Ocean

New Brighton park is located on the unceded, traditional, and ancestral territories of the x?m??k??y??m (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and s?l?ilw?ta?? (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations. It was known as Khanahmoot, and was traditionally an important site for harvesting shellfish.

New Brighton was the site of the original settlement that would one day become Vancouver, called Hastings Townsite. It was the location of the first post office, roads, railway station, playing field, docks, and museum. From there, settlements expanded outward. Due to its history however, New Brighton was a source of major industry development.

Today, New Brighton park is located in an industrial zone, situated next to the Cascadia Terminal grain silo, several other industrial plants, and several railways. It is also located very close to Hastings Park, which includes the Hastings Racecourse and the PNE. The western edge of the park is close to the Hastings-Sunrise residential area.

Much of the original ecosystem has been removed, replaced with man-made rocky coastlines, grassy fields for recreation, and development. However, a project between the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, along with Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations sought to restore some of the salt marsh environment in the area in a re-wilding effort. This project completed in 2017, and the restored habitat provides a productive habitat for juvenile fish and wildlife, including shorebirds, songbirds, and waterfowl. The New Brighton salt marsh is located on the east side of the park.

The park is home to the New Brighton pool, as well as two dog parks and a playground. From the park, you can see stunning views of the north shore mountains. It is very well loved by the local community. There are no lifeguards present at this beach, and one must be careful of tidal currents if swimming far from shore.

Swim Drink Fish began monitoring water quality here in 2023. The work is part of Swim Drink Fish’s community-based water monitoring work. Swim Drink Fish staff and trained community scientists test the water at the New Brighton once a week on Wednesdays in the summer months.