Going
to the beach is a far different experience on the North
Shore than across Burrard Inlet in Vancouver (which,
interestingly, is never referred to as the South Shore).
Over here it's rugged from tideline to skyline. Cobble
beaches and rocky outcroppings make beaches on English
Bay look positively cushy by comparison. That being
said, a few soft pockets do exist in places such as
Caulfeild and Ambleside Parks in West
Vancouver, and Cates Park in North Vancouver's
Deep Cove neighbourhood. All are extremely popular with
families on weekends and yet can be almost deserted
on weekdays. Cates has a forested ambience that leads
out to Roche Point, while Ambleside and Caulfeild are
open, windswept expanses. No matter which you choose,
the views of English Bay and Burrard Inlet are terrific.
Caulfeild Park offers the most variety of sandy beach
and shoreline trail. There is a vehicle boat launch
at Cates Park - on several weekends during the summer,
Native canoe regattas are held here.
Whytecliff
Marine Park's rugged shoreline and cobble beach
lie in West Vancouver's Horseshoe Bay neighbourhood.
To find your way to the park, take the Upper Levels
Hwy west to Horseshoe Bay. Turn west onto Marine Drive,
just before the BC Ferries toll booth. Signs point the
way to Whytecliff at all major intersections from here.
The entrance to the park is at the western end of Marine
Drive. If you're in no hurry, enjoy the scenic route
by taking Marine Drive through West Vancouver rather
than the Upper Levels Hwy.
Beside
the beach, interpretive signs explain in words and pictures
the variety of marine life to be found beneath the waves.
Although you have to take most of it on faith, occasional
life forms do bob to the surface, such as the head of
a curious seal or a school of divers. The setting
here at the mouth of Howe Sound is dramatic, with the
vastness of the Strait of Georgia spread out to the
west. Ferries serving Vancouver and Bowen Islands and
the Sunshine Coast glide in and out of nearby Horseshoe
Bay. As the wake from the larger boats hits the shoreline,
it creates surf. Modest though it is, it's an unusual
sight in these sheltered waters.
On
all but the busiest summer weekends, visitors can usually
find a secluded spot with a driftwood log for a backrest.
Follow one of the rough but well-trodden trails that
run along the top of the cliffs. Small sets of rock
stairways lead here and there. A rocky breakwater leads
out to nearby Whyte Islet. At low tide you can clamber
up its steep slopes and find a sheltered spot beneath
a lone shore pine. Keep one eye on the progress of the
tide. It's a cold swim back to shore!
In
the heat of a summer day the only element debatably
more precious than a swimming hole is cool, fresh air.
When you find both together, it's heaven. One of the
best places to find such swimming holes is on the Seymour
River in North Vancouver. Unlike many other streams
and lakes on the North Shore, water in the Seymour is
several degrees warmer owing to the large reservoir
backed up behind the dam, from which a steady volume
is released downstream in order to sustain fish habitat.
Not only does the Seymour register just the right reading
for refreshment but you are almost always assured of
a constant breeze blowing through the valley to wick
off moisture without need of a towel. Yet another benefit
is the proximity of Lower
Seymour Conservation Reserve, through which much
of the Seymour River flows. From the entrance to the
forest, take the well-marked Homestead Trail
(0.6 mile/1 km) to the river. You can hear the river
to the east of the trail before you see it. Follow north
along Homestead until it comes into view, then make
your way down the embankment to the river's boulder-filled
channel.
Although water levels in summer are at their annual
lows, you'll quickly find that there are plunge pools
galore; there'll be one that's just the right size for
you. Remember to wear an old pair of running shoes or
sandals to negotiate your way over the boulders, some
of which are made slippery by algae. You may find that
you are sharing the river with the occasional group
of anglers; however, the Seymour is of proportions generous
enough for all. It would be surprising if, after a quick
look around, you couldn't find a quiet place to yourself.
After all, the Homestead Trail merges with the Fishermans
Trail (see Hiking) and meanders upstream for almost
9 miles (15 km); somewhere along its length, there's
bound to be a swimming hole with your name on it.
Picnic sites are plentiful on the North Shore. In West
Vancouver, you'll find picnic tables and covered shelters
in Whytecliff Marine Park, Lighthouse Park,
and Ambleside Park. All these sites have scenic
ocean vistas.
Sightseers
make their way into the 7,400-acre (2,996 ha) Cypress
Provincial Park from the Upper Levels Hwy in West Vancouver
along a paved highway. Although most visitors ride up
on four wheels, others make do with two. There are four
major switchbacks on the way to the top where the road
ends at Cypress Bowl. The Cypress Park Viewpoint
is at the second of the switchbacks. This is one of
the most frequently visited locations in the park There
is ample room here and an accompanying interpretive
sign identifies the geographical landmarks laid out
before your eyes.
One of the best places to view the Lions is from
the viewpoint (where, conveniently enough, picnic tables
are also located) beside Capilano Lake in Capilano
River Regional Park in North Vancouver. The entrance
to the picnic site is on Capilano Dr, just north of
the Capilano River Fish Hatchery. Another dramatic picnic
setting is beside Lynn Creek at the entrance to Lynn
Headwaters Regional Park. Just inside the park you'll
find four well-spaced picnic tables on a grassy slope
above the creek. This is one of the noisiest locations
in the park as the creek splashes past at a furious
rate. A short 15-minute walk east of the picnic tables
on a connector trail leads to several more picnic tables
at Rice Lake in the Lower Seymour Conservation
Reserve.
Of
all the regional parks on the North Shore, Crippen
Regional Park on Bowen Island holds the crown as
the king of picnic grounds. The latest addition to the
park's Snug Cove picnic shelters are two electric barbeques.
Picnic tables are also arranged elsewhere in the park
beneath the sheltering arms of a cedar grove at Killarney
Lake, a 30-minute walk from Snug Cove.
Both
Cypress and Mount Seymour Provincial Parks have special
areas set aside for picnicking. In Cypress, it's the
tables beside Yew and First Lakes that
offer the prettiest ambience. Yew is an easy 15-minute
walk from the parking lot at Cypress Bowl, while
First Lake is the same distance from the parking lot
at Hollyburn Ridge.
In Mount Seymour Provincial Park you'll find a picnic
area as soon as you arrive at the Kilometre 0
parking lot, a good place to begin or end a mountain-bike
ride through the park. Soon afterwards there's another,
prettier picnic site where the Baden-Powell Trail
crosses Mount Seymour Rd. You can also picnic at two
impressive viewpoints along Mount Seymour Rd. Drive
to the second switchback to reach the Vancouver Lookout,
and then on to the fifth switchback for the Deep
Cove Lookout. It's difficult to overstate how sweeping
the panorama is from either of them.
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