Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park
Whey-ah-Wichen49°18′ N 122°57′ WParkFree
Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park in North Vancouver suits families and walkers who want beaches and 6 km of waterfront trail on Burrard Inlet, and parking is free from November to February. Shoreline restoration continues at Little Cates and East Beach into spring 2027, so expect fencing and crews on that stretch.
Photo Benjamin Gardere · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Field card · Sight · No. 034 · checked 17 Oct 2026
Parking here is free from November to February.
Access
The new picnic shelter is accessible, and the restoration work added accessible pathways between the parking lot and the beach. The path from the lot to the east beach has been widened as well.
Whey-ah-Wichen is an ancestral village site of the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) on Burrard Inlet. The Bill Reid Centre at Simon Fraser University writes that Tsleil-Waututh people lived and gathered food here for thousands of years before European contact and on until about 1869. It began as a winter village. Trench embankments and a wooden lookout tower guarded it, and from the tower lookouts could see past Second Narrows toward Stanley Park.
The District of North Vancouver and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation signed an agreement in 2001 to manage the park together, and they make decisions about it jointly. Today it holds 6 km of waterfront trails and a year-round boat launch. It also has beaches, playgrounds, picnic shelters and tennis courts.
The two partners started a shoreline restoration in 2025 to protect the beaches from erosion with nature-based methods and to strengthen Tsleil-Waututh cultural use of the site. The first phase finished in spring 2026 along West Beach, Central Beach, Roche Point and East Beach, and it brought a new accessible picnic shelter and a wider path from the parking lot to the east beach. Phase two at Little Cates began in October 2026. The District warns that the work changes the look of the beach for now and expects logs and shells to settle back over time.
Drive in and the District's lot is free from November to February. The 212 bus runs along Dollarton Highway between Phibbs Exchange and Deep Cove, and its Raven Woods stop sits about 1.3 km on foot west of the park.
Worth knowing
- Book the new picnic shelter through North Vancouver Recreation and Culture if you're bringing a group.
- Expect construction fencing near Little Cates while the phase two shoreline work runs.
Quick answers about Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park
What does Whey-ah-Wichen mean?
Whey-ah-Wichen is a hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ place name that means facing both directions and facing the wind, according to the Bill Reid Centre at Simon Fraser University. It names an ancestral village site of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation at today's Cates Park.
Is parking free at Cates Park?
Yes, from November to February. The District of North Vancouver charges $3 an hour at Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park from 8 am to 6 pm between 1 March and 31 October.
Who manages Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park?
The District of North Vancouver and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation manage Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park together under an agreement signed in 2001, and they make decisions about the park jointly.
How much does Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park cost?
Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park is free to visit.
What are the opening hours of Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park?
Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park is open the boat launch operates all year, and the District takes boat launch questions on 604-990-2311.
When is the best time to visit Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park?
Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park: A dry winter afternoon from November on suits a walk, when parking is free and the October night work on the shoreline has wrapped up.
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