It feels great to get on a plane again and explore, albeit I was a little apprehensive about airports and a flight so overbooked that Air Canada added a second plane which was also filled. Using North Vancouver as a base for the first 5 days was ideal. It is less crowded and busy with so much to do and you can avoid the Vancouver traffic by taking the ferry across to the city.
We chose a boutique hotel with a view of the water to wake up to. A short walk out the door puts you in touch with some great restaurants and the close proximity to residential area has the added benefit of local neighbourhood shopping.
Grab a city e-bike courtesy of Lime’s e-bike share system rather than taking a cab. The city is very bike friendly. Whether you are on foot or on a bike all traffic around you comes to a halt as soon as they sense that you are nearing a car. And there is a very relaxed, casual air about things. No blaring horns, cars running red lights or abrasive attitudes. Things are really friendly.
The city bumps up against the mountains so the wilderness is literally at the door step. Lynn Valley, Mt. Fromme, Grouse Grind, Quarry Rock are a small sample of the hikes in the area. Lynn Valley was the first place we ventured off to. A forest of hemlocks drowns out all the dim of city noise as it envelopes you in the fresh scent of the rain forest. A river runs through it and the main trail takes you for a shoreline tour. But if you have a trail bike (which you can rent) there are outbound trails to take you into the less travelled areas.
We did a trail ride and had a backpack lunch beside the river where we were more likely to see wildlife than people. You might want to keep that weather app handy as it can be changeable. But just dress for the occasion and don’t be deterred. We didn’t melt and it never seems to pour, just more of a light drizzle if it is a little wet.
Something else worth taking in is whale watching. You can spot them along the Howe Sound shoreline if you are lucky but with a little help from your friends at Prince of Whales Whale Watching Tours we upped our chances of multiple sighting significantly. The tour boat leaves from Granville Island so arrive early for two reasons. The first is the fun you will have exploring the market area. It is full of great unique shops and restaurants. Second is traffic. If you get caught in it you can miss the boat, literally. And because rain made the traffic snarl worse we almost did.
The crew is a group of well trained pros including a biologist who will help you spot and identify everything you see. Their knowledge is deep and they are very friendly. We had a great spotting day highlighted by Orca’s, Dalls Porpoise, Humpback Whales, Sealions, and a host of shore birds. I did learn that larger viewing vessels have to maintain a distance of several hundred meters from the mammals while the smaller open zodiac style boast can get within 100 meters. Pick your boat according to how comfortable you want to be based on weather and sea conditions.
