The North Shore (of

Burrard Inlet french: Baie Burrard , image = Burrard Inlet 201807.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Aerial view of Burrard Inlet , image_bathymetry = Burrard-Inlet-map-en.svg , alt_bathymetry ...

) is a term commonly used to refer to several areas adjacent to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada: *the District of West Vancouver; *the City of North Vancouver; *the District of North Vancouver; and *the

North Shore Mountains The North Shore Mountains are a mountain range overlooking Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. Their southernmost peaks are visible from most areas in Vancouver and form a distinctive backdrop for the city. The steep southern slopes of the No ...

It is renowned for its proximity to nature, varied outdoor recreation opportunities (especially mountain biking) as well as historically significant west coast modernist architecture.

Activities

Attractions include three local ski hills –

Cypress Mountain Cypress Mountain is a ski area in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located in the southern section of Cypress Provincial Park, operated under a BC Parks Park Use Permit. The ski resort is a 30-minute drive north of downtown Vancouver, an ...

Grouse Mountain Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges in the District Municipality of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. With a maximum elevation of over 1,200m (4,100ft) at its peak, the mountain is the site of a ...

, and

Mount Seymour Mount Seymour is a mountain located in Mount Seymour Provincial Park in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is a part of the North Shore Mountains, rising to the north from the shores of Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm t ...

– which feature skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, tubing, and tobogganing. Hiking and watersports are also popular activities in the North Shore communities. Popular hiking areas include six mountain peaks – Black, Strachan, Hollyburn, Grouse, Fromme, and Seymour Mountains – along with the Grouse Grind,

Lynn Canyon Park Lynn Canyon Park is a municipal park in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia. When the park officially opened in 1912 it was only in size, but it now encompasses . The park has many hiking trails of varying length and difficulty. The ...

, Quarry Rock, Norvan Falls, Dog Mountain, and Cypress Mountain. Watersports such as

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

, and stand-up paddleboarding are popular in Deep Cove during the summer months. West Vancouver's

Whytecliff Park Whytecliff Park is located near West Vancouver's Horseshoe Bay Neighbourhood, the original name of which was White Cliff City, which opened in 1909. In 1914, Colonel Albert Whyte pressed for the spelling change from White Cliff City to Whytecliff. ...

is a popular location for

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

. The Harmony Arts Festival is a ten-day arts festival taking place in West Vancouver every summer, the Coho Festival is a celebration of environment protection and nature's annual miracle of salmon returning to North Shore rivers and streams held every September in Ambleside, West Vancouver, and the Shipyards Night Market is a summer market taking place from May to September with food, locally made products, and live music. The Polygon Gallery at

Lonsdale Quay Lonsdale Quay is a SeaBus ferry terminal and major transit exchange that serves Metro Vancouver's North Shore municipalities. The quay is located in the City of North Vancouver. The BCIT Marine Campus and Lonsdale Quay Market are located wit ...

is a non-collecting Canadian public art gallery with a focus on photography and media-based art.

Access

Access to these municipalities is limited by geography. Three major bodies of water (

Howe Sound Howe Sound (french: Baie (de /d')Howe, squ, Átl'ka7tsem, Nexwnéwu7ts, Txwnéwu7ts) is a roughly triangular sound, that joins a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was designated as a UNESCO Biosph ...

to the west,

to the south, and

Indian Arm Indian Arm ( hur, səl̓ilw̓ət) is a steep-sided glacial fjord adjacent to the city of Vancouver in southwestern British Columbia. Formed during the last Ice Age, it extends due north from Burrard Inlet, between the communities of Belcarra (t ...

to the east) and the rugged peaks of the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains (french: La chaîne Côtière) are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia ...

to the north isolate the North Shore from the rest of the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 Canadia ...

. Two road bridges (the

Lions' Gate Bridge The Lions Gate Bridge, opened in 1938 and officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the North Shore municipali ...

and

Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, also called the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Second Narrows Bridge, is the second bridge constructed at the Second (east) Narrows of Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Origi ...

) connect to the city of Vancouver and the Trans-Canada Highway. The only other road access is by way of Highway 99 from the north or the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal from

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

and the Sunshine Coast. The

SeaBus The SeaBus is a passenger-only ferry service in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It crosses Burrard Inlet to connect the cities of Vancouver ( Waterfront station) and North Vancouver (Lonsdale Quay). Owned by TransLink and operated by ...

passenger ferry, part of the Lower Mainland's transit system, connects

with

downtown Vancouver Downtown Vancouver is the central business district and the city centre neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada, on the northwestern shore of the Burrard Peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. It occupies most of the north sh ...

External links

North Shore News
– community newspaper serving the North Shore
North Shore Mountain Bike Association
– information on mountain trails North Vancouver (city) North Vancouver (district municipality) West Vancouver {{GVRD-geo-stub

Activities

Access

See also

External links