Hinge Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hinge Park
North View of Hinge Park
Hinge Park Location in Greater Vancouver Regional District
Location	Vancouver, British Columbia
Area	2.3 acres (0.93 ha)
Established	2009

Hinge Park is a special green space in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is a naturalized wetland park, which means it was designed to act like a natural swampy area. This is true even though it wasn't always one. The park covers about 2.3 acres and connects to another cool spot called Habitat Island, which is about 1.5 acres. You can find trails, public art, picnic spots, and even a dog park here!

History of Hinge Park

The name of this park comes from a "hinge" or bend in Vancouver's street layout. This is where Cambie Street meets West 2nd Avenue. The park was created as a new feature for the 2010 Winter Olympics athletes. It was designed to remind people of its past as an industrial area. For example, there is a bridge made from a sewer pipe.

Before it was a park, this land was a City Works Yard built in the 1920s. It had an incinerator that burned trash. This burning left the soil very dirty. The park was designed to help clean up the area. It also helps clean rainwater runoff before it flows into the ocean. Even though it wasn't naturally a wetland, Hinge Park now acts like one. It has become an important home for local wildlife.

Ecology and Wildlife

Habitat Island

Habitat Island is also known as Habitat Compensation Island. It was built because of a rule from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. This rule says that if a natural waterfront is lost to city building, a new shoreline must be created. Habitat Island was made using leftover soil, rocks, and sand from digging projects.

As its name suggests, the island offers many small natural homes for a wide variety of plants and animals. This allows them to grow and thrive.

Wildlife in the Park

The creation of Hinge Park and Habitat Island brought freshwater wetlands and shoreline forests into the busy city area of Olympic Village. These new habitats have helped many different kinds of animals live here. It has become a unique gathering spot for wildlife.

Animals seen in Hinge Park and Habitat Island include coyotes, river otters, raccoons, herring, beavers, and many types of waterfowl. In April 2013, a pair of beavers were first seen in Hinge Park. They made the wetland, which is fed by stormwater, their home.

Since building a lodge in January 2015, the beavers have become very popular online. Many local people love them. Since July 2016, up to three baby beavers have been seen living with their parents. Hinge Park is smaller than the usual places beavers live. This means it might be hard for the beaver family to find enough food and resources. For now, there are no plans to move the beaver family. However, trees have been wrapped in wire mesh to stop the beavers from cutting them down.

Activities at Hinge Park

Hinge Park has a children's play area. Here you can find jungle ropes and a small climbing wall. Near the play area, there is a small hill with a slide. There is also a water pump that kids can use in the summer, and a big rusty tube bridge.

The park also has a walking and biking trail. This trail connects to the rest of the False Creek trail. Another trail leads to Habitat Island, which is north of Hinge Park. This trail gives hikers a nice view of False Creek.

Other activities include a dog off-leash area. Here, owners can let their pets run freely. Hinge Park is a popular spot for dog meet-ups in the Lower Mainland. The park also has outdoor picnic tables and benches. Parking is available too. Food and public washrooms are not in the park itself. However, you can find these at Olympic Village Square, which is just one block west of Hinge Park.

How to Get to Hinge Park

Hinge Park is located at the northwest corner of 1st Avenue and Columbia Street. It is in the Mount Pleasant, Vancouver neighborhood. Since it's a local community park, there are many ways to get in. You can enter from Athletes Way, Walter Hardwick Avenue, or the running and biking trails along the south edge of False Creek.

The park is about a 10-minute car ride from the Vancouver City Centre Canada Line SkyTrain station. This station is in the middle of Downtown Vancouver. You can also walk to the park in about 10 minutes from either the Olympic Village Canada Line SkyTrain station or the Main Street-Science World Expo Line SkyTrain station.

Images for kids

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  North view of Habitat Island from Hinge Park

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  Geese on the north shore of Hinge Park

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  Children's playing area

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  South view of the Dog Off-Leash Area

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  South view of picnic tables

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  East view of False Creek Trail

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  Map of Olympic Village Canada Line SkyTrain Station to Hinge Park

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  Geographical map of Hinge Park showing how it 'hinges' with the landscape and the adjacent Olympic Village Square

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  Map of Main Street-Science World Expo Line SkyTrain Station to Hinge Park