Whistler in summer time worth it to go?

[rodneyc8063]

Im currently in Vancouver and winding down my trip.

I havent been here long and dont have a lot of time to travel (here for a friends wedding), but was able to see some of Richmond, put in whale watching and Victoria in 2 days so far.

Im going to do a hop on and hop off tour for about half a day to a day or so to cover most of downtown vancouver.

But basically my question is whether Whistler is worth going to in the summer time?

Its a full day trip and i dont want to go out there and see another place thats like Victoria (Victoria was OK, but didnt make me totally go wow).

Im considering just going to Grouse Mountain, and the Capiliano Bridge since its near by instead of Whistler.

Is Whistler worth going to? Is it a must see when in Vancouver? Should i forget about Grouse Mountain and Capiliano Bridge and just go to Whistler for a day?

TIA

[VitaminB]

Grouse Moutain is pretty plain in summer time, just a bear exhibit, bird demostrations, and trails. There's also a zipline like in Whistler, but the Whistler one is better.

Don't go to Capilano Bridge, it's expensive $24ish admission. Lynn Canyon is free suspension bridge that is similar and close by.

I haven't been to Whistler in the summer, but I heard there's moutain biking, ziplining, and hiking trails if your interested in doing any of those.

Another attraction you may consider is Stanley Park. Biking around the seawall, aquarium, beaches, pools -can spend days there! Stanley park is also close to downtown.

[rodneyc8063]

Hummm

Thx for the advice about Capilano bridge, thats good to know!

So based on your reply it sounds like i would pretty much be able to do all the same things that are in Whistler closer by?

Im just trying to figure out whether its worth it to go out there if i can more or less see the same things in town. It seems like its breaking down to either i see vancouver downtown and stanley park etc, or just whistler.

[Navvy]

I just returned from Vancouver and we did go up to Whistler for a bit. Had planned on taking the gondola up, but was floored by the price, $40 per person!!! Completely insane and unjustifiable, would have been cheaper to go mountain biking! Apparently it's a teensy bit cheaper after the peak to peak closes.

The drive is nice though!

[mkjr]

if you do not plan to stay the night and do not plan to take advantage of the out door activities...no...going up to Whistler is not something you can not get the gist of closer to Vancouver....mountain views etc....that said, they have great golf, lakes, mountain trails, mountain biking and food and bars...i had seasons passes for skiing at Blackcomb most of my more high school years and so spent most of my time up in the winter, but summer is fun..did lots of camping in the summers too...

you could probably take a drive up to golden ears park...cypress had a good bike park also but the olympics have kinda screwed that up...

to check out most of what the drive is like, just drive to Squamish and back...

[rodneyc8063]

What was there to do up in Whistler at this time of year then? Or what did you end up doing since you didnt do the gondola?

Is Whistler similar to blue mountain in Toronto?

I just wanted to hop on a tour bus to check out shannon falls and all that, i would really only get about 2-3 hours in Whistler.

Im guessing it isnt worth it?

[Coolers]

Is Whistler similar to blue mountain in Toronto?

The only similarity is that they are both run by Intrawest and as such, have excellent villages surrounding each mountain (Whistler) / anthill (BM). For everything else, don't even bother comparing the two.

[batcave]

Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are over 1600m tall (that's a vertical mile!). There are hundreds, maybe thousands of other mountains that are even taller, but don't have ski runs on them. Blue Mountain is a hill at a mere 226m. As Coolers, states, don't bother comparing. Going up the mountain is a pricey affair, but there are some good views to be had. There's lots of hiking and the peak to peak. If you're from some far off land, then the $40 isn't a big deal.

The 'mountain biking' that Whistler Blackcomb talks about is downhill biking which is a bit of a risky sport - they wear motorcycle helmets - and requires some skill. This costs about $100 per day (including bike rental).

However, there is lots of hiking and biking that is free in the valley and the surrounding area. Here is a link to some maps...

http://www.whistler.com/maps/

ps. if you don't want to pay the $40, you can always hike up the mountain via the Singing Pass trail...and then ride the peak-2-peak and download on the village gondola.

http://www.trailpeak.com/trail-Singing-Pass-Summer-Route-Garibaldi-Provincial-Park-near-Whistler-BC-503

Here's a good book to learn more about hikes in southwestern BC...

http://www.amazon.ca/103-Hikes-Southwestern-British-Columbia/dp/1553653742

If you've never been at the top of a mountain before, I say you should pay the $40 and do it. You will never call Blue Mountain a mountain ever again.

If you like the outdoors and/or hiking you should spend a few days or even longer in Whisitler. The summer isn't as well known as the skiing but there is more to do here in summertime. There's hiking, biking, rafting, wind surfing, wakeboarding, 4-wheeling, golfing (there are three courses in Whistler) and even glacier skiing (until the end of July). It's pretty tough to be bored here.

Here's a view from Cheakamus Lake just south of Whistler. This is a simple hike of 3h and is free. If you ski off-piste on Whistler mountain (in winter) and take a wrong turn , you end up here.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3618/3674912836_3077817992_o.jpg

ps. I actually live in Whistler, not Toronto as my profile states.

[boubouq]

Has anyone tried the ziptrek at Whistler. They have two ziplines and I am not sure if my teenagers would prefer the original Bear zipline trek or the newer, faster Eagle. Usually it would be an easy choice...Eagle as it's faster and higher BUT the Bear has a zip line which you can hang upside down on!
I guess either would be fun. Eagle is about $20 more expensive but cost is a lower priority on this occasion as it's a birthday treat. Wow, I can't believe I just said that!!
Anyone recommend one over the other?

http://www.ziptrek.com/

Thanks

[Robin Masters]

The answer to the OP's question that is it depends where you live. If it's nowhere near mountains (not hills) then go for sure and take the gondola up for some hiking and amazing views.

If you've been up real mountains before you may not be wowed, but it's a great day trip or over night trip from Vancouver. If you have the time I would recommend it over Grouse.

[yellowdogx]

We live in langley and usually go to whistler every year for 1-2 weeks as a family vacation. We also probably do 4-5 day trips for mountain biking.

We have a great time, downhill biking, X-Country, time by the pool/lake, kids activities at blackcomb, ziptrek etc etc etc!

I would go if I was you!