Just getting ready to check out of the hotel and head for the ferry. Yesterday was just awesome, but yet, no time to report everything yet. I had over 80 photos to upload and provide captions for last night.
OK… horrible internet and phone service here in Tofino. We have to come to the lodge to log in. When we get back to our room tonight, I will type up a Whistler reply and when I come to the lodge in the morning, will log on and post it.
WARNING - LONG POST AHEAD (mostly for Nrdsb4)
@Nrdsb4 - So here’s my take on Vancouver/Whistler - we stayed downtown, which was a good central location for what we wanted to do. However, that being said, we didn’t really do anything downtown, except go out for dinner one night at a place called the Cactus Club. We did really enjoy it and it was about a minute walk from our hotel. Now others may disagree with what I’m about to recommend, but I wouldn’t change what we did at all. The first full day there, we drove to a place called Deep Cove (our concierge recommended it); it’s at the beginning of Indian Arm - a really, really long inlet, or arm that’s just north and west of Vancouver proper. Deep Cove was a really quaint little town, and the cove itself (from Indian Arm) was so beautiful. We started out there taking a hike up to a place called Quarry Rock. It’s about a 45-minute walk up through some beautiful forests, and the views from the top were spectacular. You could even see downtown Vancouver off in the distance. Once at the top, we stayed for about 30 minutes, just sitting there, taking in the views. It’s a very well-traveled trail and easy to find if you just ask anyone in town where the trailhead is. Trip down took under 30 minutes. I am SO glad we did it for the views alone at the top. After our hike, we went into town to a place called Honey Donuts - the concierge at our hotel highly recommended it - we had some yummy donuts as a reward for the hike. Then we walked over to the kayak rental place on the beach and rented kayaks for two hours (we actually reserved them before we went on the hike). We got out past the cove, into the inlet, and crossed it to a couple of small islands that we paddled around. If you get close to shore of these islands, you can see all kinds of sea life. We saw LOTS of jellyfish, some sea anemones, and some sea stars (starfish), all less than five feet from the top of the water. The water is so clear that you can see quite far down. And again, the views all around were just spectacular of the mountains as they rose up from the shores of the inlet. I’d paddle a bit, then just stop and take in the scenery around me, then do it again. I’d HIGHLY recommend Deep Cove. We had planned on coming back to the hotel, then renting bikes to ride around Stanley Park, but we were so exhausted from this full day, that we decided to drive our car over to Third Beach, which is where you can see the sunset the best in Stanley Park. Honestly, as we drove around the perimeter of the park to get to Third Beach, I thought, yes, it’s very nice, but it’s another very large park in an urban area and I’ve been to those before. I was glad that we did not make riding bikes around Stanley Park a priority over other things we did. However, if you do decide to do it, check with the concierge at your hotel - they will probably have coupons for bike rentals. I mean, it was a nice view of the water around Vancouver, but the scenery from Deep Cove was so much better. If you go to Deep Cove, you might have to hunt around for parking, but be persistent - you may have to park on one of the side streets where parking is allowed and walk a few blocks into town.
Now for Whistler - take your time on the drive up! One of the maps the concierge gave us had some key places to stop along the way. On the map, there was a quote from the UK Guardian newspaper that called the Sea to Sky Drive, one of the top five in the world. The first place we stopped at was called Shannon Falls; what we didn’t know (because it’s not on the map) is that there’s a Sea to Sky gondola ride you can catch with about a 5-10 minute walk from the base of Shannon Falls. This gondola just opened about a year ago, and it’s about a 15-minute ride to the top - each gondola holds about eight people. And again, the views from the top are absolutely amazing. You’re looking out on the Howe Sound and the water is a spectacular greenish color due to it being glacial water. There’s a suspension bridge to take you over to some trailheads and different views. We didn’t have time to do any hikes from up there since we still had a whole day at Whistler we wanted to plan. But taking the gondola up and down was entirely worth the stop. There’s also a place right next to the gondola called Stawamus Chief. The locals refer to it as The Chief. It’s the largest rock formation other than the Rock of Gibraltar. If you look closely as you’re riding up the Sea to Sky gondola, you’ll see lots of hikers and rock climbers on it. As you get back on the road to Whistler, and pass in front of it, you see a lot more rock climbers. It’s a popular spot. Back on the road, you’ll go through Squamish, then there’s a look out, that I can’t remember the name of, but it starts with a ’T’. Easy five minute thing to do. There’s also another water fall called the Brandywine Fall - it’s also worth the short ten-minute hike from the parking lot to go see. From there, we made no more stops until Whistler, arriving there around 2PM. We got a bite to eat, then headed over to the Whistler ticket booth to buy a Peak 2 Peak ticket for the gondola. Basically what you do is, take the gondola up Whistler Mountain (you’ll see a LOT of mountain bikers, too - they take their bikes up on the gondolas and ride down - it looks quite harrowing), get off, then you can take the Peak 2 Peak from Whistler Mountain over to Blackcomb Mountain. It’s the only peak to peak gondola ride of its kind in the world. When we were in the gondola heading up Whistler mountain, and I first saw the Peak 2 Peak off in the distance, I said, “There’s no way on hell I’m getting on that thing.” But someone told me, it’s really no big deal because it’s a rather large gondola - and they were right… the Peak 2 Peak gondola probably holds at least 15 people, and the views, again, were amazing! We could see some cool glaciers. If you really want to ‘up’ the experience, there are glass-bottom gondolas you can ride on the Peak 2 Peak. The Peak 2 Peak takes about 12 minutes to get across.
