Almost 12 million guests visited regional parks and greenways in Metro Vancouver in 2019.

A report submitted to the district’s regional park committee indicated that the Pacific Spirit Regional Park is the most visited destination, drawing more than 2.6 million visits last year.

Located adjacent to Vancouver and UBC, Pacific Spirit Regional Park covers 763 hectares.

It has a foreshore that includes Wreck Beach, a world-famous nudist paradise.

The park has a dense forest, and over 50 kilometres of forest trails, according to the Pacific Spirit Park Society.

In addition to Pacific Spirit Regional Park, the four others in the top five most visited regional parks in 2019 are:

Boundary Bay Regional Park, 923,000;

Capilano River Regional Park, 902,000;

Derby Reach Regional Park, 824,000; and

Belcarra Regional Park, 775,000 visitors.

Jamie Vala, a manager in the regional parks service of Metro Vancouver, wrote in a report that the 11.9 million visits recorded in 2019 is 2.9 percent above the five-year average.

“As the region’s population continues to grow and communities become increasingly urban, regional parks become more and more valued by the region’s residents and important to the ecosystems we protect,” Vala stated.

The following parks and greenways recorded these:

Campbell Valley Regional Park, 660,000;

Grouse Mountain Regional Park, 597,000;

Tynehead Regional Park, 521,000;

Kanaka Creek Regional Park, 469,000;

Aldergrove Regional Park, 428,000;

Burnaby Lake Regional Park, 427,000;

Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, 382,000;

Iona Beach Regional Park, 379,000;

Deas Island Regional Park, 309,000;

Brae Island Regional Park, 299,000;

Crippen Regional Park, 286,000;

Colony Farm Regional Park, 266,000;

Brunette-Fraser Regional Greenway, 212,000;

Pitt River Regional Greenway, 161,000;

Minnekhada Regional Park, 158,000;

Surrey Bend Regional Park, 100,000;

Delta-South Surrey Regional Greenway, 72,000;

Glen Valley Regional Park, 49,000;

Seymour River Regional Greenway, 29,000; and

Barnston Island Regional Park, 13,000 visits.

The most common activities in regional parks and greenways are: walking and hiking, 83 percent; 39 dog walking; and 33 percent, nature and wildlife viewing.

Vala’s report is included in the regional parks committee’s agenda Wednesday (May 13).