Squamish & Vancouver

We took our trip to British Columbia in late May & early June of 2025. Our kids were 13, 11 & 6 at the time.

We stayed in the town of Squamish, about an hour north of Vancouver. We are so glad we stayed there! It was beautiful and closer to most of what we wanted to do. Driving along the Howe Sound was amazing. I got to see a whale come up for air one time when we were driving!

We did have a few things we wanted to do that were kind of far from Squamish, so we planned to do them on our drive from Washington to Squamish to maximize our time. Those two were Lynn Canyon & Grouse Mountain. The other things we did were day trips from Squamish.

Lynn Canyon

I chose Lynn Canyon because it was free, had a huge suspension bridge (you can see a waterfall while on the bridge), pretty hikes and wasn’t as crowded as Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Definitely look at what Capilano has to offer though. They had activities that Lynn Canyon didn’t. But for us Lynn Canyon felt like the right fit. It was very pretty. We did 2 hikes. I think they were called Twin Falls & 30 Foot Pool.

Grouse Mountain

We couldn’t control what time we went very much because we did it on our drive toward Squamish after Lynn Canyon. But if you can look at the shows to see what you want to see to time your visit that would be better. We didn’t get to see much. There was a gondola ride up and down, there were grizzly bears at the top that were very cool to see (one was even playing in the water with a log!) and a brief owl talk. There was a Beaver Tail (dessert) stand up there and a gift shop. The views were nice, but we wish there had been more to do for the price we paid.

Copper Cayuse Outfitters (Horseback Ride) in Pemberton

This was about an hour and 20 minute drive to Pemberton. But we wanted to see a few other things North of Squamish, so we just combined them the same day. We did an hour horseback ride. It started along a road then went down to cross a river. We rode in a forested area for a while before crossing the river again to go back along the road and back to the ranch. The guides were very nice. Our 6 year old was riding for the first time and they had a lead rope to keep his horse right with our guide the whole time. 

Alexander Falls (on the Sea to Sky Highway)

This waterfall was maybe a 20 foot walk from our car once we parked. It had a viewing area to see the waterfall. When we were there (end of May) it was huge and rushing with water. This stop didn’t take long as it was just a viewpoint. It was impressive though.

Shannon Falls (Sea to Sky Highway)

This was only 10 minutes from Squamish.  It was amazing. It wasn’t much of a hike and was mostly paved; but there was a pretty river with beautiful cascades as well. Then the waterfall was really big and powerful. There were two viewpoints. The lower one was pretty and the upper one we were close enough we were getting sprayed with water.

Squamish River/Watershed Grill

We didn’t get to eat at the Watershed Grill. As far as we saw there was almost no parking. So when we tried we had to go elsewhere. But, we did walk along the river one morning. It was really pretty with the mountains behind it. We got to see the outside of the Watershed Grill, which is used for filming in the show Virgin River (Jack’s Bar). It wasn’t exactly exciting, but it was a pretty walk and something when we watch the show we can say we’ve been there.

Britannia Mine Museum

This was only about 15 minutes south of Squamish. There was a place to pan for gold and gems (we got to keep what we found) after we got checked in. There was a massive dump truck too that we could get close to. My husband was only a little over half the height of a tire! The boys thought that dump truck was very cool. 

It does take a few minutes to walk up to where the tour starts. The view of the Howe sound from where the mine tour starts was beautiful. I thought the whole tour was going to be riding a mine cart through the mines. I was quite wrong. We did ride on a mine track in a train kind of thing, but it was for maybe 100 feet or so. Then we got out and listened to the guide talk about mining and what tools they used. 

After the mine tour we went to the mill there for a Boom show. I thought that was going to be kind of lame. But it wasn’t just a video. They let us look around in the mill before it started. Then we sat down to watch the show. It explained about the mill and what had happened in each area. When it would talk about an area it would light up or have sparks flying from it and the noises that would have been happening started. Then at one point the mine cart went zooming up the tracks and fell back down. It was actually pretty cool. 

