Your Spring Vancouver Outdoors Bucket List

Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver

VanDusen Botanical Garden. Photo: Tourism Vancouver/VanDusen Gardens

The flowers are blooming, the days are getting longer, and the snow is melting in the mountains. It’s spring in Vancouver! And it’s a great time of year to get outside. Here are our picks for springtime Vancouver outdoor activities you’ll want to add to your bucket list.

Until further notice, in line with the public health order issued on November 20, non-essential travel into and out of BC is not recommended. BC residents let’s do our part by continuing to stay local and support local, with your immediate household or bubble, in accordance with the latest guidelines

 

Go Cherry Blossom Viewing

Each spring Vancouver’s cherry trees explode with pink and white blossoms. Plan a picnic under the blooms, go for a photo walk to capture the beauty, or take a bike ride through petal-strewn streets. The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival has a handy map that shows all the places you can see blooms.

Cherry blossoms near Vancouver Island

Cherry Blossoms near Granville Island. Photo: Tourism Vancouver / Vision Photography

 

Take a Hike

The tallest peaks may still be snow-covered, but there are lots of low elevation hikes that are perfect for spring. And don’t let wet weather scare you away. Vancouver has lots of rainy day hikes that are beautiful too.

Hikers on the Stawamus Chief

Hikers on the Stawamus Chief in Squamish. Photo: Heath Moffatt

 

Go on a Bike Ride

With warmer weather, it’s the perfect time to take the bike out of the garage and go for a spin around the city. The Stanley Park seawall is the city’s best-known bike route (and perhaps its most beautiful), but there are tons of other safe routes for easy bike rides around Vancouver.

Biking in Coal Harbour

Cyclists on the seawall in Coal Harbour. Photo: Kate Milford

 

Try Bird-Watching

Spring is prime bird-watching time as the birds return to Vancouver from their winter homes or migrate through on their way further north. It’s also nesting season, so it’s a great time to spot mating pairs building and guarding their nests. Use our list of the best beginner birding spots near Vancouver to get started.

Two women watching birds through binoculars near Vancouver

Bird-watching at Cheam Lake Wetlands in Chilliwack. Photo: Destination BC/Hubert Kang

 

Visit a Garden in Bloom

Vancouver is home to several spectacular gardens that light up with blooms each spring. Take a stroll through the quarry gardens at Queen Elizabeth Park, or stop to smell the flowers at one of the four gardens in Stanley Park. If you book tickets in advance, you can also enjoy the spring splendor at VanDusen Botanical Garden, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, UBC Botanical Garden, and Nitobe Memorial Garden.

VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver

Blooms at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Photo: VanDusen Botanical Garden

 

Get Out on the Water

On a sunny day, the best views in Vancouver are from the water. Rent a kayak or paddleboard and explore the shoreline. Or head farther afield with a boat rental or tour. If you want to stick closer to home, a ride on the Aquabus or False Creek Ferry is a fun way to experience the waters of False Creek.

Kayakers in False Creek

Kayaking at Granville Island. Photo: Tourism Vancouver / Rishad Daroowala

 

Get Your Adrenaline Pumping

Kickstart your spring with an extreme adventure. Soar through the treetops tethered to a wire at the Grouse Mountain Ziplines. Plunge into a canyon at Whistler Bungee. Or jump out of a plane with Skydive Vancouver.

Two people ride the zipline at Grouse Mountain in Vancouver

Ziplining at Grouse Mountain. Photo: Tourism Vancouver / Coast Mountain Photography

 

Go Whale Watching

Springtime marks the start of the whale watching season. From March through October you can spot resident orcas as well as migratory humpback, gray, and minke whales, and transient orcas. Porpoises, sea lions, seals, eagles, and pelicans are also common. Whale watching and wildlife watching tours depart from Vancouver, Richmond, and Victoria.

Whales in the Strait of Georgia near Vancouver

Orcas in the Strait of Georgia. Photo: Destination BC/Reuben Krabbe

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