For many people, Vancouver’s North Shore represents its finest feature. The mountains that provide so stunning a backdrop to Downtown make for excellent recreational possibilities, including skiing, hiking, kayaking and mountain biking in a string of outstanding semi-wilderness parks and valleys. Locals started canoeing across the water for a breath of fresh air as early as the 1880s, but the first residential areas were only established after the Guinness Company bought 4,000 acres of land there in 1931 and built the Lion’s Gate Bridge across the First Narrows. Modelled on San Francisco’s Golden Gate, this was the Empire’s longest suspension bridge in 1938. Today the districts collectively known as the North Shore are inhabited by the city’s wealthy, whose per capita earnings are the highest in Canada. Beside the major parks, however, there is little interest or culture here beyond a clutch of small galleries and a few decent neighbourhood pubs. The obvious way to arrive is on the SeaBus, which docks at Lonsdale Quay Market, the North Shore’s only real focal point. Local buses continue from there. The glazed and galleried interior of the market is a throwback to 19th-century industrial architecture, and well worth a look, but this is no real alternative to Granville Island. SightsCapilano Suspension Bridge 3735 Capilano Rd, T 9857474, http://www.capbridge.com Summer 0830-dusk, winter 0900-1700. $9.35, $6 concessions, $3 parking. Bus No 246 from Georgia or No 236 from Lonsdale Quay. Almost due north from Lion’s Gate Bridge, Capilano Road runs parallel to the eponymous river, valley and regional park all the way to the dammed Capilano Lake and beyond to Grouse Mountain. Capilano Suspension Bridge is Vancouver’s oldest and most vaunted attraction. The current bridge is the fourth to span the 137 m across Capilano River 70 m below, which apparently makes it the longest and highest suspended footbridge in the world. The first was built in 1889 by land developer George Grant Mackay, who knew a beautiful spot when he saw one, and bought up 6,000 acres along the river. Beyond a small collection of totem poles, a diminutive First Nations carving shed and a few photos and artefacts, there is little to justify the entrance fee besides the admittedly astounding natural beauty and the short-lived excitement of walking across the bridge. Beyond is a patch of forest best described as manicured, with some very short trails through giant trees. The Living Forest interactive exhibit is aimed at kids, with educational facts and displays of dead bugs. Capilano River Regional Park For a free and more genuine taste of the valley’s natural beauty, head up the road to the 160-ha Capilano River Regional Park. Access is from several car parks along Capilano Park Road, which heads west from Capilano Road shortly after the suspension bridge, or directly from the latter at Cleveland Dam. Sitting on Capilano Lake and supplying much of Vancouver’s drinking water, the dam offers fine views of the Coast Mountains. The park protects Capilano River as it heads south to Burrard Inlet, a journey followed by the 7.5-km one-way Capilano Pacific Trail, the longest of 10 trails of the unmanicured variety. Trail maps are available at car park information boards or from Information Centres, and outline a number of pools and other river features to look out for. The park also contains the Capilano Salmon Hatchery (T 6661790, free), one of the best places to see them run, with panels recounting the whole story. Grouse Mountain T 9840661, http://www.grousemtn.com Gondola runs every 15 mins year-round 0900-2200, $20, $18 seniors, $13 13-18 year olds, $8 5-12 year olds, under 5s free. SeaBus then Bus No 236 from Lonsdale Quay The lights of Grouse Mountain, the most popular and easily reached ski hill on the North Shore, seem to hang from Vancouver’s night- time skyline like Christmas tree decorations. Skiing here was pioneered as early as 1911 and the first double chairlift in North America was built in 1949. Today skiers and sightseers are whisked up to 1,100 m above sea level in about 8 minutes by the SkyRide Gondola. At the top are year-round panoramic views, 16-ft chain- saw sculptures and a host of activities and facilities. The atmosphere is wonderful between December-April when thousands of city- dwellers flock in to enjoy downhill skiing and snowboarding, ice skating, sleigh rides, 10 km of snow-shoeing, and 5 km of cross- country skiing . In summer there is hiking (though not the best), mountain