Editor’s pick
West End · Vancouver
Stanley Park & Seawall
Ten kilometres of seawall, old-growth forest, and the city’s most famous loop.
Free Things to Do
A short list from the guide, grouped by mood rather than neighbourhood.
Editor’s pick
Lynn Valley · North Vancouver
Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
A free suspension bridge, swimming holes, and rainforest trails without the Capilano ticket.
Free
Grouse Mountain · North Vancouver
The Grouse Grind
A 2.9 km stairway of roots and rock — Vancouver’s most famous workout hike.
Editor’s pick
New Brighton Park
Labour Day picnic at New Brighton Park
Pool, salt air, and a long table of neighbours on the civic holiday.
Free
Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch
Noon concert at VPL Central
A free lunch-hour set in the atrium — drop in between errands.
Free
Water Street & Blood Alley
Gastown Thursday gallery crawl
Open doors, new hangings, and a pour if you linger at the right desk.
Free
John Hendry Park
Trout Lake Farmers Market
Late-summer peaches, salmon, flowers, and the East Side’s Saturday ritual.
Free
Lost Lagoon, Stanley Park
Lost Lagoon morning bird walk
Fall migration is moving. Binoculars help; a slow walk around the lagoon is enough.
Free
Kitsilano Community Centre lot
Kitsilano Farmers Market
Sunday vegetables, baked goods, and a short walk to the beach after.
Free
Gastown · Vancouver
Gastown
Maple-leaf cobblestones, the steam clock, and the city’s oldest commercial block.
Editor’s pick
Coal Harbour · Vancouver
Canada Place & the waterfront
Sail-shaped roofs, cruise ships, and a seawall start with mountain backdrops.
Free
Deer Lake · Burnaby
Burnaby Village Museum
A living 1920s streetscape, a working carousel, and seasonal festivals.
Free
West Vancouver
Lighthouse Park
Old-growth Douglas firs and granite bluffs looking across to Vancouver Island.
Free
Horseshoe Bay · West Vancouver
Whytecliff Park
A marine protected area with emerald water, picnic lawns, and a tiny island at low tide.
Free
University Endowment Lands · Vancouver
Pacific Spirit Regional Park
A vast second-growth forest between UBC and the city, dropping to Wreck Beach.
Free
Belcarra · Port Moody
Sasamat Lake & Belcarra
A floating walkway, warm-for-the-region swimming, and a village at the end of the road.
Free
Sea Island · Richmond
Iona Beach Regional Park
A long jetty into the Strait of Georgia and some of the best birding in the region.
Free
Burnaby Mountain · Burnaby
Burnaby Mountain Park
A high lookout over Burrard Inlet, plus the rose garden and totem poles at the summit.
Free
Minnekhada · Coquitlam
Minnekhada Regional Park
Marshes, a lodge, and a knoll with a wide view of Pitt River country.
Free
Cypress Provincial Park · West Vancouver
Cypress Mountain lookouts
The highway viewpoint everyone stops at, plus alpine trails above Howe Sound.
Free
Highway 99 · Squamish
Sea to Sky Highway
The drive from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler, with pullouts that earn the name.
Free
The Spit · Squamish
Squamish Spit / wind sports
A world-class kite and windsurfing site where the Squamish River meets Howe Sound.
Free
Shannon Falls · Squamish
Shannon Falls
A 335-metre waterfall beside the highway — the easiest Sea to Sky stop.
Free
Kitsilano · Vancouver
Kitsilano Beach
Saltwater pool, volleyball, and a downtown skyline across English Bay.
Free
False Creek · Vancouver
False Creek & Seawall cycle
A flat, protected ride from Science World to Kits, with city and water the whole way.
Editor’s pick
West End · Vancouver
English Bay
The city’s sunset beach — tankers on the horizon and the Seawall at your back.
Editor’s pick
Point Grey · Vancouver
Spanish Banks
A wide, tidal beach looking back at downtown — fires allowed in the rings, mountains over the inlet.
Editor’s pick
Riley Park · Vancouver
Queen Elizabeth Park
The city’s highest point in town: quarry garden, Bloedel Conservatory, and a lookout over the plain.
Editor’s pick
Deer Lake · Burnaby
Deer Lake Park
A lake loop, painters’ studios, and a beach in the middle of Burnaby.
Editor’s pick
Downtown · New Westminster
The Quay
New Westminster’s Fraser riverfront — boardwalk, market, and the old capital looking at the water.
