Seattle/BC Day 3 - Whistler & Vancouver

The stretch of Highway 99 that twines along the cliffs of Howe Sound @ Horseshoe Bay to Squamish is called the Sea-to-Sky Highway. The view along this route is very scenic, take time to stop at the various vista points. Further along this highway is the Olympic village of Whistler. There are various tour companies that offer this day trip to Whistler. There is a train that runs this route - Rocky Mountaineer Sea to Sky Climb train, but we couldnt afford the round trip price. We wanted to visit at our own pace and thus decided to drive.

West Vancouver

Setting out from Downtown Vancouver, you'd first cross the Lions Gate Bridge and join 99N. Soon you'll reach Horseshoe bay and Lions bay. Both are small communities with beach/sea activities. You can also Gambier Island, Anvil Island and bunch of others.

Britannia Beach

Due to lack of time, we skipped this. The famous attraction here is the Mine Museum (apart from sea activities). Activities at the museum include - tours of the mine shafts and gold panning.

Shannon Falls

The 3rd highest waterfall in BC at 1100ft, named after William Shannon. The waters originate from Mount Habrich and Mount Sky Pilot. The park provides trail access to Stawamus Chief (see below). There is a viewing platform to get a closer look at the falls.

Shannon Falls

Stawamus Chief

Massive 2300ft granite cliffs just a mile away from Shannon Falls. Stawamus Chief is the 2nd largest monolith granite in the world and is very popular among rock climbers. The park is very busy in summer with campers, climbers and hikers. There are 3 tough (about) 1-mile hikes to the 3 peaks with 1700-2000ft elevation gain. Gulp! We tried to climb and after about quarter mile gave up (partly coz we were still recovering from the Fremont Lookout hike and partly coz the elevation gain was just tremendous).

Stawamus Chief

Brandywine Falls

This 230ft waterfall is best seen from the viewpoint which can be reached following the short trail. The viewpoint also provides scenic views of Daisy Lake (falls destination) and the surrounding mountains (note the black tusk).

Brandywine Falls

Tusk

Whistler Village

The quiet mountain village of Whistler is located 75-miles north of Vancouver. Whistler is best known for its winter sports including world-class skiing and snowboarding and home to several 2010 Winter Olympic events. Its beautiful mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, are the perfect spot for summer outdoor activities too. We roamed about the village and picked 2 activities - Peak-2-Peak Gondola (their most popular summer activity) and a short trail walk. 

 

 

View from Whistler Gondola

We ascended using Whistler Gondola to Roundhouse Lodge, followed by Peak-Express - a chairlift to the peak of Whistler Mountain.. brrrr.. it was very cold. At the peak we took a short walk along the trail. After getting down from the peak, we caught the P2P Gondola from Whistler's Roundhouse lodge to Blackcomb's Rendezvous - a total distance of 2.7miles. We even experienced a lift stoppage in the middle of the valley for about 25 minutes (imagine being suspended in a gondola 1430ft above valley floor). We descended Blackcomb on Solar Coaster and Wizard express.

Inukshuk @ Whistler Peak

Black Tusk @ Garibaldi Park

We wished to spend another day at Whistler - there is so much to do in the village.

Olympic Park

On the way back we want to stop by the Olympic Park. But they close at 4:30pm (so early?). But the detour provided us with a roadside view of bear cubs.

Cypress Mountain Vista Point

Cypress mountain lookout is a good vantage point to get an excellent photo shot of Downtown Vancouver with Mt. Baker in the background (assuming clear skies) and Stanley park in foreground.

Downtown Vancouver with Mt. Baker in background

Lions Gate Bridge + Downtown + Stanley Park

Night View of Vancouver from Burrard Bridge

In the evening after dinner, we walked the downtown streets to get familiarised for the next day's activity (Vancouver downtown exploration). We walked along Burrard St Bridge and took these postcard perfect pictures.

Map Summary


View Larger Map

References

http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/getting_here/whistler_sea_to_climb/index.htm

http://britanniaminemuseum.ca/

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/shannon/

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/stawamus/

http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/garibaldi/

Seattle/BC Day 2 - Mt Rainier, Drive to Vancouver

Since on our Day1 we couldn't even see the mountain, we checked the weather and decided to try again and postpone the drive to Vancouver to later in the day. And it was worth it!

Clear skies awaited us as we drove to Sunrise Park. Enroute we could always see the snow capped peak.

