Road trips are pretty iconic and among the greatest in Canada is the Sea-to-Sky Hwy along Hwy 99 in British Columbia! This hour and a half drive (although you’ll be pulling off about every 20 minutes) from Vancouver to Whistler is jam-packed with everything you could ever expect out of an awesome day trip! You’ll experience scenic ocean views, towering mountain peaks, lush coastal forests, gushing waterfalls, and suspension bridges…and so it’s rightly named the Sea-to-Sky Hwy – where the beautiful ocean meets the fierce mountain tops. Whistler was made famous by the 2010 Winter Olympics, and it’s a very popular ski town, although it was summer when we visited!
Our trip began in Vancouver, where we stayed for a couple days after crossing the border from Washington State. The Hwy starts at the beautiful Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver, so check out our visit to the park here and what we got up to in Vancouver!
1. Porteau Cove Provincial Park
Even though it’s only an hour and a half drive one way, we made a full day out of the road trip, and it quickly became my favorite day in Canada. We started in Vancouver mid-morning and our first stop along the way was Porteau Cove Provincial Park. The park is based around an old shipping pier turned into a walking wharf for visitors. During any emergencies, the pier can we used for transportation purposes, but is not used today.
British Columbia is also known for cold water scuba diving, and Porteau Cove is a great place to dive with 2 sunken ships and a man made reef. We actually saw some divers while we were there too. This was on an overcast morning, so could you imagine it on a bright sunny day??
2. Shannon Falls
Our next stop along the way was Shannon Falls in Squamish, which is British Columbia’s 3rd highest waterfall. The parking lot can fill up fast, but we got there just in time, and also the sun was just coming out for the day! The trail up to the falls is very well maintained and has a boardwalk at the base of the water.
There are several trails around the falls and even a (maybe semi-dangerous) climb up the falls themselves. About a month before we went, 3 Canadians were actually killed at Shannon Falls; one fell in and the others jumped in and attempted to rescue her. It was constantly on my mind while we were there, and it was an eerie reminder about the dangers that exist in nature, even in some of the most beautiful places.
3. Mt. Tantalus Lookout
A little further north of Squamish is the beautiful Mt. Tantalus lookout point that can be reached by pulling to the side of the highway. You get these gorgeous uninterrupted views of the mountains and valleys of the Tantalus range. The lookout area was filled with fresh blackberries, so we helped ourselves to an afternoon snack!
FUN FACT: The mountain was named after greek mythological king Tantalus, the wicked and rich son of Zeus!
4. Whistler Train Wreck
And the last stop of our trip was this infamous train wreck in the forest just south of Whistler! I feel like I’m making up some kind of fairy tale with abandoned old train wrecks and suspension bridges over rushing rivers, but this was real life…
So the GPS took us to a gravel spot on the side of the road…we saw a few other cars parked there, so we figured it must be close…maybe?…we then ventured down a super sketchy, moderately difficult trail (including “beware of bear” sign) without seeing anyone for about half an hour, until we came to a set of railroad tracks…thinking ok duh it must obviously be close! Around a few more corners pops up a collection of these cool old train cars covered in graffiti, which you know my husband had to climb on! The Cheakamus River is really close to the wreck, along with this impressive suspension bridge.
We noticed (after returning from 1-2 hours of hiking in the woods) that there was a better marked entrance and easier route to the train wreck up the road just a bit, so do a little more research if you plan on going!
I felt like the trip wasn’t really centered about what to do in Whistler, but more about the beautiful journey getting there. When we got to Whistler, we drove through the ski village area quickly and then started back to Vancouver. I’ve never really been left speechless by nature until visiting the Pacific Northwest area, so it’s still really hard to put into words how beautiful everything was that day…and pictures can only show so much. It’s a day that I’ll always remember about visiting British Columbia!
Honorable Mentions:
So obviously this isn’t a complete list of all the amazing things to do along the Sea-to-Sky Hwy. We really only touched some major highlights, so here are more popular places to stop along the way up to Whistler and beyond!
Brandywine Falls – another popular and impressive waterfall close to Whistler, which looked even better than Shannon Falls to me! Look at some pictures, you won’t be disappointed…
Stawamus Chief – a popular place for hikes in Squamish and one the largest granite mountains in North America
Sea-to-Sky Gondola – also in Squamish, a gondola ride from mountain peak to peak providing awesome aerial views of Shannon Falls and The Chief and access to a suspension bridge, platforms, and numerous hiking trails
To the north around Pemberton, there are some beautiful full day hikes, including the stunning Joffre Lakes hike (where you’ll pass by 3 pristine glacial lakes and end with the Matier Glacier).
Be sure to check out the other posts from my PNW journey including Seattle, Washington State, and Vancouver! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more adventures!
Down the Highway My Way 
I live the easy way you write…very informative…awesome blog.
😁