View of Coal Harbour and Lost Lagoon

Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park wasn’t always the tranquil freshwater pond it is today. Originally part of Coal Harbour, this 40-acre water feature used to dance with the tides, filling up at high tide and nearly stretching to English Bay before receding with the low tide. But in 1916, the Stanley Park Causeway cut it off from the ocean, transforming Lost Lagoon into a landlocked freshwater lake.

The transformation was the brainchild of landscape architect Thomas Mawson, who, in addition to the Lagoon, designed the nearby Brockton Point lighthouse. Before the causeway’s construction, a simple wooden footbridge was all that connected Coal Harbour to Stanley Park, and there was even a debate about filling in the Lagoon entirely to create more parkland. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed.

In 1922, the Lagoon got its poetic name thanks to E. Pauline Johnson, who immortalized it in her writings. The next big change came in 1929 when the saltwater pipes from Coal Harbour were shut off, and Lost Lagoon officially became a freshwater lake.

The Lagoon was a bustling spot for decades, with visitors renting rowboats to glide across its serene waters. But in 1973, boating was banned as the area became a bird sanctuary, giving the local wildlife a peaceful retreat. By 1995, the old boathouse had been repurposed into the Lost Lagoon Nature House, run by the Stanley Park Ecology Society, a non-profit dedicated to conservation and stewardship in the park.

Lost Lagoon may have lost its tides, but it has gained a legacy as a sanctuary for both birds and city dwellers alike, offering a peaceful oasis in the heart of Vancouver’s iconic Stanley Park.