9 beaches in Metro Vancouver to visit by transit
9 beaches in Metro Vancouver to visit by transit
Summer is a great time to explore the beautiful beaches that Metro Vancouver has to offer. The long days mean these beaches offer scenic views of the horizon that make for great photos and memories! While there are lots of popular beaches in the Lower Mainland, we compiled this list of some stunning beaches that could possibly be our cities’ best kept secrets. We also tell you how to get there by transit, so all you need to do is grab your beach towels, lather on that sunscreen and jump on transit your family!
Turns out, even in the 1930s, the print edition of The Buzzer suggested some great beaches in Vancouver to beat the heat!
Which is your favorite beach? Did we miss any other secret beaches? Let us know in the comments below!
Note: Beach timings and swimming conditions may be affected due to the weather. Check each beach’s website for exact details.
1. White Pine Beach
Location: Sasamat Lake, Port Moody
Transit: Bus 150
White Pine Beach on Sasamat Lake in Port Moody is a family-friendly beach that has great walking trails, a beach area, swimming in the lake, and a floating bridge. Take advantage of our increased service to White Pine Beach during the summer and hit this great spot!
2. Barnet Marine Park
Location: 8181 Barnet Road, Burnaby
Transit: Bus 160
Probably the only beach in Burnaby, Barnet Marine Park is located on the Burrard Inlet and offers ocean swimming and crab fishing. Whether you prefer an early morning walk, or views of the setting sun, this park and beach have something for everyone.
3. White Rock Beach
Location: Marine Drive, White Rock
Transit: Buses 361, 362
White Rock’s famous pier on the West Beach, where kids can be seen diving from low-level docks. The beach is known for its stunning views of sunrise and sunset. Families with kids in strollers can walk along the promenade and enjoy views that are hard to come by in city lights.
#familytime #whiterockbeach one of my favourite places to be pic.twitter.com/zOlbVqCF07
— Alison Humphrys (@ahumphrys) March 30, 2018
4. Centennial Beach
Location: 541, Centennial Parkway, Delta
Transit: Bus C89
If you want to avoid crowds, then Tsawwassen’s Centennial Beach is the place to be! Boundary Bay Park has a number of activities like volleyball and tennis courts, along with trails for equestrian riders and hikers.
5. Ambleside Park Beach
Location: 1150, Marine Drive, West Vancouver
Transit: Buses 250, 253
This beach in West Vancouver has a duck pond, skate-park, picnic shelter and tables, and a waterpark among other amenities. Lifeguards are on duty during the swimmer and dog-owners will appreciate the off-leash doggie park.
6. Buntzen Lake
Location: 5000 Sunnyside Road, Anmore
Transit: Bus 179
Located north of Anmore and a 30-minute drive from Vancouver, Buntzen Lake is paradise right here in Metro Vancouver. The lake is an active hydroelectric reservoir that used to be one of Vancouver’s main source of electricity! Our increased service to Buntzen Lake during the summer makes is easy for you to explore this hidden gem.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEm-JVrwrKL/?hl=en&taken-by=buntzenlake.ca
7. Panorama Park
Location: Panorama Drive, North Vancouver
Transit: Buses 211, 212
One of the small parks in the Deep Cove area of North Vancouver, Panorama Park affords views of the scenic Indian Arm inlet and the Deep Cove Marina. Visitors can enjoy their time at the beach, have barbecues and there’s also a children’s play area.
8. Crescent Beach
Location: Sullivan Street, South Surrey
Transit: Buses 351
Enjoy swimming, beach volleyball and scenic trails at this beach. Visitors can enjoy two roped off areas for swimmers of all ages. Dogs are not allowed at this beach except in the off-leash area at Blackie Spit Park.
9. Cates Park/ Whey-Ah-Whichen
Location: 4141 Dollarton Highway, North Vancouver
Transit: Buses 211, 212
The water here has low tide that is perfect for kids to explore. Picnics are popular here and there’s a concession stand as well. Check out the summer concert series that are held here.
Cates park during sunset. ? ? /bit.ly/VNScates
? @chrisseedphotos #ExploreVanNS #CatesPark #ExploreBC pic.twitter.com/HPl2S8ZK4J
— VancouversNorthShore (@VanNorthShore) August 20, 2017
If you are not a beach lover, don’t worry. Here are some farmers’ markets in Metro Vancouver that offer some delicious eats. You can also hit these popular ice cream spots if you love your sundaes. Another way to beat the heat is to splash at these family-friendly spray parks. Remember, you can take advantage of our increased service to many popular summer attractions to get out and about. Tap to Pay provides you with an option to pay for your transit fare — just tap your contactless Visa or Mastercard credit card and be on your way. Remember, Compass Card is still your best option for reduced fares.
Author: Tanushree Pillai
I agree that Centennial beach is a very nice one (I live nearby)… but the C89 doesn’t get too close, it’s about a ~500m walk along roads without sidewalks, making it pretty difficult and unsafe for families with young children and people with disabilities to get there by bus.
Would Translink ever consider having a variation of the route with a small detour going right to the beach parking lot during the summer? Would certainly make sense in terms of convenience and passenger safety, and it would only alter the schedule by a few minutes.
Hi Perrin! I’ve asked our planners for more information on this and will gladly address your concerns once I have that. Have a great day! ^tp
Hi Perrin. Thank you for your feedback about route C89. TransLink welcomes input and suggestions on how we can better meet the transportation needs of the region.
When TransLink designs its transit network, we consider the transportation needs of all community members. We know that the design of the network often have different impacts on people in different parts of the region. Routes are constructed based on a number of criteria. A few of the many criteria are ridership, operational feasibility (ex: road infrastructure to accommodate buses), and route simplicity & directness.
Strong transit lines tend to be as straight as possible which helps passengers understand the route and also for service to be reliable. For this reason, many of our routes follow major arterials. We understand that for some, this may require longer walks to bus stops and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.
For more information on how TransLink manages its transit network, please see <http://www.translink.ca/en/Plans-and-Projects/Managing-the-Transit-Network.aspx>. This provides a variety of resources that helps give insight on how we make decisions and the considerations we have in our planning process.
With that said, we are always looking to improve our transit network. We perform quarterly transit network reviews where we make changes to our transit network. We will be sure to keep your suggestions on route C89 in mind when performing these reviews in the future.
Have a great rest of the week! ^tp
The C89 used to route (summer only) into Boundary Bay park, closer to the beach. But stopped doing that a couple of years ago.