The Getaways: West Vancouver

It’s peaceful in West Vancouver, my hometown. Water laps our beaches, advancing and retreating rhythmically along the shore while light winds scale through the pines blanketing the mountains. Despite its sometimes more interesting social culture, this community is filled with some of the most caring and compassionate people I know. People look out for each other and love one another as if they are blood. West Vancouver is a place I have a deep and bruised soft spot for. There are some hidden gems scattered throughout the city I’d like to tell you about. 

 Our first destination is a place called Heaven. This place is named for its location high up in the British Properties, a residential area located on the mountain West Vancouver rests upon. The British Properties are a network of large homes and narrow streets canopied by towering pine trees. Positioned randomly in and amongst these homes is the lookout, Heaven. This spot looks out over nearly all of downtown Vancouver and West Vancouver. At this little haven, it appears as if you can see nearly everything just as though you’re an angel in heaven looking down at the world you once walked. 

Within view are the fields where I grew up playing sports, the mall I bought useless things, the beach and dog park I often walked the shores of, and the homes of friends and families I spent many long hours. Here, you can see the physical thumbprint of my childhood. It looks a little different now, though: more buildings, more lights, more people, more memories. To my current self, it looks like a fallen empire, a place that was once mine and people my age’s, now passed on to the other teenagers who call this their stomping ground, until one day they too will leave for university and start new lives elsewhere. 

Heaven is a place to take a moment, alone or with a friend, to feel your insignificance as the city rages on without you. At the same time, though, you will secretly feel like the main character of your own story. 

The next location to escape is another viewpoint called the Horseshoe Bay lookout. Positioned on the side of a cliff is a wooden platform looking out over the town of Horseshoe Bay, the Pacific Ocean, and the array of islands off Vancouver’s coast. To the left below is the small waterfront town, where the B.C. Fairies depart to and return from the islands that protect the coast of Vancouver. There are little shops and restaurants here, but it’s mainly small homes. These are the houses you’d imagine people baking pies in and leaving them on the windowsill to cool. 

To the right are the water and the islands you can see only small parts as they lap over one another, like trees in a forest. The mountains shine their peaks in the distance, often lightly dusted by blanketing snow.

The sunsets here are the best part. The sky turns orange, pink, and purple, and the fairies’ lights reflect off the water as they pull into the harbor, twinkling like stars. It’s a view that never gets old, however, it does get busy as more people are beginning to find out about this temporary escape. 

Not far from the Horseshoe Bay lookout is the next destination called the Red Box. Its name is self-explanatory as soon as you see it. It’s posted above the water on stilts, the perfect height to send your body off into the green water. The box is located in a small cove and is typically used by the coast guard to store supplies. 

Considering it's not meant to be a spot for kids to find the adrenaline rush they may seek, it’s not the easiest task to climb. Getting to the top requires tons of maneuvering, grabbing, and lifting of your body weight. The jump isn’t that high, but it is tall enough to enact a reaction within. Aside from the jumping, the red box is also a social area for kids to meet up with friends to secretly drink or to just spend an afternoon on the water. Since I left for university four years ago, the box has been painted light green with an added pointed roof to further prevent jumpers. Despite the “repelling” roof, I still see videos on my social media every once in a while, of people jumping off the top, sending their bodies into the air. 

The next spot I am thinking of isn’t technically in West Vancouver, but it’s just outside in a small town neighboring called Lions Bay. There isn’t much here, except for homes and the highway that gets you to Whistler B.C., however, to those that know of the next location, this place is the ultimate summer getaway. The destination isn’t Lions Bay itself, but rather the hidden cliff jumping spot located in the area. 

There are two ways to get there: one is by boat and the other is by walking along the train tracks. If you’re on a boat, it’s easy to spot as there are typically people scattered along the rocky cliff shore or standing at the top of the jump looking down at the water waiting for their nerves to relax before descending below. On foot, it’s a bit harder to find as you’d have to go with someone who has been before to know when to veer off the tracks into the woods. Once you find the spot, you must scale the treed rock cliff till you meet the water’s edge and the 40-foot jump. There is also a rope swing that you can use to send yourself out and down into the ocean. When you hit the water, you are greeted with the realization that you have to get out of the way as fast as possible before the next person takes the descent. Usually, there are tons of people, enjoying the water, weather, and adrenaline. The physical beauty of the mountains it looks out at, the water, and the secrecy of this place is what makes it special. 

Vancouver in general is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. You can ski our mountains and swim in our ocean within minutes. Its beauty is ceaseless. The hidden gems and getaway locations I have mentioned are only some of the few, and each one reminds me vividly of my childhood. I often find it hard to describe West Vancouver to the justice it deserves, but I hope I have at least given some indication of the stunning appearance and atmosphere it holds.