Let the Sea to Sky Highway take your breath away on this jaw-dropping voyage between Vancouver and Whistler. This highway is every bit as fascinating as the two destinations it connects, so make the most of your journey with this self-guided driving tour! Along the way, you’ll witness grand mountain vistas, shimmering views of the Howe Sound, lush, ancient forests, and so much more. Plus, uncover the stories that make this region what it’s from historic First Nations traditions to geological wonders shaped over millennia.
This tour can be taken in either direction.
After booking, you can check your email before downloading the Tour Guide App by Action, enter your unique password, and access your tour. The preceding steps require good internet/wifi access. Simply follow the audio instructions and the route from there.
New, extra validity — now, it’s yours for an entire year! Use multiple times over multiple trips!
This isn’t an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.
499 Denman St #451, 499 Denman St #451, Vancouver, BC V6G 3J1, Canada
After booking the tour, search your email for the phrase "Set up your self-guided tour now." Follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.
Whistler Visitor Centre, 4230 Gateway Dr, Whistler, BC V8E 0Z8, Canada
If you have not selected a hotel for pick up, please be at the Whistler Visitor Centre 10 minutes before your scheduled departure time. Your guide will be by to collect you in a white a shuttle.
To our left is the Lost Lagoon of Stanley Park. It was named by the indigenous Canadian poet Emily Pauline Johnson. The name is taken from her poem of the same title. Note: This 75-mile-long tour covers the essentials of Vancouver to Whistler in 3-4 hours.
Duration: 10 minutes
We’re about to cross over the Burrard Inlet on the Lions Gate Bridge. Do you see the two leftmost peak directly ahead of us? That’s where the bridge gets its name! Some say they look a bit like the twin lions of Trafalgar Square if you squint.
Duration: 10 minutes
Ahead, you’ll have the option of taking a detour to see Cypress Provincial Park or hiking to Saint Marks Summit from breathtaking mountaintop views. The detour is about ten miles one way, but well worth it if you’d like to see some spectacular sights.
Duration: 10 minutes
We’re still a few miles from St. Mark’s Summit, but the road we’re on now is going to end in about a mile. How does one get the rest of the way there? On foot! The trail begins at the Cypress Creek Lodge and is about seven miles round trip. It’s considered an intermediate hike that takes most people around four to five hours.
Duration: 10 minutes
We’re driving along the Sea to Sky Highway, perhaps Canada’s most famous scenic roadway. But did you know this highway is hundreds of years old? Okay, maybe all the pavement and paint and guardrails are a bit newer than that, but the original path really is that old! See, beneath much of this highway was an ancient footpath used by the Squamish and Stó:lō Nations. It connected the two tribes and allowed for easy trading between them.
Duration: 10 minutes
Just ahead is Crystal Falls, a lovely roadside waterfall many visitors miss! Take the next exit if you’d like to see it, or drive straight to continue the main tour.
Duration: 10 minutes
To the Squamish, Anvil Island was once home to a great serpent known as Sínulhkay̓. Sínulhkay̓ lived on the island’s highest peak and watched the people far below. Some said he had created the land all around them, but to others he was simply a terrifying monster who menaced their villages. Sínulhkay̓ would lie in wait in the water, hypnotize villagers, then devour them.
Duration: 10 minutes
Tucked away within those mountains directly ahead of us is the Watts Point Volcanic Centre. Remember how these mountains are largely composed of volcanic rocks? Watts Point marks the spot where much of that volcanic material erupted from! But don’t worry about another burst of magma! It hasn’t erupted for 90,000 years and isn’t likely to do so anytime soon.
Duration: 10 minutes
Sporting a lovely, placid lake and a couple of great hiking trails, this is a splendid stop if you’re looking to stretch your legs for a second. In the park, you can embark on an easy 1.5-mile stroll around the lake, or opt for the slightly more challenging Jurassic Ridge Trail. This 2-mile loop climbs almost 700 feet in elevation and offers incredible panoramic views from the top.
Duration: 10 minutes
Coming up is the Sea to Sky Gondola, one of the coolest stops on this route. The Gondola takes passengers nearly 1,000 meters above sea level, to a lodge with an amazing viewing platform.
Duration: 10 minutes
Shannon Falls Provincial Park is just ahead, home to an astonishing 1,000-foot waterfall! Shannon Falls is the third tallest waterfall in British Columbia. And this park features a boardwalk around its base! It only takes about 20 minutes to hike to the falls.
Duration: 10 minutes
Expert hikers can turn right to access the Stawamus Chief Trail, which climbs 2,300 feet to the top of The Chief. That’s quite a trek! Ordinary folks like us can continue driving straight.
Duration: 10 minutes
Continue straight. That mountain we’re passing is the Stawamus Chief, and stands at over 2,300 feet above the Sound. The first man to ever summit it was Ed Cooper. And it took him four weeks!
Duration: 10 minutes
This bridge ahead offers some great views, so slow down a bit to enjoy them! Just ahead is the famous Eagle Run Vista Point, featuring panoramic views and a great chance at spotting an eagle. Getting there requires a quick 5-10 minute detour if you’re interested.
Duration: 10 minutes
This park is dominated by four lakes: Alice, Edith, Fawn, and Stump. The origin of most of these names has been lost to time, but Edith Lake is an exception. And its story is a bit of a peculiar one
Duration: 10 minutes
If you’re looking to stretch your legs, this picturesque, watery park is a great place for it. The most popular attraction is the Four Lake Trail, an easy 4-mile loop that weaves past all four of the park’s lakes in under three hours.
Duration: 10 minutes
The most dominant peak of these mountains is, of course, Mount Tantalus, standing at 2,608 meters from base to summit. It gets its name from the Greek mythological figure of Tantalus. Tantalus was one of Zeus’s many sons, though his mother was mortal. Still, despite being half mortal, Tantalus was welcomed at the table of Olympus all the same.
Duration: 10 minutes
We’re driving alongside the Cheakamus River. In a few minutes, we’ll be able to glimpse the Cheakamus Hydroelectric Dam. It’s been around since 1957, but has recently been the source of much controversy.
Duration: 10 minutes
An optional detour to Rubble Creek Trail is coming up soon. This brutally challenging 15-mile trail climbs to the top of Black Tusk Mountain. It’s an all-day affair, however, so I wouldn’t recommend trying it on a whim.
Duration: 10 minutes
Turn right if you’d like to visit the Cheakamus Hydroelectric Dam or Rubble Creek Trail. Otherwise, continue straight.
Duration: 10 minutes
The lake we’re driving past now is Daisy Lake, named by Joseph William Mckay. Mckay was of Metis descent. Metis is a somewhat complicated term, as it can either refer to people from the historic Metis community of Manitoba or it might be used as a general term to describe a person of mixed European and Indigenous heritage.
Duration: 10 minutes
We’re nearing Creekside Village at Whistler Creek now, though locals just call it “the Creek.” It was originally the base for Whistler Mountain skiing, home to only a single six person gondola, a far cry from the 79 lifts that can be found in Whistler today.
Duration: 10 minutes
Before the skiers came to Whistler, the lake brought people. The early ‘60s saw Alta Lake plots going for as cheap as a piece. Gord Harder’s father bought three, and the family built an A-frame house on their plot. Harder started skiing when he was five, and his father became one of the first on-mountain doctors on Whistler Mountain.
Duration: 5 minutes
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia
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