Editor’s pick
West End · Vancouver
Stanley Park & Seawall
Ten kilometres of seawall, old-growth forest, and the city’s most famous loop.
Outdoors
A short list from the guide, grouped by mood rather than neighbourhood.
Editor’s pick
Capilano · North Vancouver
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
A 137-metre swaying bridge over a rainforest canyon, plus treetop walks.
Editor’s pick
From Peak Chair · North Vancouver
Grouse Mountain
Skyride views, wildlife refuge, and the infamous Grouse Grind below.
Editor’s pick
Lynn Valley · North Vancouver
Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
A free suspension bridge, swimming holes, and rainforest trails without the Capilano ticket.
Editor’s pick
Deep Cove · North Vancouver
Deep Cove & Quarry Rock
Kayaks on a sheltered inlet and a short hike to a lookout over Indian Arm.
Free
Grouse Mountain · North Vancouver
The Grouse Grind
A 2.9 km stairway of roots and rock — Vancouver’s most famous workout hike.
Deep Cove Kayak
Sunset paddle from Deep Cove
A guided evening on Indian Arm before the light drops behind the ridge.
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
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.
Family friendly
Golden Ears · Maple Ridge
Golden Ears Provincial Park
Alouette Lake, big mountain trails, and Metro Vancouver’s wildest backyard.
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.
Cypress Bowl · West Vancouver
Cypress Mountain
The closest ski hill to downtown — night runs over the city grid.
Free
Highway 99 · Squamish
Sea to Sky Highway
The drive from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler, with pullouts that earn the name.
The Chief · Squamish
The Stawamus Chief
Three granite peaks above Squamish — the classic Sea to Sky hike.
Whistler Mountain · Whistler
Whistler Blackcomb
North America’s largest ski resort, two mountains linked by the Peak 2 Peak.
Whistler Mountain · Whistler
High Note Trail
A high alpine loop with Cheakamus Lake in the distance — summer only.
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.
Family friendly
North Vancouver
North Shore Summit Tours
Guided mountain, sightseeing and outdoor experiences across Vancouver’s North Shore.
North Shore · North Vancouver
A North Shore weekend
Capilano or Lynn, Deep Cove in the afternoon, Grouse if the sky is clear.
Highway 99 · Squamish
Sea to Sky in a day
Horseshoe Bay to Shannon Falls, the Chief or the spit, Whistler if you still have light.
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
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
Westminster Pier Park
A long pier park over the Fraser, with swings, lookouts, and working river traffic.
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
Whistler Blackcomb · Whistler
Peak 2 Peak Gondola
The record-span gondola linking Whistler and Blackcomb — a glass floor, alpine air, and two mountains in one ticket.
Editor’s pick
Fitzsimmons Creek · Whistler
Whistler zipline adventure
Tree-to-tree lines over the valley — several operators, all loud, all worth it once.
Editor’s pick
Lost Lake · Whistler
Lost Lake
A forest lake a few minutes from the village — swim in summer, ski-tour the trails in winter.
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
Harrison Hot Springs · Harrison
Harrison Lake
A long glacial lake with a sandy village beach, paddle boats, and mountains falling straight into the water.
Editor’s pick
Mount Seymour · North Vancouver
Mount Seymour
The eastern North Shore hill — night skiing, snowshoe trails, and summer hiking to the pumps.
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
Joffre Lakes Provincial Park · Pemberton
Joffre Lakes
Three turquoise lakes in a hanging valley north of Pemberton — a permit hike, and worth the paperwork.
Editor’s pick
Shannon Falls · Squamish
Sea to Sky Gondola
A gondola above Howe Sound — suspension skybridge, summit lodge, and hiking ridges over Squamish.
Editor’s pick
Garibaldi · Squamish
Garibaldi Provincial Park
The big alpine behind Squamish and Whistler — Garibaldi Lake, Elfin Lakes, and overnight country.
Editor’s pick
Cultus Lake · Chilliwack
Cultus Lake
A warm swimming lake in a mountain bowl south of Chilliwack — the Fraser Valley’s summer weekend.
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
Chilliwack Lake Road · Chilliwack
Lindeman Lake
A steep, popular hike to a turquoise lake in Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park.
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
Westham Island · Delta
George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary
A world-class Fraser estuary sanctuary — snow geese in season, dykes, and a gift shop of seed.
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
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
Golden Ears · Maple Ridge
Alouette Lake
The swimming and picnic lake inside Golden Ears Provincial Park — mountains on both sides of the water.
Editor’s pick
Haney · Maple Ridge
WildPlay Maple Ridge
Aerial adventure park — ropes, jumps, and a forest course aimed at families and groups.
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.