Greater Vancouver, british columbia
Attractions Guide

To the north of Vancouver is a seemingly endless landscape of massive mountains, vast green valleys, and glacial lakes. Most of these amazing outdoor attractions are located along Highway 99 between the towns of Squamish and Mount Currie. The attractions are listed in order here from Squamish heading north.

North of Vancouver at the end of the Howe Sound bay is the coastal town of Squamish. Just before the town is one of the most famous waterfalls in Canada, the majestic Shannon Falls, which is the third tallest waterfall in British Columbia at a height of nearly 1,100 feet (335 m). You can view the bottom of the falls with a short walk from the parking lot.

Adjacent to Shannon Falls is the Sea to Sky Gondola, which takes you up over 2,900 feet (885 m) above the coast into the heavily wooded mountains. Upon reaching the gondola summit station you'll find the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge, which spans a deep canyon and offers incredible views overlooking the Howe Sound bay below.

Among the most popular trails from the gondola station is the 1 mile (1.6 km) round-trip Panorama Trail, which ventures through the forest and offers more stunning views above the Howe Sound and valley below, especially from the Stawamus Chief Outlook Viewpoint. There are also many other longer hiking trails to choose from in order to explore these mountains.

To the north of Squamish is the incredible Garibaldi Provincial Park, which features several extremely popular longer-distance hiking routes centered around Garibaldi Lake. All of these hiking routes begin from the Rubble Creek Trailhead.

Garibaldi Lake

The shortest route is the 11.2 mile (18 km) round-trip trail to the shore of the pristine glacial Garibaldi Lake, which sits deep in the forested wilderness below massive mountains. This trail also passes by the striking sheer cliffs of the Barrier Viewpoint along the way, and is quite challenging, requiring an elevation gain of approximately 3,300 feet (1,000 m).

Panorama Ridge

You can extend the Garibaldi Lake trail by hiking to the Panorama Ridge viewpoint, which hosts majestic views overlooking Garibaldi Lake and the surrounding mountains, just below Panorama Peak. This route has a round-trip distance of about 17.8 miles (28.6 km) and roughly 5,400 feet (1,650 m) of elevation gain.

Black Tusk

An even longer but extremely rewarding option is to add on the picturesque Black Tusk formation to your route, a 2.8 mile round-trip spur trail along the way to Panorama Ridge. With Panorama Ridge and the Black Tusk the total round-trip hiking distance is about 20.8 miles (33.5 km), with an elevation gain of approximately 6,000 feet (1,830 m).

More Hiking Options

Brandywine Falls & Bungee Bridge

In between Garibaldi Provincial Park and Whistler is the powerful Brandywine Falls which flows into a canyon surrounded by dense forest. Nearby you might consider leaping into a beautiful deep river gorge from the Whistler Bungee Bridge if you are a thrill seeker.

Whistler Mountain

Further north is the town of Whistler, a popular tourist destination with many ski resorts. The town sits below Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain, with many chairlifts connecting the mountains. In the summer many of the ski trails serve as hiking trails set amongst lush meadows, ponds, and glaciers. These two mountains together offer countless miles of hiking trails, set amongst a picturesque and pristine mountain wilderness.

Peak 2 Peak Gondola

Connecting Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Peak is the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, a 1.9 mile (3 km) long horizontal gondola which rises over 1,400 feet (430 m) above the ground below. The Peak 2 Peak Gondola and many of the other ski lifts operate in the summer along with buses, making the many amazing hiking trails of these two mountains very easy to access.

The most highly recommended hiking trail atop Whistler Mountain is the High Note Trail, a 5.9 mile (9.5 km) one-way trail which requires riding some of the gondolas to complete. From Whistler you'll need to take the Whistler Village Gondola to The Peak Express chairlift to reach the trailhead atop Whistler Mountain.

The High Note Trail circles around the edge of the top of Whistler Mountain through serene meadows while offering breathtaking views over the gorgeous glacial Cheakamus Lake below. The trail follows along the High Note Trail before turning left at the Singing Pass Trail Junction, passing the Symphony Bowl and Harmony Lake, before arriving back at the Roundhouse Lodge, where you can take the Whistler Village Gondola back down the mountain.

Much further north of Whistler near the town of Mount Currie is Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, a small steep valley hosting a series of glacial lakes connected to one another via a series of river rapids and tiny waterfalls. The lakes are all vibrant bright blue in color and set within lush alpine forests.

The three Joffre Lakes are connected via the 5.2 mile (8.4 km) round-trip Joffre Lakes Trail, which travels up the mountain concluding at Upper Joffre Lake, which sits below a massive pristine glacier. Be sure to get arrive for this hike as early as possible as the trail is extremely popular and can be quite crowded later in the day.

Lillooet Lake

After enjoying the Joffre Lakes you might like to see one end of the extremely long and serene Lillooet Lake, a vast whitish-blue lake which occupies an immense valley.