(end part 1)
PART 2
Once we got over to Blackcomb, we did a small hike on the Alpine Trail - it is just under a mile loop, but because there are so many rocks along the trail, it does take almost an hour - not really much elevation change, but the rocks make it go slow. We got a different view of the glaciers from there. By the time we got back from the Alpine Trail loop, the Peak 2 Peak gondola had already closed, so we had to take the chair lift down from Blackcomb. And again, at first I was a bit put off, because sometimes I don’t do heights very well, but once we got on the chairs, I was SO glad we did it and didn’t take the Peak 2 Peak back to Whistler, then take a gondola back down. The two of us got on that chairlift, and it was just incredible. You absolutely heard nothing, except when the chair would cross the poles… the beauty was amazing all around. You could see the Whistler as well as a couple of glacial lakes. And we saw a bear from the chair lift! We were so surprised, and thankfully I did have my camera out and got a couple of pictures of him! We also saw lots of marmots at the tops of the mountains. After we got back down, we got some gelato (it was only OK), then headed back to Vancouver. We made one last stop at Alexander Falls (I think that’s the name - and it was a tiny side-trip off of the main highway), and pretty neat. The locals will tell you all the rivers and water falls are running very low this year due to minimal rain. The lake you can see from Brandywine Falls is way low… sort of reminded me of what Lake Travis looked like outside of Austin until they got all their rain this spring.
Having had just part of a day at Whistler/Blackcomb, we really didn’t have time to do any lengthy hiking, and I’m sure we missed some great places, but it is what it is. What we did see was just gorgeous and I’m glad we squeezed in what we did. Whistler Village is sort of beautiful, but in a very planned out way - lots of stores you could see at any major shopping area across the country - North Face, Patagonia, Body Shop, Under Armour, etc. If I were ever to spend more time in Whistler, it would be to explore the mountains a bit more, as opposed to shopping around Whistler Village (although you have to take the obligatory picture of the Olympic rings at the Olympic Plaza). The place was pretty packed with people, but is landscaped very nice and manicured. I thought it was interesting that every other place we’ve been to in BC, watering of the grass is not allowed due to the drought, but around Whistler Village and Blackcomb, all the grass is very green and they obviously water.
One more thing, traffic going and coming across Lion’s Gate Bridge was horrible, and you have no options when you’re going in/out of downtown Vancouver (going to Deep Cove is a different bridge). Coming back into Vancouver from Whistler took us at least 30 minutes to get across due to construction. When you head back to Seattle from Whistler, you have to take the Lion’s Gate Bridge, so give yourself plenty of time just for that part of the journey. Every place we’ve come across so far has taken U.S. dollars, which has been nice.
WOW! @Teriwtt, I can’t thank you enough.
I’m reading through your posts and I keep thinking about this terror of heights I have and how much that could interfere with enjoying this trip. It seems incredibly unfair to DH, who works so hard to make the money to pay for these trips, to hold him back because I’m afraid to do these things. He could go alone, but he would not enjoy it as much because he wants to share these experiences with me.
It sounds so incredible. I think of how great it would be to have those memories. I just don’t know how to get myself to that place.
I will print your posts and read them over many times!
I, too, have difficulty with heights and posted about some trails we hiked along the Oregon coast last year and how horrifying they were to me. The things I recommended are really not bad at all. And the chair lift down from Blackcomb was totally worth it, and I was so comfortable! All the gondolas are completely enclosed, and so big that some people stand up in them to take pictures from all vantage points. Once you’re outside on the mountains, there’s so much space to walk around where you’re absolutely no where near any kind of cliff, that it makes it easy to do. There’s really even nothing in the drive up to Whistler that is harrowing. And I often times have a really hard time when H is driving in the mountains and I’m the passenger… like I can’t look out the window at all. The stuff I recommended is pretty easy stuff once you get on. It just looks scary as you’re observing it before getting on.
Thanks for detailed commentary! Saving it for my next trip there; I’ve been to Whistler in the winter but never summer. Hope you will post a detailed report on Tofino, too!
So I just called our VISA card to inform them of travel plans. They literally said “Is your husband there? We can only speak to him.” I am simply an “authorized user” and cannot do anything other than charge thousands of dollars on this card.
I think my BP just went up 20 or 30 points.
@nottelling - I could write a whole book about our first full day here - weather was fantastic and I was feeling brave (maybe from all the stuff I did at Whistler that I’m telling Nrdsb4 to do) and we took a sea plane about 20 minutes up the coast to the hot springs; the other option was to take a boat that would have taken over an hour and a half, and Id didn’t want to do that - sometimes I get motion sickness easily. I can’t even find words to describe the beauty and experience (but you know, me, I will eventually!). I’ve got about 70 photos and a couple of videos (take off and landing in sea plane) to upload tonight. We also saw a whale from the plane. Phenomenal day. It could rain the rest of the week and I’d be satisfied after today. This country is just beautiful in so many ways.
