There is plenty that is good around Woodland Park, and plenty that could be good inside of it, which is why it’s disappointing to say it doesn’t meet its potential when you consider everything. 

The centrepiece of the park is yet another underused wading pool, for example. Despite the number of folks using Woodland, there’s a lack of sitting areas (unless you bring your own lawn chairs, which a fair number of people do). And it’s possible we’ve observed the caretaker of the field house show an aversion to people drinking alcohol in the park, which one imagines creates some conflicts (hypothetically!) given the four breweries within a couple blocks of Woodland, including two just across the street.  

Leaving all that aside, and it’s a nice mid-sized park with a couple of fields, well-used for both playing, chilling, barbeques, or just hanging out. There’s also an old but serviceable playground, a good community garden and some decent art sprinkled throughout, including a mosaic map of Vancouver on the southwest corner. 

It could certainly use some modern flourishes, but it’s also a pillar of the community.