Editor’s pick
Downtown · New Westminster
Westminster Pier Park
A long pier park over the Fraser, with swings, lookouts, and working river traffic.
Editor’s pick
Steveston · Richmond
Steveston
A fishing village at the mouth of the Fraser — boardwalk, fish shops, and Gulf of Georgia Cannery.
Editor’s pick
Steveston · Richmond
Garry Point Park
Open dyke, cherry trees in spring, and a wind that kite-flyers treat as a feature.
Editor’s pick
Sea Island · Richmond
YVR Flight Path Park
A dedicated aircraft-watching lawn under the approach — jets on final over the Fraser.
Editor’s pick
Brandywine · Whistler
Brandywine Falls
A 70-metre waterfall just off the Sea to Sky, south of Whistler — a short walk to a serious drop.
Editor’s pick
Green Lake · Whistler
Parkhurst ruins
The ghost mill town on Green Lake — weathered houses, forest reclaiming the mill, a quiet walk off the village circuit.
Editor’s pick
Coquihalla Canyon · Hope
Othello Tunnels
Five railway tunnels blasted through Coquihalla granite — a short, spectacular walk east of Hope.
Editor’s pick
Hope
Hope Lookout
A steep little climb to a platform over Hope, the Fraser, and the mountains that pinch the valley shut.
Editor’s pick
Lower Lonsdale · North Vancouver
The Shipyards
The restored Burrard Dry Dock district — plazas, the shipyard market, and harbour light beside Lonsdale Quay.
Editor’s pick
Capilano · North Vancouver
Cleveland Dam & Capilano Lake
A free look at Capilano Lake, the Lions, and the dam that holds Vancouver’s drinking water.
Editor’s pick
Ambleside · West Vancouver
Ambleside Park
West Vancouver’s town beach — seawall, pitch-and-putt, and downtown sitting across Burrard Inlet.
Editor’s pick
Bridal Veil Falls · Chilliwack
Bridal Veil Falls
A wide, lacy waterfall a few minutes off Highway 1 — short trail, big payoff.
Editor’s pick
Downtown · Chilliwack
District 1881
Chilliwack’s historic downtown block — brick, heritage façades, and a walkable evening.
Editor’s pick
Cultus Lake · Chilliwack
Teapot Hill
A short, steep hike above Cultus — a lookout, a teapot at the top, and a valley view.
Editor’s pick
Deas Island · Delta
Deas Island Regional Park
A Fraser island park under the Alex Fraser Bridge — dykes, heritage houses, and river birds.
Editor’s pick
Tsawwassen · Delta
Centennial Beach
A long Boundary Bay beach with tidal flats, a pool, and sunsets toward the islands.
Editor’s pick
Tsawwassen · Delta
Fred Gingell Park
A pocket waterfront park on the Tsawwassen bluff — stairs to the beach and a clean look at the Strait.
Editor’s pick
Waterfront · White Rock
White Rock Pier
A long wooden pier into Semiahmoo Bay — the namesake rock, the promenade, and a sunset that stops traffic.
Editor’s pick
Douglas · Surrey
Peace Arch Provincial Park
The white arch on the 49th parallel — gardens, a border lawn, and a peculiar little international park.
Editor’s pick
Crescent Beach · Surrey
Crescent Beach
A village beach on Boundary Bay — pier, ice cream, and a walkable street behind the dunes.
Editor’s pick
Ocean Park · Surrey
1001 Steps
A long staircase from Ocean Park down to Crescent Beach — the workout, then the bay.
Editor’s pick
Town Centre · Coquitlam
Lafarge Lake
A former quarry turned city lake — fountain, loop trail, and Town Centre Park on the doorstep of the mall.
Editor’s pick
Mundy Park · Coquitlam
Mundy Park
A large second-growth forest in the middle of Coquitlam — lake loop, trails, and a neighbourhood woods.
Editor’s pick
Westwood Plateau · Coquitlam
Coquitlam Crunch
A steep urban staircase hike up the ridge — city views and a workout locals treat as a personality trait.
Editor’s pick
Anmore · Port Coquitlam
Buntzen Lake
A long forest reservoir north of the Tri-Cities — swimming beaches, a floating bridge, and ridge trails.
Editor’s pick
Pitt Lake · Pitt Meadows
Pitt Lake
The largest tidal lake in North America — dykes, boat launch, and a wall of mountains at the north end.
Editor’s pick
Aldergrove · Langley
Aldergrove Regional Park
A large regional park on the Langley–Abbotsford edge — trails, a beach-style swimming hole, and farm-country sky.