View from highway

View from vista point

Crystal Mountain Gondola: 

We took the gondola to the summit again and were wow-ed by the spectacular view. As soon as you get off the gondola the mountain is right there and you are looking at its expanse.

View of the summit and gondola from base

View from summit

There are a few hikes at the summit, one of the hikes goes along the ridge to the area of radio towers and offers amazing 360* views.

View from a small hike along the ridge

Sunrise Point Lookout: Sweeping views of the Cascade Range to the east, Sunrise Lake to the north, and Mount Rainier to the southwest.

Meltwater flow (from Sunrise point)

Mt. Rainier from Sunrise point

Sunrise: This is the highest point in the park accessible by car, and the in-your-face view of Mount Rainier is unforgettable. Also in view is the Emmons Glacier, which is the largest glacier in the 48 contiguous states.

 
Mt. Fremont Lookout Trail (5.5 miles). This trail starts at Sunrise parking lot and has two routes to reach Frozen Lake - either via the Sourdough ridge or Sunrise Park Rd+Wonderland Trail. At Frozen Lake, Burroughs trails and Mt Fremont Lookout trail start off. 

Hike Map

Burroughs Mt and Mt Rainier

The lookout trail extends through meadows and rocky crags for a total elevation gain of 1200 feet. The entire trail from Sunrise to the lookout is through meadowland and over rocky crags. On a clear day hikers can enjoy superb views of Mount Rainier, the Cascades and the Olympic Mountains.

Mt. Rainier from Fremont Lookout

 

References

http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/trails-of-mount-rainier.htm

http://www.visitrainier.com/pg/hiking/Hiking-in-the-Mt-Rainier-National-Park-Area

http://www.everytrail.com/guide/burroughs-mountain-loop-via-glacier-basin/map 

http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/sunrise.htm

http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/mount-fremont-lookout.htm

---

Drive to Vancouver
It was a long drive from Mt. Rainier to Vancouver, BC. The wait at the border was about 15-20 minutes. Downtown Vancouver is jammed with buildings and parks.
 

Border crossing checkpost

Enter VC downtown

VC Downtown bridge

Seattle/BC Day 1 - Mt Rainier, Snoqualmie

Before I describe our tour of Mt. Rainier, lets understand "the mountain". Mt. Rainier, at 14400 ft, is a massively prominent stratovolcano that dominates the Seattle area skyline. It is the most heavily glaciated peak in lower 48 (I think McKinley in Alaska tops the list) It is a tourist's paradise - lakes, forests, rivers, glacier valleys, glaciers, hikes, waterfalls, ski resorts...

We planned to drive the route encircling Mt. Rainier and discover all corners of this majestic national park.During the circle tour, we planned to stop at many vista/tourist points, visit Sunrise Park and take the Crystal Mountain gondola. Total time estimate: 8 hours.

We booked hotel accommodations at Kent (about 75mi from Sunrise). Although we checked the weather, it was cold with morning showers. But we still set out to see Mt. Rainier. After a beautiful drive through Enumclaw, we entered the Chinook Scenic Highway - the gateway to the mountain. 

Greenwater: This small community bustles in the summer. It's the last place to get gas on this side of park. It has some wonderful hikes, but we could not accommodate it in our schedule. You can watch the White River flowing from the mountain.

White River Valley @ Greenwater

Mt. Rainier Viewpoint: We could not see the mountain from here - either due to clouds or the trees, but a little further up the road we caught glimpses of the peak.

Skookum Falls: Ten miles east of Greenwater, stop at the viewpoint and look at pretty Skookum Falls. Dropping a dramatic 250 feet in two tiers, watch the water shimmer as it makes its way down the mountainside leading into the White River. There is a nice easy 8-mi hike through a suspension bridge to the base on the waterfalls.

Crystal Mountain Ski Area: After an amazing scenic drive, we headed to Crystal Mt resort. Arriving at Crystal Mountain, our escape continued with a ride aboard the Mt Rainier Gondola starting at 4,000 ft and ascending to the famous Summit House restaurant. The restaurant is located at over 7,000 ft. providing the ultimate high altitude dining experience. The summit provides incredible view of Mt. Rainier, White River Valley and on clear days as far south as Mt. St. Helens, Mt Adams and Mt Hood. But as luck would have it, the morning showers were still falling as snow flakes at the summit and it was a whitewash :(

Tipsoo Lake & Chinook Pass Summit: Traveling along the Chinook Scenic Byway, drive under the dramatic log and stone archway marking the summit of Chinook Pass. Drive a few miles past the summit and stop at the stunning Tipsoo lake - one of the most photographed reflection lakes. It was still ice & snow when we went to the lake.

