Inside Vancouver

Top 5 Victoria Day Long Weekend Daytrips from Vancouver

by Remy Scalza in Outside on May 16, 2012

Photo credit: jvde | Flickr

Planning a staycation for this Victoria Day Long Weekend? Don’t worry – You can still get out of the city, soak up B.C.’s natural splendours and be home in time for dinner.

Here are five long weekend daytrip ideas. All of these options are within a 90-minute drive of downtown Vancouver and emphasize the great outdoors. Got more ideas? Please comment below.

Whytecliff Park: This 15-hectare waterfront park in Horseshoe Bay is only 30-45 minutes from the concrete jungles of downtown Vancouver. It features a small, sandy beach, cliffs plunging dramatically to the brisk waters of Howe Sound and even a little island you can swim to that sits just offshore. For families, there’s a large grassy picnic area with changing rooms.

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Top 5 Victoria Day Long Weekend Daytrips from Vancouver

Signs of Summer at Queen Elizabeth Park

by Dana Lynch in Outside on May 14, 2012

Running through the fountains atop Queen Elizabeth Park. Photo: Dana Lynch

Summer is coming! If the approaching long May weekend isn’t enough to convince you, then how about these pictures from Queen Elizabeth Park—You know summer is coming when the weather is warm enough for kids to run through Queen E’s dancing fountains!*

My family and I headed to Queen Elizabeth Park for part of Mother’s Day yesterday, and the scene there was just idyllic! Barefoot babies in the fountain, flowers in bloom throughout the free quarry gardens, clear skies making it easy to see all of downtown Vancouver from atop the park (the highest point in the city)—It was one of those days that made me feel lucky to live in Vancouver, one of the most gorgeous cities on earth!

Check out the photos for a peak at early summer at Queen Elizabeth Park:

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Signs of Summer at Queen Elizabeth Park

Sun, skis and bikinis: Spring Skiing through April 29 in Vancouver

by Remy Scalza in Outside on April 24, 2012

Photo credit: Photo-John | Flickr

Anyone ready for some spring skiing?

With the sun finally shining and the weather practically balmy, you might be thinking about heading to the beach. But it’s not too late to get some time in on the slopes.

Grouse Mountain had a near record year in terms of snowfall, with a whopping 1,100 centimetres of snow since last fall (Remember all that rain we had in the city? Well, that was all white stuff in the North Shore mountains).

Even with the warm temperatures over the weekend, Grouse still has a 518-centimetre base at the peak. With all that snow, the mountain plans to stay open to skiers for at least another week, until April 29. Continue reading:
Sun, skis and bikinis: Spring Skiing through April 29 in Vancouver

Spring getaway by rail on the iconic Rocky Mountaineer

by Taraneh in Outside on March 29, 2012

Rocky Mountaineer's First Passage to the West route. Image credit: Rocky Mountaineer

I’m a sucker for the romance of train travel, and spring is the ideal time to get back on track. The iconic, BC-based Rocky Mountaineer rail service launches its seasonal First Passage to the West route from Vancouver to Banff starting April 23.

Trains are the historic connectors of western identity, and Rocky Mountaineer trains single handedly elevated western train travel from necessity to scenic luxury. The family-owned rail service has won 7 World Travel Awards since its start in 1990, including the recently announced “World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train” at the 2011 WTAs.

April travel into the Canadian Rockies – a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site – promises snow-capped mountains, flowers in bloom, bursting waterfalls and plenty of bears, eagles and the occasional lanky moose. Find out more about the spring getaways from Vancouver to Banff after the jump. Continue reading:
Spring getaway by rail on the iconic Rocky Mountaineer

The 5 best spots to view cherry blossoms now

by Taraneh in Outside on March 17, 2012

Although the 2012 Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (VCBF) doesn’t officially start until April 5, several eager cherry trees around town are already sporting dark pink buds and frilly, ballerina blooms.

Today is also the first official meeting of the VCBF Cherry Scouts – a buccaneering group of volunteers that go about town armed with cameras, reporting the latest blossom intel. The Cherry Scouts make reports in the UBC Botanical Garden Forum before updating the VCBF Blooming Now page with map.

By the end of the cherry blossom festivities April 28, the Cherry Scouts will have mapped 800 blossoming locations throughout Vancouver. But as of March 17, here are the top five spots for scoping early cherry blossoms. Continue reading:
The 5 best spots to view cherry blossoms now

Top 5 Victoria Day Long Weekend Daytrips from Vancouver

Signs of Summer at Queen Elizabeth Park

Sun, skis and bikinis: Spring Skiing through April 29 in Vancouver

Spring getaway by rail on the iconic Rocky Mountaineer

The 5 best spots to view cherry blossoms now

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