Vancouver + Whistler

Okay, so this post is massively delayed, but I’m following the mantra “better late than never!”. Alex and I visited Vancouver and Whistler at the beginning of September where we spent the week.

With the time change, we didn’t arrive until early evening the first night in Vancouver. Our hotel was downtown, so we spent time walking along the pier nearby before grabbing dinner. Vancouver ranks 34th in the world for the least sunshine year round, so I considered ourselves lucky when we woke up the next morning to a bit of sunny skies! We started the day walking around the busy port and watching the sea planes takeoff and land which was extremely thrilling to see!

After getting our fill of sea planes, we made our way to Stanley Park and the Seawall. Stanley Park covers 1,000 acres right in downtown. It is home to wildlife, trails, landmarks and a few restaurants. My favorite part of Stanley Park is the Seawall, the world’s longest, uninterrupted waterfront path, hugging the coastline for 14 miles! We didn’t complete the full trail, but enjoyed the views of Vancouver.

We then took the world’s most adorable ferry across the water to Granville Island Market. The island is home to multiple food vendors, locally made art and crafts and live music. It was fun to explore and check out all the shops and food options.

We spent the remainder of the day exploring several neighborhoods including Gastown and Grandview. Although our time was short in Vancouver, we really enjoyed getting to explore this new to us city!

Food: Vancouver Urban Winery, Harbour Oyster + Bar, and L’Abattoir

First thing Monday morning, we picked up our rental car and drove the 1 hour 30 minutes to Whistler. Following along Highway 99, the route from Vancouver to Whistler is known as the Sea to Sky Highway. I had downloaded an audio tour through my beloved GyPSy Guide (we used this in Hawaii and loved it). The App follows along the route and points out designated stops and interesting facts about the area. I wouldn’t say this was my favorite guide as most of the commentary was in regards to the 2010 Olympics, but there were definitely some interesting facts I picked up! My favorite being the Olympic organizers had to bring in snow from another mountain area as Whistler did not receive enough snow that year for the ski and winter competitions!

On our first morning in Whistler, we drove to Garibaldi Provincial Park, a wilderness park, with over 55-miles of hiking trails. One of the easier hikes in the park is Cheakamus Lake which follows along a gorgeous turquoise lake and is surrounded by mountains and forests. We had a beautiful day for hiking and really enjoyed the scenery! At the start of the hike, we noticed an alert that the campground was closed due to an “aggressive bear in the area". We did not see any bears while hiking, but as we headed back to the parking lot, we ran into two women who said they had just saw a bear run across the trail and to keep an eye out. A good reminder why it is so important to have bear spray handy!

The white string-looking creature is a Horsehair Worm!

My favorite hike we did in Whistler was the Joffre Lakes trail in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park. As this is one of the more popular hikes in the area, it was necessary to reserve a parking pass in advance. This 6-mile hike leads to three different lakes (Lower, Middle an Upper Lakes) and is surrounded by forrest, mountains and amazing views!

On a recommendation from our server the day before, we stoped at The Beer Farmers, a family brewery, not far from the Joffre Lakes Trail. We lucked out with beautiful weather and it was so nice ending our hike with a little craft beer in a gorgeous setting.

So, this is the point in the story, where things were looking great, but suddenly took a major turn for the worse! Sometime overnight, Alex woke with a horrible stomachache, chills and most likely a fever. He was in pretty poor shape, one of the sickest I’ve ever seen him. It was not good! I did head to town that morning to pick up some medication and a rapid Covid test. Thankfully, the Covid test came back negative, but Alex was in no position to go out for our hike that day. As it is bear country, I did not feel comfortable going on our planned hike alone (safety first), nor did I want to spend an extended time in the hotel room for fear of getting whatever Alex had, so I took myself out for a little walking tour of Whistler. I hate saying it, given how awful Alex felt, but I ended up having a lovely day! I went for a short hike around a nearby lake, picked up a fresh smoothie, browsed the shops in Whistler Village and ended the day with a beer on the patio!

Thankfully, Alex woke up the following day feeling better, not 100%, but it was definitely an improvement from the day before. This was our last full-day in Canada and we were scheduled to drive back to Vancouver where we would be flying out. We followed the same Sea to Sky route and stopped once in Squamish to ride the Sea to Sky Gondola. The gondola takes you up the mountain (2,904 feet above sea level!) where you can see Howe Sound and the mountains around it. There is a suspension bridge at the top, viewing platforms and a few short trails where you can wander around. We also spent some time at the Summit Lodge where I got some lunch and a beer. Alex still didn’t have much of an appetite, but I enjoyed it!

Overall, sickness aside, it was a really nice trip! It is a beautiful area and am so happy we were able to visit.

Food: Red Door Bistro, Alta Bistro and Peaked Pies

Treats: COWS