3 Days in and Around Vancouver: City Highlights & Mountain Escapes

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Vancouver is a beautiful, laid-back city and an easy escape from San Francisco – just a quick 2 h flight away. I visited in May, right after a week of spectacular northern lights in the area. Of course, by the time I arrived, the sun storms had passed, and the rainy weather had set in. If you’re planning a trip and wondering what to do in Vancouver when it rains, this 3-day Vancouver itinerary comes with ideas for both the city and its stunning surroundings!

Itinerary

Day 1 – Explore Downtown Vancouver

I came to Vancouver to visit a friend. After landing, there was quite some rain, so we just chilled around until the rain stopped a bit. We then headed to the Kitsilano Beach, which offers beautiful views of the cityscape, as well as water activities. We saw quite a few people kayaking, which seemed rather rough with the wind. The next stop was the Granville Island Public Market, where we had lunch and bought giant chocolate-covered strawberries. Yummy! It’s a pretty crowded place – as all markets usually are -, but it had a good food selection. We then walked towards Charleson Park, a peaceful green space with one of the best hidden skyline views of Vancouver. We thought of taking the bus to Stanley Park, but the weather said no, so we went back home.

Day 2 – Squamish & Shannon Falls

Shannon Falls Provincial Park

After renting a car we went in direction to Squamish, making our first stop at the Shannon Falls – a 335 m fall, third tallest waterfall in British Columbia. There is a short trail you can take to reach a viewing platform for the falls. Because of the rain, we decided against doing any additional hike, but on a sunny day, there’s plenty to explore around this area.

Squamish Estuary Trail

It was not the trail we had hoped to do, but the weather was very rainy, so there was no hope in doing a hike with views. After some discussions, we ended up doing the Estuary Trail, a quiet, bird-filled path with mountain views and tidal flats. It’s peaceful and flat, great for all skill levels. Despite the weather, there was quite a few people hiking it as well. It’s a very easy flat trail that takes less than 1 h to finish, and goes on for 4.4 km. Instead of coming back through the same path, we walked along the railway and then shortened through the forest.

After walking in the trail, we quickly visited Squamish. Is a nice touristy town surrounded by mountains, which reminded me of Switzerland. As it happens quite often in these towns, it’s a great place when the weather is good enough to enjoy nature, but there’s not many options of what to do on a rainy day.

Day 3 – Alice Lake Provincial Park

Last day of this short weekend trip! The weather was not getting any better, but that didn’t stop us from doing what we came to do, that is, hiking. We drove to the trail head in Alice Lake Provincial Park, just a short drive from Squamish. The start of the hike was in the parking lot at the end of Perth Dr. From there, we walked toward the Edith Lake. We then strolled in direction to Alice Lake, where we chilled for a bit, before finishing in the same location we started. At the end, we did a 9.5 km circular hike, with an elevation of 237 m.

This hike is located in bear habitat, so pack a bear spray and a horn to scare them off if they come close. When we went there, there was a family of bears who had been seen in the previous days, and we heard someone using the horn. Mama bears can be very dangerous if they think you may do something to their cubs, so be careful. It also rained the whole time we were there, which was not too bad, as the trees were stopping the rain.

By late afternoon, we returned to Vancouver, where I took the flight back to San Francisco.

Personal highlights

This was a short weekend trip, so of course what we saw was limited. However, I really enjoyed hiking in the Alice Lake Provincial Park, despite being scared of the bears (my friend made a lot of fun of me for this). It rained a bit while we were hiking, but looking back at the photos, that added charm to the scenary.

Looking for your next destination?

Check out this article about visiting Eastern Canada in 5 days if you want to explore more of this beautiful country!