Bring the taste of the Okanagan home. With just 4 natural ingredients, our 1516 has everything you need and nothing you don’t.
Disclaimer: To ensure your safety and well-being when visiting parks, practice physical distancing between you and other visitors, stay on marked trails, and abide by trail closure signs. To avoid hazards, we recommend keeping a safe distance back from slopes, bluffs and river edges. And please, leave no trace. Dispose of your waste properly and respect wildlife.
Whether your bike is a hipster’s dream, salvaged cycle, or a day rental, it’s time to get those feet pedalling free and easy in Vancouver this summer.
Our gorgeous city and the surrounding area has a huge range of bike routes for you to tackle, from easy ambles to technical trails.
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So to get you back in the saddle, here are some of the best recreational bike routes in Vancouver. Happy riding!
Easy
Pacific Spirit Park
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If you’re new to forest biking, Pacific Spirit Park would be a good place to start. It’s easy to reach, there are trails for all abilities that will make you feel like you’re a million miles away from the big city.
Stanley Park Seawall
Stanley Park Drive near Lumberman’s Arch. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)
The jewel in Vancouver’s biking crown, this is the route everyone can ride – and everyone usually does. Be mindful of the current road system on Stanley Park Drive of splitting the two-lane roadway for two different modes of transport, with the right lane for cyclists and the left lane for vehicles.
Hastings Park Greenways
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With more than six hectares of land in Hastings Park, the City of Vancouver has integrated a network of pedestrian and cycling trails around the park.
Traboulay PoCo Trail, Port Coquitlam
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The foundation for Port Coquitlam’s trail network is the Traboulay PoCo Trail, a 25.3 km flat route that encircles the community. The trail traverses a varied landscape that includes forest and creek, meadow and marsh, riverfront and urban development
Fraser Foreshore Park
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If you’re looking for a place for a bike alongside the water, be sure to check out the Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park. This 15 km route follows the Fraser River shoreline with views of tugboats, barges and log booms. Don’t forget to bring a picnic!
Harder
UBC Loop
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A challenging, but beautiful uphill ride, the UBC Loop takes you along NW Marine Drive, with gorgeous beach views, then up through the university’s endowment lands. Stop at Wreck Beach for a break, then continue along SW Marine Drive through Pacific Spirit Park.
Ridgeway Greenway
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This 12 km bike route starting at Central Park in Burnaby takes you through a multitude of community parks and past public artworks to end at Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, where you can enjoy some of the best views and gardens in the city.
Ontario Bikeway
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The Ontario Bikeway takes you from False Creek to 69th Avenue and the Fraser River, and starts with one hell of a climb.
Central Valley Greenway
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The Central Valley Greenway is a 25km route linking Vancouver, Burnaby, and New Westminster. It’s perfect for slightly more adventurous city cyclists – part separated urban greenway, part rural recreational trail.
BC Parkway
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The BC Parkway is a 26-km, multi-use path that roughly parallels the Expo SkyTrain Line, connecting Surrey City Centre, New Westminster, South Burnaby, and Vancouver. Look out for murals and mosaics along the way, then finish up with a beer on Commercial Drive.
Lions Gate Bridge
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Sure this is an uphill haul on the way back, but what awaits you on the North Shore makes it well worth it. Head to Horseshoe Bay for some relaxation in the sunshine and a picnic by the water. Then brace yourself for the challenging climb back into the city.
West Dyke and Middle Arm
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These 25 km trails around the shores of Richmond and Steveston offer spectacular mountain, estuary, and ocean views. As you head through Terra Nova Park, you’ll be able to spot herons, hawks, and turtles, and in Steveston, reward yourself with some fish and chips.
Biking in Vancouver
For a map of all the bike lanes and cycling streets in Vancouver, check here: Vancouver Cycling Map.
For tips on cycling in Vancouver, check out HUB Cycling, a charitable non-profit organization, which aims to make cycling better through education, action and events.
Editor’s Note: The original version of this article was written by Jenni Sheppard and published in June 2017 and has been updated to include the latest information.
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