Mamquam Falls Trail

We went to the Mamquam Falls Trail. It was a pretty forest; but it was quite crowded (Sunday). We were surprised because the road to get there was really bad with pot holes. The hike had a lot of construction signs when we went. It wasn’t my favorite hike, but it was one of the prettiest waterfalls we saw. I loved the stunning aqua color of the water. I’m sure normally this hike is much better without the construction. I did feel a little rushed at the waterfall. The viewing area wasn’t huge, and there were quite a few people. So I felt like I needed to see it and then move out of the way. Maybe on a weekday it is less crowded. I’d still go back though. It really was a pretty waterfall and the water color was something I’d never seen before. It was so beautiful.

Brandywine Falls Provincial Park

Brandywine Falls is really tall and cool to see, but it doesn’t really have a hike. More of a walk from the parking to the viewing area.

On our way out we saw a sign for a hike to Lava Lake that said 1.4 km. So we gave that a try. It was quite steep at the beginning. It wasn’t the prettiest hike. Now that I’m looking at a map, I think it may just be part of a longer hike. We didn’t really think the lake was worth the hike, but we did turn around and go back down once we found it. So I don’t know what more was on that trail since it was a spur of the moment decision.

Tantalus Lookout

This is a roadside pull off to look at the mountains on the Sea to Sky Highway. It was really pretty though. We spent less than 5 minutes doing this. I’m pretty sure we were only okay to pull off if we were going the direction that the look out was on.

Vancouver

We didn’t get to spend much time in Vancouver, but we did make a day trip there one day. We used the public transportation in Vancouver the day we went into Vancouver. They had lots set up to park and pay a small fee ($3 Canadian, when we went) to leave the car there the whole day. The train came right to our lot and we were able to easily buy day pass tickets that let us use the train and the buses that day. 

The lot we chose was on the outskirt of Vancouver and was pretty far from where we were going. So we did wind up spending almost an hour on public transportation to get to where we wanted and then again to get back.

Their buses and trains were easy to use and Google maps worked great for telling us which ones to get on. I would look for a closer parking lot if I went again.

-Granville Island

I didn’t really process how long traveling from Squamish and then the public transportation would take; so we didn’t have a lot of time at Granville Island. It is not exactly an island. It can be driven onto and is connected by land. We went to a giant toy store that our kids loved. We also had lunch at a market there. It had lots of different permanent stalls for vendors. I can’t remember where we ate. But we got to go to three different places between the 5 of us. My husband and son said the sea food they got was good. There were dessert places too and the ones we picked out were very good. We sat outside on a long picnic table. There were quite a few. I liked that experience. There were a couple women sitting next to us, at the same table, who asked if we were visiting. They noticed because kids there were still in school. They gave us some ideas on places to go and things to see. So talking to them was nice.

-Stanley Park/Vancouver Aquarium

We took an aquabus across False Creek to get closer to Stanley Park. The Aquabus was not included on the public transportation day pass. We had never been on an aquabus before so that was a fun experience. Then we walked to Stanley Park. We got to walk along a beach for a while at one point. It wasn’t the prettiest beach, but we could see ships and such. The walk through Stanley Park was nice. We stopped at a playground along the way that my boys thought was a lot of fun. There was a concession stand at one point that we stopped for some drinks at. We walked on trails and along a pond for a while and eventually made it to the aquarium. 

The Vancouver Aquarium was huge. It had so much to see. We spent about an hour and a half there. It had sea lions, seals, normal fish, jelly fish and such. But it also had a sloth, frogs and other animals too. 

Hotels & Restaurants

Squamish & surrounding areas

The hotel we liked

We stayed at the Sandman Hotel & Suites in Squamish.

We really liked:

-Location -Friendly Staff -Comfy Beds -A pool with a waterslide

Restaurants I’d go to again

Boston Pizza

-We are there a few times at different locations in British Columbia. The pizzas were good. 

Vancouver

Restaurants I’d go to again

Jack Lonsdale’s Public House

-”It had awesome fish & chips” My 11 year old son

-I really liked the cajon chicken sandwich I got and the cajon fries were SO good. 

-We went at lunch time & kids were welcome

Overall

I would go back to this area for sure. There was so much we didn’t get to see. I could easily plan another trip and not repeat anything. It was hard to choose what we would do and what had to be left off.