biking, paragliding, helicopter tours ($75-110) and horse-drawn carriage rides (the horses also come up in the gondolas). The Theatre in the Sky shows a 30-minute multimedia film that is free with the gondola pass. Facilities at the lodge include everything apart from accommo- dation. There are a couple of upmarket restaurants as well as a fairly basic cafeteria, Lupins, and the drinking spot, Bar 98, which has great views and pub food. Alpine Guest Services in the lodge give information and will store bags. All manner of lessons are available and equipment can be rented. There’s even an ATM. Cypress Provincial Park T 8789229, http://www.cypressmountain.com Shuttle bus from Lonsdale Quay or Horseshoe Bay. The next park west of Grouse Mountain is Cypress, whose access road can be seen ascending the mountainous terrain in wide, drunken zig-zags. This has been a popular recreation site since the 1920s and offers the same range of summer and winter activities as Grouse Mountain, though with less extensive facilities and thinner crowds. Some of the North Shore’s best hikes are here, leading to panoramic views that take in the city, Howe Sound, lofty Mount Baker to the southeast and the Gulf Islands, Georgia Strait and Vancouver Island to the west. Pick up a blue BC Parks West again from Cypress Provincial Park, this small 75-ha park is one of the most accessible and best for strolling, and it contains some of the most rugged and striking forest on the North Shore, including one of the last remaining stands of old-growth Douglas firs. A number of short trails lead to arbutus trees, cliffs and the Point Atkinson Lighthouse, which has been staffed continuously since 1875. Today it can be seen, but not reached. Bowen Island Ferries from Horseshoe Bay leave roughly hourly from 0600-2125. Highway 1/99 swings north towards Squamish, soon passing Horseshoe Bay (Bus No 250 or 257 on Georgia), the terminal for ferries to Nanaimo, and a surprisingly pretty village in its own right. The closest excursion to offer a taste of the more laid-back pace of life on the Gulf Islands is Bowen Island, a mere 20 minutes away but already a different world, its 3,500 population characteristically including a large number of writers and artists. Just off the ferry landing is the main centre of Snug Cove. The renovated Union Steamship Company General Store now houses an Information Centre, where you can pick up a free copy of the Bowen Island Book brochure, with a , a reference to the name given to the island by romancing couples who sailed over in the 1930s and 40s to visit the largest dance pavilion in BC. Nearby is Doc Morgan’s Inn, a popular spot for a pint and pub food, with an outdoor patio and views of the marina and Cypress Mountain. Many people come for the fine boating and kayaking, which benefit greatly from the sheltered bays that surround this 50-sq-km island. Mount Gardner is an excellent 16-km return day-hike that is possible almost year-round. Lynn Valley For Lynn Canyon Park, exit 19 from Hwy 1 or bus No 229 from Lonsdale Quay; for Lynn Headwaters Regional Park, bus No 228 from Lonsdale Quay gets you closest. Moving east from the Lion’s Gate Bridge and Lonsdale Quay, the nearest attraction is Lynn Valley, which is protected by a number of parks. The closest, reached via Lynn Valley Road, is Lynn Canyon Park, 250 ha of relatively unspoilt forest. The Ecology Centre, by the parking zone at 3663 Peters Road, daily 1000-1700, but closed weekends Dec and Jan, has displays, films and plenty of information about the park, as well as a free Mount Seymour Road leaves Mount Seymour Parkway at the eastern end of the North Shore and climbs steeply up 1,000 vertical metres passing two stunning viewpoints, both worth a stop. Mount Seymour was first climbed in 1908, skiing first attempted by members of the Alpine Club in 1929 and the 3,508-ha park established in 1936. Other than the commercial ski hill, the park’s semi-wilderness old-growth forest and sub-alpine wildflower meadows make for some excellent hiking (see Sports). Pick up a blue BC Parks A lovely picturesque spot with views across the bay to snowy hills beyond, Deep Cove retains the unspoilt feel of a seaside village. As well as the starting point for mountain biking and Vancouver’s best kayaking up Indian Arm, it has a nice green park by the water, a few good restaurants and the best neighbourhood pub in town.
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Vancouver - £5.99
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