Paddleboarding in False Creek. Image credit: Tourism Vancouver / Tanya Goehring
Now that September is here, fall is just around the corner. But summer isn’t over yet! There’s still time to get in some last-minute adventures to beaches, hikes, markets, and more. How many items on this last-minute summer bucket list will you check off before the end of the month?
Hit the Beach
With a few days of warm weather left in the year, there’s enough time for one last beach day. Vancouver has beaches downtown, on remote coastlines, and everywhere in between. Use our guide to Vancouver’s beaches to find a new-to-you beach to celebrate the end of summer.
Spanish Banks Beach. Photo: Destination Vancouver/Hubert Kang
Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain is open year-round, with skiing, skating, sledding, and more in the wintertime. But you only have a few weeks left to take in their summer activities. Don’t miss the World-Famous Lumberjack Show. You can watch performers scale trees, throw axes, and compete in log rolling at several shows daily. Or take on the challenge of the Mountain Rope Adventure. You’ll climb, swing, and balance your way through a treetop adventure course. Other summer/fall activities include Ranger Talks, tandem paragliding, mountain ziplines, the Birds in Motion demonstration, and guided eco-walks.
The log rolling competition is a real highlight. Photo: Destination Vancouver/Grouse Mountain
Take a Hike
Get in one last summer hike before the temperatures cool down and the snow starts to hit the peaks. You can hike to mountain tops, rainforests, and viewpoints. If you’re new to hiking, start with one of our favourite beginner hikes near Vancouver. Or cool off on one of our summer hikes with a splash.
Norvan Falls in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. Photo: Pete Nuij/Unsplash
Shop at a Night Market
Vibrant night markets are a summer staple in Vancouver. The Shipyards Night Market is held on Friday nights in North Vancouver until September 13. You can listen to live music and DJs, hang out with friends in the beer garden, grab a snack from one of the food trucks, or browse the stalls at the artisan market.
The Hong Kong-style Richmond Night Market is open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights until October 14th. Located next to Bridgeport Skytrain Station, this is the largest night market in North America. It includes tons of stalls selling fashion, electronics, home goods, and more, but the real highlight is the aisles and aisles of food vendors from around the world.
Shipyards Night Market; Destination Vancouver/Vision Event Photography Inc.
Bard on the Beach
There’s still time to take in some Shakespeare in the tents at Bard on the Beach in Vanier Park. The 2024 season runs until September 21 and includes both evening and matinee performances of A Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, and Hamlet.
Photo: Bard on the Beach
Mountain Top Yoga at the Sea to Sky Gondola
You won’t find a more breathtaking place to do yoga than the top of the Sea to Sky Gondola. Sign up for their Yoga With a View classes on weekday mornings until September 30th. Start your day with mindfulness in an energetic flow yoga class that is suitable for all ages and bodies.
Photo: Sea to Sky Gondola/Jimmy Martinello
Go Paddleboarding
In Vancouver, you can get out on a paddleboard in the heart of downtown, on beaches, or on a wilderness coastline. While you can kayak year-round, most paddleboard rentals and tours hit pause once winter comes, so now is the perfect time to get out for one last paddleboard of the season. Our guide to paddleboarding in Vancouver has everything you need to know including where to go, where to rent, and where to take a tour.
Paddleboarding near Kits Beach. Photo: Destination Vancouver/Kindred and Scout
Eat a Rooftop Patio
With colder weather coming, now is the perfect time to have one last meal on a rooftop patio before the sweaters and patio heaters come out. From laid-back hang spaces to mountain-top panoramas, you’ll have trouble choosing just one spot from our picks for Vancouver’s best rooftop patios.
Photo: Parker Rooftop/Instagram