The best 5 summer day trips to take from Vancouver

Planning summer adventures is almost as enjoyable as actually doing them.

What you can do, see, or try this year might be a legendary tale to retell in the years to come. But perhaps there isn’t one grand plan, one big vacation on the horizon — it doesn’t mean that summer won’t be full or fulfilling.

Day trips or weekend getaways from the city can be just as meaningful and rich, offering a quick dose of adventure (or relaxation, you do you) without burning up all your vacation days at work.

Whether you’re looking for an actual wilderness adventure or a spot of zen to tackle the upcoming work week, we’ve got you covered on the gems just outside of Vancouver. Check out these options for day and weekend excursions to get the scheming part of your brain in motion. Because, before you know it, your weekends will have been plotted out, gobbled up, and soon the late summer heat will give way to 9 months of rain and overcast skies.

Ah, Vancity.

Diablo Lake

Do you like wilderness? Canoeing? America? Journeying to Diablo Lake is one of the truly full, all-day day trips one can take. A three-hour drive away, this Washington State beauty is wild terrain worth exploring. It offers a range of activities, along with pretty much anything else (safe) you’d like to do out in the bush. Diablo Lake offers all the benefits and excitement of travelling to another country without the hassle of long travel days.

Cascade Falls

Absolutely please (safely) chase the waterfalls at Cascade Falls. How could you not? It is scenic, stunning, lush and accessible! What else could you wish for? Cascade Falls is in the Lower Mainland, and all you have to do is drive up, park, walk approximately five minutes and then you’ve arrived at your destined of an actual vision of nature.

The Othello Tunnels

If historic, civic, educational outings are your long-game this summer, The Othello Tunnels are just the ticket. Located outside of Hope—a little more than two hours outside of Vancouver—the Othello Tunnels are a local, vital piece of history. A relic of one of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s most ambitious projects, the tunnels remain a remarkable feat of engineering to this day.

Brohm Lake Provincial Park

Squamish is full of so many beautiful places and Brohm Lake is one of its best kept secrets. Only an hour drive from Vancouver, Brohm Lake is one of those ideal spots for a picnic, a scenic stroll, or if you’re feeling brave, maybe a dip in the lake via a gigantic rope swing, doing your best Tarzan impression.

Bowen Island

Sometimes you need a moment a zen. Or two. Or several. Or an entire day. Bowen Island has got you covered. This relaxing retreat, only reachable by ferry, is the ideal escape-from-the-city-madness-and-come-back-chill kind of joint. Rather than drive and lug an entire car to a place of tranquillity, consider renting a bike on the island, or using those leg muscles to get around to your local activities like hanging out on the beach, practising yoga in the geodesic yoga dome, or hiking Mount Gardner.

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