Tree talks & walks
Live, in-person guided walks
Tree Talks & Walks are guided tours led by local experts that focus on not just the cherry tree but the other various trees that make up our urban ecosystem. It’s an opportunity to explore Vancouver’s neighbourhoods and parks, to better understand how our trees play a vital role in our city, and to learn about the history of the land we inhabit. We invite you to take a moment out of your day to pause and appreciate the natural beauty all around us.
Registration is required and limited spots are available for each walk.
Please take note of our updated Registration Policy for all Tree Talks and Walks.
2026 Tree Talks & Walks
Kitsilano with Green Club
Saturday March 28 // 10-11:30AM
NOTE: This tour will be conducted in Mandarin.
In this walk, we will begin by introducing a brief history of VCBF and continue on a guided tour of the early blooming Cherry Blossom varieties in Kitsilano.
David Lam Park with Linda Jones
Saturday March 28 // 11AM-12PM
Linda Jones will lead participants through a walk of David Lam Park during the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s signature event The Big Picnic.
David Lam Park with Linda Jones
Sunday March 29 // 11AM-12PM
Linda Jones will lead participants through a walk of David Lam Park during the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s signature event The Big Picnic.
West End and Stanley Park with Wendy Cutler
For Easter Parade
Sunday April 5 // 1:30-3:30PM
The Easter Parade with cheerful singing and ukulele music—perfect for showing off your Easter bonnet (highly encouraged!).
Nitobe Memorial Garden with Douglas Justice
Sunday April 12 // 10AM-11:30AM
This traditional Japanese tea and stroll garden is the perfect setting to see cherry trees in bloom. Regular admission fees are required to visit UBC Nitobe Memorial Garden.
UBC Botanical Garden with Douglas Justice
Sunday April 12 // 1PM-2:30PM
Douglas will lead participants through a walk of UBC Botanical Garden, beginning at Peter Wharton Cherry Grove.
Stanley Park with Nina Shoroplova
Sunday April 12 // 2:30-4PM
Nina will lead participants through Stanley Park, beginning at the grove of ‘Akebono’ cherry blossom trees at the intersection of Chilco Street and Alberni Street.
Kerrisdale with Aaron Bettiol
Saturday April 18 // 10AM-11:30AM
Starting at the Kerrisdale Centennial Park, the tour begins with their Shiro-fugen and Ukon trees. We will then slowly make our way through the neighborhood, before moving on to take in the beauty and history of Shogetsu, Kanzan, and Tai-Haku cultivars.
Mountain View Cemetery with Egan Davis
Sunday April 19 // 10AM-11:30AM
Egan will lead a walk of Mountain View Cemetery, beginning at the pathway in the cemetery on 41st Avenue, near the crosswalk where 41st Ave and St. George Street intersect.
Callister Park with Egan Davis
Sunday April 26 // 10AM-11:30AM
Discover stunning late-blooming cherry trees and other fascinating tree species. Egan will share insights into their biology, history, and cultural significance.
Do-It-Yourself and Virtual Tree Walks
If you’re not inclined to join us for the guided walks, the photos and videos below show featured sights from of some of our great walk locations. These photos and videos are from previous years. Dates, location and photographer names are in the photo names.
To see which cultivars are blooming near you, select the neighbourhood and dates you wish to visit on our Vancouver Cherry Blossoms Finder.
Haiku Walk from Joy Kogawa House in Marpole
Winnipeg poet Sally Ito would have led this walk as part of her author residency at Historic Joy Kogawa House. Unable to travel west due to restrictions at the time, Sally wrote haiku to accompany locations on a self-guided walk of the Marpole neighbourhood that begins and ends at the heritage house. There are haiku for the full set of stops, one for each day of self-quarantine. Here is a map of the whole route.
See also Cherry Trees and Haiku: A Digital Haiku Hedge by Lesley Donaldson.
Stanley Park –
early to end of April
Nina Shoroplova, author of Legacy of Trees: Purposeful Wandering in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, would have led this walk in 2021. The stars of the show in Stanley Park are the grove of ‘Akebono’ on Chilco at Alberni, near the Welcome to Vancouver sign on Highway 99; the grove of ‘Akebono’ trees in the Shakespeare Garden across Pipeline Road from the Rose Garden; the allee of ‘Shirotae’ leading to the non-grafted and rare ‘Ojochin’ at the Japanese-Canadian War Memorial near the aquarium. The final week featured ‘Shiro-fugen’ and rare ‘Gyoiko’ and ‘Shujaku’.
Strathcona –
2nd half of March
One of the highlight trees of this walk are the ‘Accolade’ trees on Pender between Princess and Campbell and at Strathcona Liner Park, blooming late March or early April.
Downtown and West End – mid April
‘Akebono’ trees might start to open at Burrard Station at the end of March; later, the West End features ‘Shirotae’, ‘Umineko’, Sendai-shidare’, ‘Takasago’, ‘Mikuruma-gaeshi’, wrapping up with ‘Ukon’ and a flood of ‘Kanzan’.
UBC – end of March, beginning of April
Featured here are the iconic ‘Somei-yoshino’ block on Lower Mall. You get to compare those with young infill ‘Akebono’ trees. Around the corner are two ‘Shirotae’ outside the Fraser Parkade. Walk a bit to the Chan Centre to see two more magnificent ‘Somei-yoshino’. The first video features several cultivars at the Peter Wharton Cherry Grove at UBC Botanical Garden.
Queen Elizabeth Park – early to mid-April
One of the highlight trees of this walk are the ‘Accolade’ trees on Pender There are many exotic and native trees at Queen Elizabeth Park’s arboretum. Founded in 1949, it contains tree species from around the world. Cherries you should see starting in April include ‘Somei-yoshino’, ‘Akebono’, ‘Shirotae’ and ‘Umineko’.
Programs subject to change. All event titles are protected trademarks of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival.