A day trip from Vancouver to Sea to Sky Summit

Vancouver is a popular destination for tourists and travellers and I can understand why. From living here for over 5 years now I know the beauty and the unbelievable amount of amazing things to do and see here. I still have so much to see for myself. But if you are touring or traveling the area I can definitely recommend some activities, even if you only have a limited time there is still so much you can see. So if you are in Vancouver and only have a day to explore, here is one thing you can do and I assure you it will take your breath away.

If you don't know about the sea to sky highway already then you must know it is one of the most beautiful drives you could take. The scenery is absolutely stunning. So here is what I suggest. Depending on how you are getting there, if you have a rental car that is great, if not you can easily get one, I suggest Avis, they seem to have the best deals and there is a location in downtown at the fairmont. Or another great and even better way is if you have Modo and take a car for the day, it is even cheaper and super easy.

If you are leaving from the heart of Vancouver then you can drive through the beautiful Stanley Park and over the Lions gate bridge into North Vancouver. Once there that is the road to follow the whole way. If you wanted to you could even take a detour up to Cypress to get a really good view of the city before heading away. Once back on the highway you can get amazing views of the mountains and ocean all the way to Squamish. You can watch the ferries come and go from Horseshoe Bay to Bowen Island or to Gibson. Still to this day I am never tired of this drive or view, I am like a kid who take it all in fast enough, turning my head in every direction so that I don't miss a thing.

After passing Lions Bay and Furry Creek (which you can also stop and take a look around) and other highway stops along the way (to take in the views) and get closer to Squamish then right off the highway you will find Shannon Falls. I have been here plenty of times and it's one you don't want to miss. Depending on the time of year and whether it has been the rainy season this waterfall can be a beast. This time we went it was how it normally is, powerful and beautiful.  There is a couple viewing decks one that is very easy for anyone to get too or a another one that is a bit more of a little hike, so depending on what you want to do, you can get a great view. The falls is right by the Sea to Sky gondola and Summit so that is your next stop and main attraction.

Now is the best part, right after the falls again and right off the highway then is the Sea to Sky Gondola to the Summit. Now again depending on what you are up for you can take the gondola up which doesn't come cheap I will say but I would still recommend it if you want a beautiful view up and well if you can't hike up then it is your only other option. For Adults it is it $40 there, if you buy online you can save $2 and if you hike up then it is only a $10 ride down. But like I said, the views are worth it.

Once up there, the first thing you should do is go to the main viewing deck and just take in the view. There you can see the Howe Sound and mountain range, like the Sky Pilot and Co-Pilot mountains. Also you can see Squamish from above as well. Right there at the main building and viewing deck there is a suspension bridge which is great for photo opts, obviously. There are tons of trails you can do and different viewing decks for getting all the amazing views in. When we went it was later in the afternoon (closer to closing time), during the week and on a day that was a little chilly and a little rainy. So there was barely anyone there which was great. So if you are wanting to avoid the crowds a get some amazing photos then I suggest going mid week and on a day that isn't super sunny and hot.

Once we took the gondola down, we took a drive into Squamish. We wanted to find a spot by the river to relax and we ended up finding a great little beach stop that was empty, right in the city. If you google map it on your phone, you should be able to find it, or other stops. This is the same river that some of The Revenant was filmed at but that was deeper into the mountains. By the time you have done all this that is probably close to the end of your day. I would suggest driving back to Vancouver to go out for a nice dinner. I am not quite sure what Squamish has to offer for nice places to eat.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I plan on showing you more pictures from this trip because they are just too good to not share.

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