Whistler

[buelah111]

Has anyone included a trip to Whistler in their plans in the past? We are going to rent a car in Vancouver spend two nights Whistler before the cruise (returning to Vancouver the day before we sail).

 

I'm curious if you have any suggestions on must-sees? I'm traveling with my parents, so we won't be doing any down-hill mountain biking, etc, but my father and I are looking forward to some great photography opportunities.

 

Thanks!

[Urban trekker]

The entire trip up to Whistler is a photographers delight - keep in mind that there is ongoing road construction the entire length of the highway in preparation for the 2010 Olympics.

 

I will list some of my favorite stops along the way and will suggest that you due them in your direction of travel as crossing the highway etc can be a challenge.

 

1.Britannia Beach and the BC Museum of Mining

2.Shannon Falls

3.Squamish Chief

4.Town of Squamish

5.Tantulus lookout/viewpoint

6.Alice Lake Park

7.Brandywine Falls - a short five minute level walk

8.Whistler Village

 

On the return trip

9. If open drive into the new Olympic winter park - the scenery in there is spectacular

10.Cheakamus Canyon viewpoints

11.Brohm Lake

12.Murrin Lake

13.Porteau Cove

 

I will try and find you a link to a site on the Sea to Sky highway as the road to Whistler is now called.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[buelah111]

Dennis,

 

Thank you so much for your reply! I will definitely be printing this and bringing it along. That link would be great, too, if you find it.

 

If I only had time to do a couple of the stops on the return trip to Vancouver, which would you prioritize? We have to have the rental car returned by one. I know there could be some delays with the road construction, so I don't know if we will be ready to get up early enough to make all those stops. :)

 

I really appreciate your knowledge of the area!

 

Thanks!

Stacy

[Urban trekker]

#9 - as it is a few miles off of the main highway - the other's are all adjacent to the highway and would only require a couple of minutes to pull in a take a picture and then go - you could do #9 on the way up as I am pretty sure that there will be a proper exit lane put in for that junction - this is a new development that just opened a month ago for the Olympics but should also have some good summer activities - here's a link to it:

 

http://www.whistlerolympicpark.com/

 

The following link will take you to a site for Britannia Beach - there are other links to some of the attractions in the area:

 

http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townID=4031

 

Also here's a link to the BC Parks web site - many of the attractions that I mentioned are provincial parks so this will give you some more info:

 

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/regional_maps/vancouver.html

 

From the map click on one of the parks that I mentioned and it will take you there and then there will be an alphabetical index that you can use for the rest

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[margord]

We are also doing Whistler this summer prior to a cruise. However, we are taking the Whistler Mountaineer to and from. We did the Rockie Mountaineer two years ago and it was the most awesome experience. If this is even close we will be thrilled.

 

Marilee

[Urban trekker]

It will be great as it is the same company that runs the Rocky Mountaineer that has started the Whistler service.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[margord]

It will be great as it is the same company that runs the Rocky Mountaineer that has started the Whistler service.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

That was our thoughts too.

 

Marilee

[cruznqueen]

Hi Urban Trekker,

 

We are coming to Vancouver in May for 2 nights prior to departing on the Coral Princess. I was wondering if you think we can do all of the following in one day.

 

Drive to Squamish to see the Chiefton from "Men in Trees". We love that show. Stop at a few places on the way. Then drive back to Vancouver to go thru Stanley Park, up to Capilano Bridge and to Grouse Mountain.

 

We really only have 1 full day in Vancouver and I want to see and do all these things.

 

Any suggestions would be great.

 

Mary

[soccerref]

We are also doing Whistler this summer prior to a cruise. However, we are taking the Whistler Mountaineer to and from. We did the Rockie Mountaineer two years ago and it was the most awesome experience. If this is even close we will be thrilled.

 

Marilee

We did the Rocky Mountaineer and Whistler Mountaineer last summer and loved both. The whistler train is less luxurious but the trip is much shorter. We were incredibly lucky with the weather all day which helps. We thought the scenery on the whistler trip was fantastic - even better than across the Rockies if that is possible- and we loved the town too. We did the cable car up to the top of the mountain and had spectacular views - my 'desktop' photo is a Whistler one!! We also explored the town and then walked out through the woods to a lake (oops.. I forget the name) and thought that was a great experience as well.

Have a wonderful time.

[Urban trekker]

Yes it's doable but it will be a long day - you will need an early start - the only real stop before the Chief would be Shannon Falls which should have a real good flow at that time - give yourself 15 - 20 minutes there - it would be about another 30 minutes to the Chief - do you just want to see the Chief or actually take some time to explore - an hour back to Vancouver - you will want to do Capilano Bridge and Grouse Mountain before Stanley Park unless you want to retrace your route and recross the Lions Gate Bridge - give yourself the afternoon for these two attractions and then on to the Park - if you are in the Park around 5 - 6 PM you may see the cruise ships leaving Vancouver and sailing under the Lions Gate Bridge from Prospect Point which is the first exit off the Bridge - all parking areas in the Park are Pay and the ticket is only good for that stop.

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[vbmom87]

With Vancouver doing a lot of construction for the 2010 Olympic, does anyone have a link for construction delays? We will be in Vancouver mid-June and are thinking of going to Whistler. However, if the drive will be a nightmare, we will just stay in Vancouver.

[Urban trekker]

Here's a link to the construction delay schedule - it is unlikely that there will be any long delays during the daylight hours - most of the closures are at night.

 

http://projects.ch2m.com/TrafficUpdate/weekly-sts.asp

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[vbmom87]

Here's a link to the construction delay schedule - it is unlikely that there will be any long delays during the daylight hours - most of the closures are at night.

 

http://projects.ch2m.com/TrafficUpdate/weekly-sts.asp

 

Hope this helps

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

Thank you so much. I have bookmarked it and if we decide to head to Whistler, I will be prepared. Glad to hear that most likely the construction will not be during daytime.

[vbmom87]

Dennis,

 

Thank you so much for your reply! I will definitely be printing this and bringing it along. That link would be great, too, if you find it.

 

If I only had time to do a couple of the stops on the return trip to Vancouver, which would you prioritize? We have to have the rental car returned by one. I know there could be some delays with the road construction, so I don't know if we will be ready to get up early enough to make all those stops. :)

 

I really appreciate your knowledge of the area!

 

Thanks!

Stacy

 

If you have no other reason to be back before one o'clock, check with your car rental place. They typically charge you an hourly rate for each hour past your originally scheduled return time. Think about it...it might be worth it to you.

[weathermom]

buehlah111

if you're into photography & if the weather is good in whistler - take the gondola up to the peak. The views will take your breath away. You don't need to walk much at all (although you can if you want) & it's an amazing place to take a break & feel like you're truly on top of the world.

 

...also the views along the highway are much more spectacular on the way back to vancouver than they are on the way up... there are several viewpoints right along the highway in the most scenic spots.