I’m so happy you are enjoying it!!! I love Tofino so much! I’ve taken the boat to those hot springs but never the sea plane. How exciting!
@teriwtt, IF you get online and IF you have time, I’d love to hear how your border crossing went and if you have any additional insight. Don’t worry if you don’t get this or have time or inclination to post. We’re leaving in the a.m. and will figure it out at any rate. So glad you are having fun!
What is your border crossing question?
Weekday crossings are usually about 15 minutes. Fridays and Sundays back up more. Have passports ready and don’t bring fruits or vegetables.
@somemom, and @Magnetron,
Thanks, guys! I was reading about this on TripAdvisor, and they are talking about 2-3 hour waits, and how you have to watch your border apps to figure out which crossing location has the best wait times, etc. Seems kind of intense!
If you are driving from Seattle you can cross at Peace Arch, you never even leave the freeway, or you can exit #275 the Pacific Highway truck crossing. It’s not really out of your way, the 5 is like the hypotenuse of a triangle and the truck crossing is the two sides & 90 degree angle.
You can also drive 15 minutes east to the Lynden-Aldergrove crossing if the waits are bad.
You can listen to AM 1130, they give traffic every ten minutes “on the ones” and generally include border reports, there are also some signs on the freeway that report wait times.
There are sometimes 1-2-3-4 hour waits, but that would generally be a holiday and also, with the Canadian dollar so low now, there are literally thousands less Canadians coming down to shop, so not that likely to hit huge crowds. If you are not going on Labor Day, I would not be too worried, just check the report on the radio 30-60 minutes before you get there.
Sorry Nrdsb4, I missed the dates and location of your trip.
@Nrdsb4 - border crossing last Thursday night took us about five minutes, but it was very late at night (maybe 10:30 or so). There were only two other cars in our line ahead of us. They asked us some basic questions, like where are we from, where are we going, why are we going to Vancouver, how long we’ll stay, what we do (jobs) back in Illinois, then sent us on our way.
Well, I don’t want to take over Nrdsb4’s thread, so perhaps I will drudge up my old thread I started when I was trying to decide where to go. After our day at the hot springs on Monday, we did a lot of hiking yesterday and today, although you have to drive to multiple trail heads since no trails are really any longer than a couple of kilometers. Today we did one hike on a trail to a beach, then walked along the beach for quite a ways. Then came back to the lodge because we desperately needed to do laundry and just have some down time. Currently sitting in the lodge looking out over the Pacific while my wash is in the dryer and trying to catch up on a couple of threads.
Will make this offer for anyone wanting to see more/hear more - if you’d like to see my pictures and commentary on this trip on Facebook, I’m more than willing to friend anyone (who I’m not already friends with). I’m not a prolific Facebook user - I probably post once or twice a week on average, except for when I’m traveling!
Just send me a PM and I’ll share my real name so you can do a friend search.
@Nrdsb4 - I forgot to mention, when we were in Vancouver, people didn’t even blink when we handed them U.S. dollars. When we stopped a couple of times along the wayside on our way up to Whistler in very small towns, they would take the U.S. dollars, but I could tell they would have preferred Canadian, but we didn’t have any, so I’d charge really small amounts. If you can collect some Canadian currency before heading up to Whistler, I’d do it. We just never got around to going to an ATM and getting any after crossing. Today when we wanted to do laundry, we had to get creative with the front desk staff at our lodge to get some Canadian currency to use in the machines. We have left housekeeping staff tips in both U.S. and Canadian, although I’m sure they’d prefer Canadian.
Thanks, Teri! I’d love to hear the report but I’m one of the few remaining Luddites who has never joined Facebook. 
Sounds like you are having a great time! Have you tried stand-up paddle boarding? Easy and lots of fun in that area.
U.S. dollars have always been accepted almost anywhere in Canada and, of course, it isn’t surprising that they are being gladly accepted now with the exchange rate so favorable for U.S. currency. If they have allowed for any exchange at all, it is certain to be less than you would get at a bank.
Teri, I can’t recall whether you are driving back to Seattle to fly home. If so, since you have seen so much dramatic beauty and so many coastal vistas, you may want to ignore my previous recommendation to detour from I-5 and take Chuckanut Drive. It may seem a little redundant after all of your adventures.
I am a creature of habit and like to go to Vancouver to explore the city on a small scale, just looking at neighborhoods, houses, outdoor spaces, gardens, art installations, markets; biking; and taking in vignettes of the different cultures and communities celebrating or relaxing along the many waterfront parks and beaches. It’s the little “snapshots” that stay with me.
Chuckanut Drive provides access to scenery similar to that available from the Amtrak route between Seattle and Vancouver, with spectacular views. It’s delightful, a good break from I-5, and a good bet for people who have gone straight up I-5 to Vancouver without heading over to the coast, but it may be similar to what you’ve already experienced up north on the way to Whistler, eh?