Central Park sits in the southwest corner of Burnaby, immediately north of the Patterson SkyTrain station and surrounded by dense residential development. The name matches Central Park in New York in scale relative to its city, and the comparison is not entirely flattering: Burnaby’s Central Park is smaller and less spectacular. But it does something that few urban parks of its size manage: the interior of the park, particularly on a weekday morning when the trails are quiet, feels genuinely removed from the surrounding city. The Douglas fir and red cedar canopy is old enough and tall enough that you can stand in the middle of the park and not see buildings.
The park covers approximately 90 acres and has been a public space since the early twentieth century. The mix of formal recreational facilities, including the pitch and putt golf course, lawn bowling greens, and tennis courts, with the natural forest interior gives the park a character that serves multiple communities simultaneously. The retirees on the lawn bowling greens, the families on the forest trails, and the commuters cutting through on the way to the SkyTrain all use the park in ways that coexist without particular friction.
Trail Network Through Douglas Fir Forest
The trail system through the central forest area of the park is the primary reason to visit Central Park if you are coming specifically for a nature experience. The main trails are broad, surfaced, and easy to navigate, forming a series of loops through the interior forest that keep the park accessible even when it is wet underfoot, which in Burnaby means most of the year. The surface is a mix of crushed gravel and packed earth, wide enough for two to walk side by side.
The Douglas fir trees at the interior of the park are among the older trees in any urban park in Metro Vancouver. The combination of the fir canopy with western red cedar understory and sword fern ground cover produces a forest floor environment that is recognizably coastal BC rainforest rather than the maintained park aesthetic. In the morning light, particularly in the hours after a rain when the air is clear and the canopy drips, the forest interior is genuinely beautiful.
The trail network is approximately 4-5km of total pathway, allowing for loops of varying length depending on how much time you want to spend. A quick circuit of the inner trail takes about 20 minutes at a walking pace. A more complete exploration that takes in the outer edges of the park and the transition zones between the forest and the recreational facilities takes closer to an hour. The trails are well-signed and the park is small enough that getting seriously lost is not a realistic concern.
Pitch and Putt, Lawn Bowling, and Tennis
The pitch and putt golf course at Central Park is one of the more enjoyable urban golf experiences in Metro Vancouver. The course is short, as pitch and putt courses are designed to be, but it is well-maintained and provides a genuine golf experience at a fraction of the cost and time commitment of a full course. The setting, with the Douglas fir canopy visible beyond the fairways, makes the visual experience of the course genuinely pleasant. The course is popular with beginners and golfers who want a quick nine holes without making a half-day commitment.
The lawn bowling greens at Central Park are a piece of living sports heritage. The club that operates the greens has been active for decades and maintains a tradition of the sport that has nearly disappeared from most urban parks. The greens are immaculate, which is a significant operational achievement given the BC coastal climate, and the bowling season runs from spring through fall. The club welcomes new members and the sport is more accessible to beginners than its reputation as a retirees-only pursuit suggests.
The tennis courts at Central Park are among the more heavily used public tennis facilities in Burnaby. The courts are lighted for evening play and are in good condition relative to other public courts in the city. Court time is available on a first-come, first-served basis for casual play, and the proximity to the SkyTrain makes the courts accessible to players from across the region without requiring a car.
Annual Summer Events and Festivals
Central Park hosts several annual events that draw large crowds to the park’s open areas and transform its character for the duration. The summer festival programming in Burnaby has historically used the park for outdoor concerts, cultural celebrations, and community events that make use of the open lawn areas adjacent to the forest. These events bring a different demographic than the park’s daily users and can change the atmosphere significantly on event days.
The park’s proximity to the Patterson SkyTrain station makes it an obvious venue for events that draw attendees from across Metro Vancouver, and the Burnaby Parks and Recreation department has taken advantage of this accessibility for programming that includes free outdoor cinema, multicultural festivals, and music events. Checking the City of Burnaby parks events calendar before visiting is worthwhile if you want either to attend a scheduled event or to avoid the crowds that major events generate.
Outside the formal event programming, the park’s open areas are used year-round for informal community recreation: football and soccer on the lawns, informal cricket on the open turf areas, and the kind of general milling about that urban parks exist to support. The multicultural character of the surrounding residential neighbourhoods means that the park on a summer Sunday afternoon is a genuine cross-section of Burnaby’s population.
Wildlife and Urban Nature
The urban forest at Central Park supports a resident bird community that is surprisingly rich for a park surrounded on all sides by residential development. Pileated woodpeckers have been reliably recorded in the interior forest, which is an indicator of old enough trees and dead wood to support this largest North American woodpecker. Their presence is audible before it is visible: the call is loud and prehistoric-sounding and the excavation holes in dead trees are immediately recognizable.
The squirrel population in Central Park is substantial and well-habituated to humans, which makes them easy to observe but also a nuisance in the picnic areas. Grey squirrels, introduced from Eastern North America, dominate but native Douglas squirrels are present in the conifer sections. The park is a reasonable place to observe the ongoing ecological tension between native and introduced species in BC urban environments.
Raccoons are present throughout the park and are active at dawn and dusk. The park’s proximity to residential food waste sources means the population is well-fed and the individuals are large and bold. Bald eagles occasionally perch in the taller firs at the park interior. Coyotes have been observed passing through the park at night, reflecting the wider coyote presence in Burnaby’s urban green spaces.
Getting to Central Park Burnaby
Central Park is one of the most transit-accessible parks in Metro Vancouver. The Patterson SkyTrain station on the Expo Line is directly adjacent to the park’s southeast corner. From downtown Vancouver, the journey is approximately 25-30 minutes. From Metrotown, one stop east, it is a two-minute ride. The simplicity of the transit access makes this a genuinely viable park visit without a car.
Driving and parking is straightforward on the residential streets surrounding the park. Boundary Road on the west side, Kingsway on the south, and the streets along the north side all provide street parking that is unmetered and typically available outside of event days. There is no formal parking lot within the park.
The park is open year-round during daylight hours. The pitch and putt, lawn bowling, and tennis facilities have specific seasonal operating hours posted by the city. The forest trails are accessible at any time during the park’s open hours and are well-suited for year-round use.
Tips for Visiting Central Park Burnaby
Morning is the best time for birdwatching and experiencing the forest at its quietest. The park before 8am on a weekday has a quality of solitude that the same space cannot offer by 11am on a Saturday.
The pitch and putt course is popular on sunny weekend afternoons and can have a wait for starting times. Weekday mornings are the better time for a quick round without delay.
Bring waterproof footwear if you are planning a forest trail walk after rain. The trail surface is reasonably well-drained but the forest is never fully dry in the coastal BC climate and the leaf litter can be slippery.
Check the City of Burnaby events calendar before visiting if you are coming on a summer weekend. Major events on the park lawns can make parking difficult and change the character of the experience significantly.
Questions Often Asked
How big is Central Park Burnaby?
Central Park covers approximately 90 acres and has a trail network of approximately 4-5km. It is one of the larger urban forest parks in Metro Vancouver south of Burnaby Mountain.
Is Central Park Burnaby accessible by transit?
Yes. The Patterson SkyTrain station on the Expo Line is directly adjacent to the park’s southeast corner, making it one of the most transit-accessible parks in Metro Vancouver.
What recreational facilities are at Central Park Burnaby?
The park has a pitch and putt golf course, lawn bowling greens, and tennis courts, in addition to the forest trail network. All facilities have seasonal operating hours.
Are dogs allowed at Central Park Burnaby?
Dogs are permitted in Central Park on leash. There are designated off-leash areas in some sections of the park. Check City of Burnaby parks information for the current designated areas.
