How much time would you spend at these locations?
Mar 24th, 2005 | 11:28 AM
#3
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 24
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I noticed you mentioned hiking on Grouse Mountain, does this mean the skiing will be closed on Grouse Mountain by the second week in April? I am currently going to spend 1.5 days in Vancouver, 1 in Victoria, and 1 in Whistler. However I am planning on not staying overnight in Whistler(I will be there during the Telus festival) so that I can have 2 extra hours of daylight to see either Granville, the Chinese Garden, or the Queen Elizabeth Gardens. Do you think that it is better to see the night activities at Whistler or come back on the bus that departs at 8:30 PM so that I can see one of those Vancouver sights?
Mar 24th, 2005 | 01:20 PM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 916
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I haven't been to Grouse in ages, but I live downtown Vancouver and know that the three local mountains, Cypress, Grouse and Seymour have had the worst ski season in likely history. It's been incredibly warm and dry in Vancouver throughout the winter that there hasn't been enough precipitation for snow. When snow does fall, it tends to melt away within a day or two. I honestly don't remember a time when the mountains have been this bare.
If your purpose to visit Grouse is for panoramic views of the city, be sure to go on a day when it's clear out. If your purpose is to go skiing, I'd contact Grouse and check out their skiing conditions. Their website is at http://www.grousemountain.com
As BAK mentioned, if you plan to hike, you can really spend the entire day there. Normally there's snow on the mountains in April, but as I said previously, this year the snow has been miserably lacking.
Capilano Suspension Bridge is a tourist trap - it's about $20 to enter the attraction. There is the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge down the highway at Lynn Canyon park, a 10 minute drive away from Capilano. It's completely free and gives you more parkspace for hiking. There are waterfalls, creekbeds, regular hiking trails and non-suspension bridges as well. You could spend an hour to two hours (or more) at Lynn Canyon.
Gastown is also quite touristy in nature - lots of touristy souvenir shops. You could spend about an hour here, although, you could include it with Chinatown, along Pender Street, to the east, in which you could tack on another hour. Or you could include a visit to Gastown with Yaletown, to the south, for more upscale boutique shopping and trendy restaurants. Yaletown, though the epitome of Vancouver's yuppy community, isn't touristy.
Robson Street has a lot of shops and restaurants. You could walk down one end to the other in 40 minutes. At the extreme western end of Robson Street is Stanley Park, which I would personally recommend over all the attractions you mentioned if you had really limited time.
Be sure to also walk down Denman Street (off Robson) south towards English Bay for more of a local's neighbourhood with great little cafes and a scenic beach area.
If your purpose to visit Grouse is for panoramic views of the city, be sure to go on a day when it's clear out. If your purpose is to go skiing, I'd contact Grouse and check out their skiing conditions. Their website is at http://www.grousemountain.com
As BAK mentioned, if you plan to hike, you can really spend the entire day there. Normally there's snow on the mountains in April, but as I said previously, this year the snow has been miserably lacking.
Capilano Suspension Bridge is a tourist trap - it's about $20 to enter the attraction. There is the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge down the highway at Lynn Canyon park, a 10 minute drive away from Capilano. It's completely free and gives you more parkspace for hiking. There are waterfalls, creekbeds, regular hiking trails and non-suspension bridges as well. You could spend an hour to two hours (or more) at Lynn Canyon.
Gastown is also quite touristy in nature - lots of touristy souvenir shops. You could spend about an hour here, although, you could include it with Chinatown, along Pender Street, to the east, in which you could tack on another hour. Or you could include a visit to Gastown with Yaletown, to the south, for more upscale boutique shopping and trendy restaurants. Yaletown, though the epitome of Vancouver's yuppy community, isn't touristy.
Robson Street has a lot of shops and restaurants. You could walk down one end to the other in 40 minutes. At the extreme western end of Robson Street is Stanley Park, which I would personally recommend over all the attractions you mentioned if you had really limited time.
Be sure to also walk down Denman Street (off Robson) south towards English Bay for more of a local's neighbourhood with great little cafes and a scenic beach area.
