The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant

The first thing I noticed about Vancouver is that despite being a big city, no matter where you are, you can look to the end of a street and catch a glimpse of water, mountains or dense pine forests. In a matter of 30 minutes, you can literally be on a hiking trail, a ski slope a sea plane or a kayak. This is a city filled with active people who don’t take for granted their beautiful surroundings.

So for my last day in Vancouver, I decide to take advantage of some of Vancouver’s outdoor attractions. After a quick cup of coffee, the concierge at the Sheraton helps me plan out my day. Directly across the street from the hotel is the free shuttle to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, and I board with a ticket already in hand. We make a couple of stops and then cross the Lions Gate Bridge, arriving at the park 30 minutes later.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is one of Vancouver’s most popular tourist attractions. The suspension bridge, which was originally constructed in 1889, is 460 feet long and 230 feet high. As I walk across, I am literally surrounded by forest, and the Vancouver River gently flows 200 feet below my feet.

Once on the other side of the bridge, I follow the Nature’s Edge Boardwalk trail and get to see 1,300 year old Douglas Fir Trees, trout ponds, and dense, lush rainforest.

I then find the stairwell to the start of the Treetops Adventure, which is a series of smaller suspension bridges connected in the treetops. I spend the next fifteen minutes walking through the rainforest at approximately 100 feet up in the air.

I make my way back across the main suspension bridge to the other side of the park and head over to the Cliff Walk, a glass and steel walkway that is anchored to a granite cliff to my right. Here, I am afforded a full view of the Capilano Suspension Bridge behind me, and a knee-wobbling walk cliffside walk.

From Capilano, I make my way to Grouse Mountain, a popular ski destination in the winter and a summertime hiking spot. I take the local bus from outside Capilano and arrive at the base of Grouse Mountain in under 15 minutes.

At the ticket window is a weather forecast indicating partial views from the top of the mountain, but I’m optimistic and purchase the $50 Peak Experience ticket. This will take me on the Skyride to the top of the mountain and then I can continue on to the mountain peak via the ski lift.

During the six-minute ride on the Alpine Experience, we cover one mile, and before ascending into clouds, we see partial views of Vancouver, watching as it gets smaller and smaller below. When we finally do step off the gondola at the top, the temperature has dropped a good 20 degrees, and we are literally in the clouds.

I follow the walking path away from the cafes and giftshop, and make my way over to the bear habitat. Here, two orphaned grizzly bears, Grinder and Coola, have made themselves at home.  The bears meander through their ‘forest’ working their way down to a small lake, where they both jump in for a swim.

A few steps away is the Peak Lift, which will take me to the very top of Grouse Mountain. I board the lift and ascend through more clouds to the mountaintop. Up here is a zipline adventure course, a wind turbine and more wildlife.  I feel miles away from city life, despite the almost panoramic views of Vancouver just 2,000 feet below.

I make my way back down the ski lift, and follow the walking path back to the gondola. I wait in line with other tourists, employees, and hikers who have completed the almost 2-mile trek up. They pay just $10 to take the lift back down.

At the base, I get a ticket for the free shuttle back to Canada Place downtown. I have a few minutes to wait, so the lady recommends I grab a coffee at the local cafe. 30 minutes later, I am on my way back downtown, taking in the beauty of the area surrounding Grouse Mountain. We cross back over Lions Gate Bridge, as the sun starts to make its way down in the west. Moments later, we are dropped off at Canada Place, and I begin the brisk walk up Burrard Street to the Sheraton.

With only one night left in Vancouver, and only about one hour of daylight remaining, I jump in a cab to Granville Island. We make it in time to peek into the massive market and a few shops and then head to The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant for our last dinner in Vancouver.

We head upstairs to the main restaurant, and the host leads us to a small booth for two. To my right are views into the open kitchen and to our left are panoramic windows with views of the waterfront, sailboats and the underside of the Granville Bridge. For a Monday night, this restaurant is packed, and I mentally thank the bellman at the Sheraton for making this recommendation. We order Arctic Char and Halibut and toast to our time in Vancouver and our ten day adventure in Alaska.

We are homeward bound tomorrow morning, and in these past twelve days, we have followed elusive Humpback Whales, watched Orca swim in pods through ocean inlets, witnessed glaciers calving into the water, trailed Brown Bears up rivers as they chased spawning salmon, watched sea lions sunbathing, spotted bald eagles in flight and perched on nearby posts, photographed famous mountaintops, explored national parks, sampled local Alaskan brews, and savored more salmon in a week than most consume in a month. AND, we only covered the interior and southcentral parts of the state. To think of how much we did see and then to actually look at the size of the state of Alaska makes me start to think that another trip to the “Last Frontier” is in order sometime in the near future.

Our couple of days exploring in Vancouver have introduced me to what I might have to call one of my new favorite cities. After shaking off our sea legs and the remnants of the cruise ship cold, we have been able to see quite a bit of this unique capital of the Pacific Northwest. So, while I am leaving with such good memories from this trip, I am also (like I have done in the past) thinking about what I will do when I return to this part of the world. And, that is always the sign of a good adventure!