Grove of the Patriarchs: One of the easiest hikes with a suspension bridge while walking in a forest of really big old growth trees. The trail goes upstream through a stand of old tall exquisite red cedars, douglas firs and western hemlocks. The path leads to a crossing of the Ohanapecosh River on a suspension bridge at just less than 1/2 of a mile. Go over the bridge in single file, following directions on a sign suggesting one person at a time. Upon crossing the bridge, you reach the island. After passing through smaller trees, the path forks and loops around.

Paradise Area: Due to road construction the road from Sunrise to Paradise was slow and required driving on kacha roads. We visited Martha Falls, Louise Falls and Reflection Lakes (although still filled with snow & ice). We also visited the Ricksecker point loop viewpoint - this viewpoint offers views of Mt Rainier, Nisqually valley, Nisqually glacier and other glaciers. Due to fog our visibility was limited.

Narada Falls: The massive 160ft waterfall is truly breathtaking. There is a short trail to a viewpoint. The waters fan a thick mist out over the popular viewpoint.

 

Christine Falls: A few miles up, the road passes the Christine Falls viewpoint. The 60ft falls splashes down and a small flight of stairs leads to another beautiful lookout of the falls. The upper drop and the lower drop provide a beautiful view.

Lower drop of Christine Falls

Loop Summary:

View Mt. Rainier Loop Driving in a larger map

References:

http://www.visitrainier.com

http://www.crystalmountainresort.com/The-Mountain/Gondola 

http://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm 
http://www.visitrainier.com/pg/hiking/Hiking-in-the-Mt-Rainier-National-Park-Area

---

 Snoqualmie:

On our way back, we planned to stop at Snoqualmie village and view the falls, one of WA state's most popular scenic attractions. At the falls, you will find a two-acre park, gift shop, observation deck, the Salish Lodge and the famous 270 foot waterfall. You can also watch rainbow at certain angles. The hiking trails are closed until 2013 due to the construction of a hydel-power dam.

http://www.snoqualmiefalls.com/

On the day back, we drove across the I90 floating bridge over Mercer Island.

I90 Floating Bridge

Seattle/BC - Plan & Logistics

On the flight back from our 1st anniversary vacation we had a stopover in Seattle. During the takeoff we saw the below sight and we were completely overblown by the sheer beauty. 

Mt. Rainier (from flight)

Later we saw a little more of the Cascade range (it goes from WA all the way to Northern CA). The following image shows Mt. Rainier (left), Mt. Adams (right center) and Mt. St Helens (right below center). From that angle I couldnt capture Mt. Hood (in OR)

Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens (from flight)

This was sufficient to convince us to plan our 2nd anniversary vacation to Seattle. As the planning progressed, more places slowly got added to the list - Vancouver, Whistler & Victoria. With help from tripadvisor, wikitravel and tourism websites we planned the trip by ourselves. Since it was July, the flight and hotels are usually expensive due to July 4th and also the official start of summer, so we had to plan and book early. 

Visiting Canada doesn't require a visa if you are a US citizen/resident, but if you are on any other US visa then a Canadian visa is required. Check http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/index.asp for more information. Victoria is the capital of British Columbia and one of the capitals not reachable by road - you have to take the ferry to reach the Vancouver island.

Flight  : Southwest, SJC - SEA

Car     : Enterprise @ Airport

Hotel   : Holiday Inn & Quality Inn

Duration: 7 Days

Ferry   : BCFerry Tsawwassen-SwartzBay, WSDOT Ferry Sidney-Anacortes

It is highly recommended to make ferry reservations since summer and weekends are usually peak periods. If you plan to arrive 1-1.5 hours early at the ferry terminal then you dont need a reservation.

Apart from the usual things, the other most important things to pack: Hiking Shoes, Sunscreen, rain jackets/umbrella.

We tried to cover as many places as possible - Mt. Rainier, Seattle, Snoqualmie, Vancouver, Whistler, Victoria & Sidney.

Welcome and follow us on our tour of the Emerald city, the Terminal city and the Garden city.