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Kamui Mintara or Playground of The Gods: Burnaby Mountain Secret Treasure

Kamui Mintara @ Burnaby Mountain: one of the most unusual spots in Vancouver, unique Japanese art & best sunsets in town!

Would you believe me if I say: we’ve lived in Vancouver for over two years and haven’t heard about Kamui Mintara until quite recently?! No wonder, as it is so rarely talked about.. Kamui Mintara, or “Playground of The Gods” is one of those “a Gem hidden under your nose” places. Located at the heart of Burnaby Mountain Park, Kamui Mintara looks and feels like a place out of legends. It provides a magical experience any time you decide to visit, but especially at sunset! 

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Burnaby Mountain Park

Located within East Vancouver, Burnaby Mountain is home to Simon Fraser University (SFU), Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area (or Burnaby Mountain Park), and Burnaby Mountain Centennial Rose Garden. The Mountain is crisscrossed with both: well-developed paved park walkways, and with more wild and rough hiking trails. 

All of the most visited hiking trails are located all around SFU of course, whereas Burnaby Mountain Park is much less trafficked, and as such is a gem hidden in plain sight. Right at the heart of it is a Kushiro Park. This “park within a park” is the home to one of the most curious and most misunderstood art projects in Vancouver – Kamui Mintara, or in plain English, – Playground of The Gods. 

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Playground of The Gods

Kamui Mintara is a collection of wooden, elaborately carved monumental totem poles and animal figures scattered around a large neatly shaved grass field of Kushiro Park at the heart of Burnaby Mountain. With carved Bears and Orcas at play, it is easy to assume the site is something to do with First Nations. Many visitors indeed are misled by the artwork. 

The truth about Kamui Mintara may actually surprise you!

Kamui Mintara is translated as Playground of The Gods directly from Japanese language. The Playground of The Gods art was given to Burnaby and placed within Burnaby Mountain Park as a gift from its twin city in Japan – Kushiro. Hence the name of the location = Kushiro Park ***

The totem poles were carved in 1989 by Japanese artists Nuburi Toko and Son Shusei, who belong to the Ainu people of Indigenous tribes of Japan. Just the same as Canada’s First Nations people, Ainu believe that all the creatures in the world are sacred, they worship the nature around them.***

The wooden art of Kamui Mintara located at the Burnaby Mountain Park is indeed inspired by Pacific Northwest First Nations totem poles. The name “Playground of The Gods” is a direct reference to a stunning location within artists' own country – Japan – and its Mount Daisetsu in Daisetsuzan National park, and its volcanic peaks.*** 

***Reference: Kamui Mintara (Playground of the Gods) SFU blog HERE

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Visiting Burnaby Mountain Park and Kamui Mintara

The absolute best time to visit Kamui Mintara is in the late afternoon. 

You can take a hike around Burnaby Mountain Park, and then be back to the Playground of The Gods right before sunset to take stunning photos of totem poles, and enjoy one of the most spectacular sunset locations Vancouver has to offer.

For those who visited the UK: you almost instantly think of Stonehenge when walking around the “playground”. The setting sun perfectly aligns itself with the “orca spear”. White during the daytime, the totems start vividly playing with sun-colours, scoring shades from cold-purple, to lemon, to gold, to ochre orange. True “50 shades of Gold”, Kamui Mintara is simply magical during sunset hours.

Horizons Restaurant located nearby offers a unique dining experience through its 360-degree views. You can visit after sunset, or you can enjoy the spectacular sunset and a delicious meal all at the same time!

There is a large parking lot at the top of Burnaby Mountain.

For families adventuring with kids: there is a large kids' playground right next to Kushiro Park where your little ones can roam wild! 

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Directions

GPS / Google Maps anchor point: Kamui Mintara 800 Burnaby Mountain Pkwy, Burnaby, BC V5A 2X9

If you are heading to Playground of The Gods from Coquitlam Centre, it will take you about 20 minutes to get there.

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Kamui Mintara Trail – Quick Facts

The most famous trails of Burnaby Mountain next to Kushiro Park are Pandora trail, Gnome’s Home, a section of the Trans Canada trail. We have hiked a loop incorporating all of the little trails into one and called it Kamui Mintara trail as it starts and ends at the Playground of The Gods.

The resulting Kamui Mintara trail is a 3.8km loop with the elevation of about 170m – you are hiking Pandora path down the Burnaby Mountain slope, and then back up again through the Trans Canada trail. 

We used our favorite AllTrails App to easily navigate of course.

Tried to find our way through Burnwood Trail – but that one is so overgrown and so tiny, with thorny bushes, and fallen trees, that we had to turn back almost immediately. Gnome’s Home thought was a welcoming well-traveled path.

The Kamui Mintara trail is NOT stroller-friendly or wheelchair accessible. No worries, there are many more well-paved trails all across Burnaby Mountain Park that you can explore with your baby or grandma!

You can totally hike it with kids! Our 3yo Cosmos loved it a lot: so much fun running down the hill and play hide and seek amongst large tree stumps of the Gnome’s Home trail. 

Overall it took us 1.5 hours of a very relaxed pace to make our way back to the Playground of The Gods! 

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Burnaby Mountain Park – Photo Gallery

Just look at our amazing photos! Can you feel the magic of Kamui Mintara? You can almost feel the warmth of the setting sun, even through the photos.   

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Other Curious Places near Vancouver

Are you an outdoor explorer who loves unusual places? Here are some other curious adventures we’ve discovered! Check these out! 

• “Photographer’s Dream” Suspension Bridges near Vancouver to get your Instagram Fans Excited!
• Teapot Hill – Treasure Hunt Hiking Adventure Your Kids Will Absolutely Love!
• Fun Things To Do In Chilliwack: Little Antique Houses of Atchelitz
• Lighthouse Park & Point Atkinson – Canadian History & Spectacular Views

Know other interesting places? Please share in the comments or send us a note! 

And of course, we can't but remind you to always think about Safety when hiking with kids. Check out our TIPS here: Hiking With Kids: 12 Simple Safety Rules Every Parent Should Follow. …and always use Sunscreen when adventuring outdoors: 8 Best Natural Sunscreens For Kids. Organic. Chemicals-Free.

Enjoy!

Cheerfully yours,

Alexandra, Alex & Cosmos

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Visit Burnaby Mountain and share your pictures on social media! tag #PerfectDayToPlayHike to be featured on our Instagram! 

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