Aside from the White Rock Polar Bear Swim and the 95th annual event in English Bay, you ring in the new year with a chilly dip in Deep Cove during the annual Penguin Plunge at Panorama Park.
Polar Bear Swim: North Vancouver
The Penguin Plunge is January 1, 2015 at Panorama Park at Deep Cove. Festivities run from 12:30pm to 3:00pm with the plunge promptly taking place at 2:00pm.
There will be food and refreshments, and live music with Gary Comeau and the Voodoo Allstars. Pledge forms are available online and proceeds will benefit North Shore Rescue.
Vancouverites tend to flock to several warm-weather destinations south of the border and Palm Springs is certainly one of the popular choices. John and I recently had the opportunity to get away, thanks to Rogers Communications, and the Palm Desert was calling our name. Resort spas, cocktails, brunch, and shopping were all on our list of things to enjoy but at the very top was a nature walk (or two) since near home our favourite activity is to take an afternoon walk through the inner trail network of Stanley Park, connecting with the place around us. When visiting Palm Springs, there are many hiking options but one of the most celebrated and world renowned is Joshua Tree National Park.
It’s a 45 minute drive from Palm Springs to the Visitor Centre in Yucca Valley. We popped in there to grab a map and to talk to park staff about their recommendations for first-timers to the area. They get all levels of explorers in there, from young families with strollers to climbers with ropes and carabiners.
Background: Humans have occupied the area encompassed by Joshua Tree National Park‘s nearly 800,000 acres for at least 5,000 years. The first group known to inhabit the area was the Pinto Culture, followed by the Serrano, the Chemehuevi, and the Cahuilla. In the 1800s cattlemen drove their cows into the area for the ample grass available at the time and built water impoundments for them. Miners dug tunnels through the earth looking for gold and made tracks across the desert with their trucks. Homesteaders began filing claims in the 1900s. The park protects 501 archeological sites, 88 historic structures, 19 cultural landscapes, and houses 123,253 items in its museum collections. After the area became a national monument in 1936, local and regional residents were the primary park visitors. Joshua Tree was elevated from national monument to national park status in 1994.
The Hidden Valley Trail and the Barker Dam Trail (1 – 1.3 miles each) were the top picks for us, which were both hour-long nature walk loops. From there, you could escalate your walk and do a 3 mile – 7 mile hike, with elevation gains of 300 ft. We stuck with the two trail loops suggestions and made our way up the road to the park entrance to pay our day pass fee ($15, which was valid for 6 days).
Joshua Tree National Park Photowalk
Some tips when visiting Joshua Tree:
- Stop into the Visitor Centre. Even if you did research online like I did, talking to park staff was very helpful.
- Come prepared for any type of weather. We were ready for a scorching afternoon in the sun (sunscreen, hats, water) but once we reached the trail it was only 10C in the shade so we had to bundle up. Temperature changes of up to 40 degrees within 24 hours are not uncommon.
- Dogs are allowed in the park but they must be on a leash at all times and cannot be more than 100 feet from a road, picnic area, or campground.
- Prepare for all kinds of terrain. Some parts of the trails look wide and flat but they are also tough to walk on, the sand is loose and soft like walking on a beach. At other times you’ll be climbing up and down large boulders.
For more information, follow Joshua Tree National Park on Twitter and Facebook, and check out all of my travel photos on Flickr and Instagram @Miss604.
If you’re looking to participate in a Polar Bear Swim that isn’t over at the 95th annual event in English Bay this year you can participate in the 45th annual White Rock Polar Bear Swim.
White Rock Pier Polar Bear Swim
Register for the White Rock Pier Polar Bear Swim starting at 10:00am on January 1, 2015 at White Rock beach (14790 Marine Drive) and plunge into Semiahmoo Bay to start your new year. Gathering by the legendary White Rock, just east of the White Rock Pier, the swim will begin at 12:00pm and participants are encouraged to dress in costume. The event will feature live music, coffee, hot chocolate, and food vendors for spectators and participants.
Follow Tourism White Rock on Twitter and Facebook for more information about the 45th annual White Rock Polar Bear Swim.
The Vancouver Polar Bear Swim returns to English Bay for the 95th year on January 1, 2015.
It was in 1920 that Peter Pantages created the club and the brisk ocean dip has been a New Year’s tradition ever since. Peter’s family still carries on the tradition of the Polar Bear Swim Club today.
Around the 1950s, the participation was approximately 250 to 300 swimmers. Today, anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 swimmers participate (record to-date 2,550 in 2014) and 5,000 to 10,000 spectators come out to cheer them on.
Vancouver Polar Bear Swim
The swim generally takes place at 2:30pm on the first day of each new year. Costumes and the Peter Pantages Memorial 100 yard swim race are the highlights of this event. To be a club member you must register before the swim, and membership is free. Prizes are drawn from all registrations.
Register in front of the English Bay Bathhouse between 12:30pm and 2:30pm on January 1. The Greater Vancouver Food Bank will be accepting donations of non-perishable food or cash. It is advised that you leave your dog at home, do not drink alcohol (it accelerates hypothermia), and do not stay in the water any longer than 15 minutes. More tips can be found on the Park Board website.
If you couldn’t get to one of Vancouver’s many holiday attractions before Christmas, fear not! Many are open this weekend and through to early January. Here’s a list of events and activities that you can enjoy over the next few days:
Photo credit: on Flickr
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
Friday, December 26, 2014
Ellie King’s Sleeping Beauty, Surrey Arts Centre
CONTACT Winter Festival at BC Place
Vancouver TheatreSports Year in Review
Surrey’s Winter Ice Palace in Cloverdale
Pacific Theatre: It’s a Wonderful Life Radio Show
Carousel Theatre Presents: James and the Giant Peach
Karaoke Christmas Lights Vancouver Trolley Tours
Festival of Lights at VanDusen Garden
Bright Nights in Stanley Park Christmas Train
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge
The Arts Club Presents: Mary Poppins
Free Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Free Family Days at the Contemporary Art Gallery
Shotgun Album Release w/ Milkers Wanted & Special Guests
CONTACT Winter Festival at BC Place
Ellie King’s Sleeping Beauty, Surrey Arts Centre
Vancouver TheatreSports Year in Review
Surrey’s Winter Ice Palace in Cloverdale
Pacific Theatre: It’s a Wonderful Life Radio Show
Carousel Theatre Presents: James and the Giant Peach
Karaoke Christmas Lights Vancouver Trolley Tours
Festival of Lights at VanDusen Garden
Bright Nights in Stanley Park Christmas Train
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge
The Arts Club Presents: Mary Poppins
Free Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Stanley Park Walking Tour: Stanley Park Secrets
12 Bars of Christmas Pub Crawl Series
Vancouver Adapted Music Society Christmas Concert
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily at Jericho Arts
Ellie King’s Sleeping Beauty, Surrey Arts Centre
Vancouver TheatreSports Year in Review
Surrey’s Winter Ice Palace in Cloverdale
Pacific Theatre: It’s a Wonderful Life Radio Show
Carousel Theatre Presents: James and the Giant Peach
Karaoke Christmas Lights Vancouver Trolley Tours
Festival of Lights at VanDusen Garden
Bright Nights in Stanley Park Christmas Train
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge
The Arts Club Presents: Mary Poppins
Free Skating at Robson Square Ice Rink
View the full monthly event list to plan ahead at any time. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for frequent updates about local events and community happenings.
