Vancouver & Whistler
The Sea-to-Sky Highway is one of North America's most beautiful drives, climbing out of Vancouver along the fjord-like waters of Howe Sound and up into the Coast Mountains toward Whistler. Along the way it passes the thundering plume of Shannon Falls and the sheer granite dome of the Stawamus Chief, with the sea on one side and forested peaks rising on the other the whole way up.
Whistler itself, host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, is North America's premier mountain resort. Two huge ski mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, are linked by the record-breaking Peak 2 Peak Gondola, and at their feet sits a charming car-free pedestrian village. In winter this is some of the finest skiing and snowboarding on the continent, with terrain for every level and a lively apres-ski scene once the lifts close.
Come summer it transforms into a playground of alpine hiking, lake swimming and the famous Whistler Mountain Bike Park, all under the same soaring peaks. A year-round adventure base just two hours from the city, Whistler pairs beautifully with a few days in Vancouver or a longer loop through the Canadian Rockies.
