Cycle Day Trip - Richmond to Vancouver via UBC

This route is a fabulous day trip and can easily be done year round.  It is one of our favorite city rides featuring fantastic views, great rest stops, and extraordinary people watching!  The route takes you from Richmond through Pacific Spirit Regional Park, the University of British Columbia campus, Spanish Banks, Kits Beach, Granville Island, the Olympic Village, Science World with the option to continue on and explore Chinatown, Gas Town, Jack Poole Plaza, Stanley Park and English Bay.  The ride truly has it all, and it is a treat to explore all of the different and unique neighborhoods Vancouver has to offer.

View of downtown Vancouver from the shared bike path

We began the day by parking in Richmond in order to travel over the Fraser River via the Canada Line shared bike/pedestrian bridge.  Pay parking is available at the River Rock casino, or free street parking is available on Van Horne Way or River Road.  The bridge affords riders fabulous views of the Fraser River, Richmond and the North Shore mountains.  Be sure to check out all of the connecting bike routes as you map your route for the day – the possibilities are almost endless.

Bike friendly bridge from Richmond to Vancouver

We followed Heather to the Midtown connector and as we passed Van Dusen Gardens, we stumbled upon Epic Fest…a sustainable living festival. We were thrilled to see free bike valet parking.  Vancouver is a vibrant city and one of the most bicycle friendly cities in British Columbia!

Valet Parking for bikes!

We continued to Pacific Spirit Regional Park and decided to enjoy a ride along Salish trail through this magnificent rain forest.  It is always amazing to us to find such a lush forest in the heart of a cosmopolitan city…truly an escape!

Salish Trail - Pacific Spirit Regional Park

We exited the park and explored the University of British Columbia campus…always at its best in the summer months.  The views from the rose garden were spectacular – it was one of those perfect, sunny west coast days.

University of British Columbia campus

View of the North Shore Mountains from the UBC Rose Garden

As we continued along to Spanish Banks we soaked up the views of the North Shore mountains and English Bay.  The beach was alive!

Volleyball players hit the beach at Spanish Banks

Sunbathers, walkers, cyclists, beach volleyball, picnics, soccer, paddle boarders, kayakers, sailors….and the best was yet to come.  We rounded the bend to find ourselves in the middle of the Mountain Equipment Co-op Paddlefest at Jericho Beach.  We were like kids in a candy store as we hopped off the bikes to check out all the latest paddling gear!  

Paddlefest - the kayak candy store!

The seaside route takes cyclists along to Kits beach, where once again we were thrilled to see so many active, happy people.  It was almost standing room only as Vancouverites flocked to the beach like seagulls flock to french fries!  We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the beach and engaged in one of our favorite beach activities….people watching.

Outdoor pool at Kits Beach

We continued on past Granville Island, along the designated bike trail to the Olympic Village and Science World.  We had spent so much time at Paddlefest that we had to make the tough decision to head back along Ontario to our start point.  We will leave the downtown section and Stanley Park for another day…..

Entrance to Granville Island Public Market

Science World

Tap and Barrel - a great lunch spot with bike friendly parking!

Giggle of the day:

We decided our favorite local day ride was the one we would like to include as our first blog entry to No Wrong Turns.  It was so ironic that as we made our away along Salish Trail in Pacific Spirit Park we made a wrong turn and found ourselves in some sort of UBC experimental compost facility!  Not quite as fragrant as the rose gardens!

Where's the trail?

We laughed, refused to turn back and had to bushwack our way out of the forest to Marine Drive…..

Route Map


View Bicycling directions to River Rd in a larger map

Cycling Route Planning Tool

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