets VERY mucky out there. Also be prepared for your dog to smell like ocean when you get home – great if you are looking for that “beach cottage feel” in your home, but not so great if you just spent the entire day before cleaning (like I did)!
For more pictures and information check out our directory listing of Spanish Banks Off-Leash Dog Park.
2 Responses
Hi. We went down to Spanish banks but everywhere there is a sign indicating that no dogs are allowed on the beach. Are there still any beaches accessable to dogs?
Hi Maruerite,
Thanks for commenting! Yes, there is still an official dog friendly area at Spanish Banks. It is at the far end of the beach and includes both a large beach area and the grassy area next to the path. If you are walking down the beach path you will see the “off-leash area” sign just past the last concession sign.
Here is a link to our directory listing for the off-leash area.
https://thedognetwork.ca/directory/spanish-banks-park-vancouver-bc/
Stacey