Stanley Park — Lost Lagoon.

Everyone knows Stanley Park, but Lost Lagoon is the corner of it that locals keep for themselves. Tucked just inside the Georgia Street entrance, it is a shallow freshwater lagoon ringed by a flat gravel path, and in autumn it becomes one of the most photogenic places in the city without requiring any real walking.

The trick is to arrive early. On a calm October morning the willows on the north shore hang gold over water so still that the fountain and the glass towers of the West End appear twice. Red and orange maples punctuate the south side, and the big oaks near the Nature House drop acorns that keep the squirrels, and any children present, fully occupied. The loop is a little under two kilometres and takes half an hour if you resist the urge to stop every twenty metres.

For a longer outing, cross under the causeway to the seawall and continue toward Second Beach, where you can look back across English Bay with the park’s treeline glowing behind. Or walk inland a few minutes to the rose garden and the Stanley Park Pavilion, where the lawns are edged with some of the oldest ornamental trees in the city.

Families like that the lagoon is self-contained: no cliffs, no traffic, plenty of benches and lots of birds. Please do not feed them, however tempting; the park board asks visitors not to. The caveats are cost and crowds. Parking is paid everywhere in the park and the nearest lots are small, so consider transit to the Georgia Street entrance, and expect company on sunny weekends.