WALKING THE SEA TO SKY HIGHWAY. ROADTRIP FROM VANCOUVER TO WHISTLER

The best way to start a car trip through the Rocky Mountains in Canada, leaving from Vancouver, is heading north towards Whistler. This stretch of road is popularly known as the Sea to Sky Highway (which occupies part of Highway 99) and is one of the most beautiful panoramic roads in the world (in 2006 the Guardian newspaper put it in fifth place worldwide). The whole journey to beyond Pemberton (where the Sea to Sky Highway would end) is amazing, but especially the kilometers that separate Vancouver from Whistler through the Pemberton Valley, are dotted with countless places to stop and explore. So a tour that should take us an hour and a half ends up eating practically all day. Those continuous stops, or rather those continuous corners and wonderful places, are what make this one of the most fascinating roads in Canada.

Here we tell you how we went in the first stage of our roadtrip through the Rocky Mountains in Canada, from Vancouver to Whistler, crossing the famous Sea to Sky Highway, and what are the most important stops.

This is the map of the route between Vancouver and Whistler, by the Sea to Sky Highway, and all recommended stops:

Although you can make the visit on this first day of the route, we recommend doing it during your stay in Vancouver, provided you have clear weather. Remember that you do not need a car to get there, as they offer a free shuttle from the city to here. For us it was the first stop of the roadtrip, and where we were approximately 1.5-2 hours.

It is a kind of amusement park, nestled in the middle of nature, with a huge suspension bridge (the star of the place) 70 meters high on the Capilano River, which has been here no more or less than since 1889. Obviously it has been improved and the security is total. It also has a route through walkways connected between trees and a path hung on the side of the cliff not suitable for cowards.

The park has a 53CAD ticket, you can buy it at the box office or in advance here and if you are in high season, it is best to get up early to visit it as soon as possible. More info.

Is the alternative free to the previous one, also very close to Vancouver and with a suspension bridge that impresses almost equally. There are many hiking trails in the area, making it a favorite for those who live in Vancouver and want to stretch their legs a bit. For the route by car, we may not recommend it and we would prefer to start the road.

wikimedia.org

North of Vancouver, very close to the harbor from where the ferries to Bowen Island and Vancouver Island (in fact, you will leave on your left a large entrance gate similar to that of the tolls, which keep track of the cars that embark), is this beautiful park, with beach included, which delights those who can afford to live in this urbanization of Horseshoe Bay.

Here live more than 200 marine species, in what is the Canada's first marine protected area, established in 1993. Apparently in summer they come to sunbathe a colony of sea lions, we only saw a good handful of Canadians doing barbecue, and two snakes! We saw them cross the road just in front of us, and we thought they were the rat snake, which are not poisonous and pose no risk (but often scare!).

The beauty of this bay is its central islet, which can be reached by jumping on the stones that connect it to the beach.

A good road tripper should not miss the places they offer nice panoramic. And this is one of the best on the route. From its old pier you have stunning views of the Howe Sound fjord, considered the southernmost fjord in North America, and the mountain network across the water.

It is a great place to make a 15-minute stop, or to prepare a wedding (as we saw). It is also an excellent place to to camp near Vancouver and to do scuba diving, because in this area there are artificial reefs, including two sunken ships.

It is an excellent place to learn more about the importance of the mining industry in this part of Canada. This mine was operational from 1904 to 1974, with up to 60,000 people who depended on this operation, becoming one of the most important in all of Canada. During the visit they will take you through the old tunnels mounted on a train that was used to extract the mineral for 45 minutes, in addition to being able to visit other buildings and exhibitions and take your own gold from the rock. The price is $ 34.95. More info.

www.britanniaminemuseum.ca

Another thing not, but in Canada there is so much water, it will not take long to realize. And if there is water, there are rivers. Rivers + mountains = waterfalls. Well, Shannon Falls are the third highest in British Columbia, with a height of 335 meters. Just do not expect an impressive waterfall, here the water is going down a huge rock staircase, but it is very cool. To visit it there is a short path from the parking lot, which reaches the base of the waterfall, or for the more adventurous there is the possibility of hitting you through the forest to reach the top. It is one of the most popular stops on the Sea t or Sky Highway, so you can't miss it.

Very close to there and next to Squamish, this cable car was built in 2014 that ascends to the Summit Lodge, from where there are brutal views of the surroundings. There are several activities up there, especially in summer (including free tours of the interpretive trails), observation platforms and the suspension bridge Sky pilot, in addition to walks of different levels, of which we highlight the one that leads to Chief lookout. The price of the cable car is 46CAD. More info.

www.seatoskygondola.com

This park, a large granite mole surrounded by a lush forest, extends just behind the gondola and offers several walking trails that ascend to the First peak, the Second peak or until Third peak. If you dare, after 20 minutes of ascent you will find the detours and you will have to decide which of them you will reach. The First Peak is a 4 km walk (round trip) that is done in a couple of hours and quite steeply, so they told us it is not an easy path and, although the views should be spectacular, we prefer to continue The road to Whistler. But he is reputed to be a trekking with one of the best rewards 😉

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Unlike the previous ones, this is a full-fledged water fall, specifically of 70 meters high. I would not like to imitate one of those action movies, where the protagonist falls into a river on the way to a waterfall and grabs a tree waiting to be rescued, much less here! In the upper part, the water passes smoothly, as if nothing bad was waiting for later, but what comes is a deep and gloomy canyon where it rushes precipitously.

From the parking lot a trail of about 15 minutes which first reaches an observation deck, and about 200 meters to another viewing point on the first waterfall and on the other side, far away, from the Daisy Lake.

It was the headquarters of the 2010 Winter Games and, although we previously assumed that it was already a winter tourism hub, since then we are increasingly closer to this corner of British Columbia in other times. It was where our first stage of the roadtrip through the Rockies ended and, beyond throwing ourselves to bed and enjoying the environment of our accommodation, we didn't do much more.

But Whistler is a good place to spend a couple of days, if you are one of those insatiable travelers who devour experiences. This is the essential in Whistler:

- Valina Lumina

It is a night walk through the forest, with a light assembly that must be pretty cool. The price is $ 40, and we believe you have to book online well in advance. More info.

- Whistler Peak 2 Peak Gondola and Whistler Village Gondola

In Whistler there are several cable cars that rise in the sky and will allow you to have an incredible bird's eye view. One is the Whistler Village Gondola which is the one you can use if you are visiting Whistler in spring, and the other is the Whistler Peak 2 Peak Gondola which connects two mountains (Whistler and Blackcomb) at more than 3,000 meters high! Keep in mind that it may be closed during the snow season and well into spring. We went in May and it was still closed.

- Cloudraker Skybridge (Whistler Mountain Peak Suspension Bridge)

Another one of those suspension bridges that leave a cliff beneath, in this case 130 meters!

www.whistlerblackcomb.com

We stayed at the HI Whistler, which occupies a building built to house the athletes who participated in the 2010 Olympics. It's about 10 minutes from Whistler, in a very beautiful and well-kept environment. In addition the facilities are super new, with a very cool cafeteria terraces, communal kitchen, and very comfortable rooms. It is part of the HI Canada hostel chain.

Surely now you understand better because the Sea to Sky Highway It is considered one of the most beautiful panoramic roads in the world. To us after touring it, of course, we think so!