Free Things to Do

Brandywine · Whistler

A 70-metre waterfall just off the Sea to Sky, south of Whistler — a short walk to a serious drop.

West End · Vancouver

Ten kilometres of seawall, old-growth forest, and the city’s most famous loop.

Lynn Valley · North Vancouver

A free suspension bridge, swimming holes, and rainforest trails without the Capilano ticket.

Grouse Mountain · North Vancouver

A 2.9 km stairway of roots and rock — Vancouver’s most famous workout hike.

Gastown · Vancouver

Maple-leaf cobblestones, the steam clock, and the city’s oldest commercial block.

Coal Harbour · Vancouver

Sail-shaped roofs, cruise ships, and a seawall start with mountain backdrops.

Deer Lake · Burnaby

A living 1920s streetscape, a working carousel, and seasonal festivals.

West Vancouver

Old-growth Douglas firs and granite bluffs looking across to Vancouver Island.

Horseshoe Bay · West Vancouver

A marine protected area with emerald water, picnic lawns, and a tiny island at low tide.

University Endowment Lands · Vancouver

A vast second-growth forest between UBC and the city, dropping to Wreck Beach.

Belcarra · Port Moody

A floating walkway, warm-for-the-region swimming, and a village at the end of the road.

Sea Island · Richmond

A long jetty into the Strait of Georgia and some of the best birding in the region.

Burnaby Mountain · Burnaby

A high lookout over Burrard Inlet, plus the rose garden and totem poles at the summit.

Minnekhada · Coquitlam

Marshes, a lodge, and a knoll with a wide view of Pitt River country.

Cypress Provincial Park · West Vancouver

The highway viewpoint everyone stops at, plus alpine trails above Howe Sound.

Highway 99 · Squamish

The drive from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler, with pullouts that earn the name.

The Spit · Squamish

A world-class kite and windsurfing site where the Squamish River meets Howe Sound.

Shannon Falls · Squamish

A 335-metre waterfall beside the highway — the easiest Sea to Sky stop.

Kitsilano · Vancouver

Saltwater pool, volleyball, and a downtown skyline across English Bay.

False Creek · Vancouver

A flat, protected ride from Science World to Kits, with city and water the whole way.

West End · Vancouver

The city’s sunset beach — tankers on the horizon and the Seawall at your back.

Point Grey · Vancouver

A wide, tidal beach looking back at downtown — fires allowed in the rings, mountains over the inlet.

Riley Park · Vancouver

The city’s highest point in town: quarry garden, Bloedel Conservatory, and a lookout over the plain.

Deer Lake · Burnaby

A lake loop, painters’ studios, and a beach in the middle of Burnaby.

Downtown · New Westminster

New Westminster’s Fraser riverfront — boardwalk, market, and the old capital looking at the water.

Downtown · New Westminster

A long pier park over the Fraser, with swings, lookouts, and working river traffic.

Steveston · Richmond

A fishing village at the mouth of the Fraser — boardwalk, fish shops, and Gulf of Georgia Cannery.

Steveston · Richmond

Open dyke, cherry trees in spring, and a wind that kite-flyers treat as a feature.

Sea Island · Richmond

A dedicated aircraft-watching lawn under the approach — jets on final over the Fraser.

Green Lake · Whistler

The ghost mill town on Green Lake — weathered houses, forest reclaiming the mill, a quiet walk off the village circuit.

Coquihalla Canyon · Hope

Five railway tunnels blasted through Coquihalla granite — a short, spectacular walk east of Hope.

Hope

A steep little climb to a platform over Hope, the Fraser, and the mountains that pinch the valley shut.

Lower Lonsdale · North Vancouver

The restored Burrard Dry Dock district — plazas, the shipyard market, and harbour light beside Lonsdale Quay.

Capilano · North Vancouver

A free look at Capilano Lake, the Lions, and the dam that holds Vancouver’s drinking water.

Ambleside · West Vancouver

West Vancouver’s town beach — seawall, pitch-and-putt, and downtown sitting across Burrard Inlet.

Bridal Veil Falls · Chilliwack

A wide, lacy waterfall a few minutes off Highway 1 — short trail, big payoff.

Downtown · Chilliwack

Chilliwack’s historic downtown block — brick, heritage façades, and a walkable evening.

Cultus Lake · Chilliwack

A short, steep hike above Cultus — a lookout, a teapot at the top, and a valley view.

Deas Island · Delta

A Fraser island park under the Alex Fraser Bridge — dykes, heritage houses, and river birds.

Tsawwassen · Delta

A long Boundary Bay beach with tidal flats, a pool, and sunsets toward the islands.

Tsawwassen · Delta

A pocket waterfront park on the Tsawwassen bluff — stairs to the beach and a clean look at the Strait.

Waterfront · White Rock

A long wooden pier into Semiahmoo Bay — the namesake rock, the promenade, and a sunset that stops traffic.

Douglas · Surrey

The white arch on the 49th parallel — gardens, a border lawn, and a peculiar little international park.

Crescent Beach · Surrey

A village beach on Boundary Bay — pier, ice cream, and a walkable street behind the dunes.

Ocean Park · Surrey

A long staircase from Ocean Park down to Crescent Beach — the workout, then the bay.

Town Centre · Coquitlam

A former quarry turned city lake — fountain, loop trail, and Town Centre Park on the doorstep of the mall.

Mundy Park · Coquitlam

A large second-growth forest in the middle of Coquitlam — lake loop, trails, and a neighbourhood woods.

Westwood Plateau · Coquitlam

A steep urban staircase hike up the ridge — city views and a workout locals treat as a personality trait.

Anmore · Port Coquitlam

A long forest reservoir north of the Tri-Cities — swimming beaches, a floating bridge, and ridge trails.

Pitt Lake · Pitt Meadows

The largest tidal lake in North America — dykes, boat launch, and a wall of mountains at the north end.

Aldergrove · Langley

A large regional park on the Langley–Abbotsford edge — trails, a beach-style swimming hole, and farm-country sky.