Our flight to Vancouver was like my worst nightmare – connecting flights! This was the first time I had been on a plane in over 7 years, and I have a profound, irrational fear of flying, and i didn’t know if I was going to be able to get on the first plane, let alone the connecting flight.
At the time, I didn’t think anything would get me on a plane. Somehow we ended up with tickets to see the Women’s World Cup final, and the United States was playing, so we had to go…this is probably the only thing that could’ve gotten me on that plane! Luckily now I’m used to it – I still am pretty terrified of flying, but I’ve realized I love traveling far too much to let my fear of flying stop me from exploring the world.
Now, onto the Vancouver Tourist Attractions!
THE GROUSE GRIND
One of the coolest things we did in Vancouver was The Grouse Grind. The Grouse Grind is a hike 2,380 step hike, ascending 1.8 miles. It is also known as Mother Nature’s Stairmaster. The Grouse Grind is hard, and you should be in pretty good shape if you’re considering climbing it. It’s not the kind of hike where you’ll stop and have lunch along the way – once you get to the top, though, there are some amazing views, and you can eat and grab a beer! It’s definitely worth the hike to get to the top! If you want to see the views but don’t think you can make the hike, you can take SuperSkyride Aerial Tramway. I will say that finishing the hike and feeling accomplished about it made getting to the top to see the views that much better, but not everyone will be able to do the hike, so that’s definitely a good option as well! Along the way up, you will see a sign each time you complete a quarter of the hike…feels like forever before you reach them!
Bring plenty of water and wear sneakers! Also make sure you dress in layers so you can be comfortable. I would also recommend bringing a snack of some sort – nuts, granola bar, protein bar, etc. The hike can take up to 2 hours – maybe more, depending how in or out of shape you are – so you definitely want something!
We brought a backpack to keep our water and snacks in, which was very helpful.
Don’t worry – you don’t have to hike back down – in fact, you aren’t allowed to hike back down. To get back once you’ve taken in the view and had something to eat and drink, you take the cable car down to the bottom of the mountain. It’s free to hike up the mountain, but you will have to pay $15 to take the Skyride back down.
A few other things to keep in mind: no dogs are allowed, and there are no bathrooms along the way. Make sure you use the restroom before you start your hike! You will find nice clean bathrooms at the top as well.
Lastly, be safe! Make sure you if you are hiking alone, you tell someone where you’re going! There are usually plenty of people on the trail so if something goes wrong, there would likely be someone there to help. But just in case – bring your phone and make sure someone knows where you are.
TOP OF GROUSE MOUNTAIN
Once you finish the Grouse Grind and make it to the top, there are more Vancouver Tourist attractions – there is more to do than just eat and grab a refreshing drink.
Once you get to the top, you’ll have a chance to see The Wildlife Refuge – you’ll see 2 orphaned Grizzly Bears, which was pretty awesome. They seem to have plenty of room to roam and enjoy themselves – not like a zoo where they’re stuck in a cage for people to gawk at all day. It seems that their lives are actually pretty good.
There’s also a bird show, zip-lining, a restaurant, and lots more. The views are spectacular – make sure you go on a clear day so you can take advantage of that.
We didn’t get a chance to see the Birds in Motion Demonstration, but people seemed to enjoy it. If you go to the show, you can see some of the fastest birds of prey in the world – falcons, eagles, owls, and hawks
What we did get a chance to go see was the Lumberjack Show, which was very entertaining. It’s funny enough for adults but also very entertaining and a great show for children of all ages. Two Lumberjacks from different camps face off to determine who is the top logger!
They do a number of challenges, such as carving a child’s chair, which they then give to a young child in the audience! They compete in an axe throwing competition, set off some dynamite, try to stay on a log rolling in the water, and they also see who can saw the log the fastest! While it’s just a show, these guys have to be in really good shape to do all the things they are doing!
They have to climb a tree with just rope, no branches on the tree! There’s also the log chop competition. It honestly looks incredibly difficult to do everything they did.
Toward the end of the show, they even had to deal with a belligerent fan who climbs to the top of a very tall tree!
If you complete the Grouse Grind, I definitely recommend checking out the Grizzly Bears and the Lumberjack Show. If you don’t feel like you can do the climb, you can take a shuttle to the mountain and then just take the SkyRide up to the top of Grouse Mountain and see everything that way. If you do it that way, it’s really only worth it if you make sure you go on a clear, sunny day. Keep in mind, the shows are all weather dependent, and are open from mid May through October. Check the Grouse Mountain website before you go to make sure the show is scheduled!
