Top 5 Victoria Day Long Weekend Daytrips from Vancouver

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.

• Golden Ears Provincial Park: For a glimpse of B.C.’s rugged backcountry, head to Golden Ears, which is about 90 minutes from Vancouver just outside of Maple Ridge.  Take a dip in the crystalline waters of Alouette Lake or opt for adventure on the network of trails that wind along rivers, waterfalls and high into the alpine country.

Photo credit: Frosty_White_Raven | Flickr

• Reifel Bird Sanctuary:  It’s amazing how many lifelong Vancouverites have never been to this 850-acre wildlife preserve in Delta, about one hour outside of Vancouver.  Trails weave through ponds and marshes and converge on the scenic Fraser River Delta.  Along the way you’ll see dozens (if not hundreds) of native and migrating bird species.  And you can buy birdseed at the gate for just $1.

• Buntzen Lake:  This 4.8-kilometer-long B.C. Hydro reservoir high above Port Moody feels like a hidden getaway but is only an hour outside of Vancouver.  It’s especially popular among families who picnic along the grassy shore and kids who swim in the calm water.  Nice hiking trails rim the thickly forested lake and climb into the surrounding mountains.

• Deep Cove:  The closest thing Vancouver has to a cottage community, Deep Cove is an idyllic little town nestled along Indian Arm, a glacial fjord that extends north from Burrard Inlet, about 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver.  Popular activities kayaking in the usually calm waters of Indian Arm, relaxing at waterfront parks or hiking along trails that climb into the mountains outside of town.

Got more Long Weekend  daytrip ideas?  Please let us know. 

Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2012/05/16/back-to-nature-top-5-victoria-day-long-weekend-daytrips-from-vancouver/