LYNN CANYON PARK AND SUSPENSION BRIDGE
The suspension bridge in Lynn Canyon park was a pretty cool experience – the bridge is a bit shaky, but seemed safe enough 🙂
The bridge was quite crowded – try getting there very early in the morning to avoid all of the crowds. We were wondering whether we should see the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, or the Capilano Suspension Bridge, and ultimately decided on the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. We spoke to some locals before deciding , and almost unanimously, the advice was go to see the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge. At the moment, it looks like tickets to the Capilano Bridge cost $47 per adult, which is pretty steep, in my opinion. We didn’t think it would be worth the money.
The Lynn Canyon Suspesnion Bridge is free, easy to reach by public transportation, and has a lot of other cool trails you can check out, and they are easy enough for pretty much anyone, as long as you stay on the trail.
I also recommend taking the hike to see the Twin Falls in Lynn Canyon park. Once you cross the suspension bridge, you can continue on and hike to the waterfalls. The hike is only about 20 minutes to the waterfall, and it’s not very difficult. As always, be safe and stay on the trails, and bring water with you!
THE VANCOUVER AQUARIUM
For a more low key event, check out the Vancouver Aquarium – no hiking necessary! Most of the things mentioned above involve at least a little bit of hiking, so if you need a day to relax and give your body a break, definitely check out the aquarium.
A few important things to note about the Vancouver Aquarium:
1. The Vancouver Aquarium Does Not Capture Cetaceans From The Wild – the Aquarium now only accepts whales, dolphins, and porpoises that were either born in an aquarium or were rescued and then deemed to be non-releasable.
2. The Vancouver Aquarium Works With Accredited Facilities To Advance Science
3. The Vancouver Aquarium Is A Non-Profit Conservation Organization
The tickets for the aquarium cost $39 per adult and $30 per child, which is kind of high, but we thought it was worth the price. It was a nice way to wind down after a couple busy hiking days, and there was enough to do that we spent an entire afternoon there.
Go see the sharks or check out the sea lions – whatever you do, don’t miss the penguins!
There are so many Vancouver tourist attractions to do there, and their website is very in depth and lists all of the shows and exhibits you can see – definitely check it out before you go so you can make sure you hit all of the things you really want to do.
RENT BIKES AND RIDE AROUND THE CITY
One of the best days we had in Vancouver was when we just rented bikes and rode around the city for the day. The city is great in terms of bike lanes and accessibility for bike riders, which was a refreshing change from trying to ride a bike in Philadelphia. We did not do a tour and don’t really think it’s necessary – you honestly can just grab a map or pull your phone up and explore the city on your own.
The place we rented bikes from gave us an easy-to-read map and we just followed that for the most part, until we decided to just go off on our own and explore.
RIDE AROUND STANLEY PARK
An easy but nice path you can file is the Stanley Park Seawall – a paved bike route that circles all the way around Stanley Park (somewhere around 8 miles). Make sure you stop along the way to take pictures – it’s absolutely beautiful.
Also, there are other bike trails through Stanley Park – they won’t be paved, but they aren’t hard to navigate, and there are some things in the park that are definitely worth seeing.
Don’t forget to stop and check out the beaches when riding along the Seawall – especially Kitsilano Beach
Ride by the totem poles in Stanley Park, see the Incredible Shrinking Lake, and check out the Shore to Shore Sculpture. There are so many places to stop and see inside Stanley Park, and it’s definitely worth it go and explore.
Once you’re finished exploring Stanley Park, you can continue your ride around the sea wall and continue riding over to Granville Island. Once you get to Granville Island, you can stop for a beer, grab some lunch, or just check out the shops and art studios.
We stayed at an Airbnb in Yaletown, which was perfect. For meals, we either walked around Granville Street and found somewhere to eat- there’s so many options, or headed over to Mainland Street or Hamilton Street, where there is basically a row of really cute restaurants to choose from.
There’s so much more that you can do in Vancouver that we just didn’t have time to do. There’s The Museum of Anthropology, head into Gastown for some cocktail lounges and boutiques, or stop by The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. There’s kayaking, gardens, concerts, churches, and food tours. There’s something in Vancouver that everyone can enjoy! Hopefully we can go again soon and I can update you all with more info on Vancouver Tourist Attractions!