The 100 Mile philosophy, inspired by local B.C. authors Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon and their successful 100 Mile Diet and book chronicling their one-year experiment in local eating, applies to our family's attitude towards rewarding day trips from our Vancouver home.
Think about your home-town, city and surrounding environment. What are all of the recreational opportunities within a 100 mile radius of where you live? Start making a list of those places closest to your house, and then more outwards from there. Cheap options are great; free destinations and activities are even better! The key to a successful 100 Mile Day Trip recipe is the same as the 100 Mile Holiday: creativity, affordability and family fun.
Many local amenities are natural and can found in or near every city; parks, beaches, lakes, rivers, mountains, forests, marshes, bogs, nature reserves, animal and bird sanctuaries.
Then there are historical and cultural sites; forts, historic canneries, mines or industrial works, museums, art galleries, science centres, aquariums. And of course, the 'usual suspects' of recreational options; water parks, skateparks, playgrounds, miniature-train parks. If you've thought of at least one local option for each of these themes, your list must be pretty long by now!
Finally, which of the amenities on your list are accessible by walking, biking, transit, car or even by ferry? The mode of transportation you choose can be part of the adventure itself, particularly if you approach day trip planning from a different angle than just 'pile in the car and drive someplace.'
As the map shows, the 100 Mile radius from our home in Vancouver offers a huge variety of day tripping opportunities.
Here are our family's Top 5 100 Mile Day Trip spots.
Bowen Island. I have to express some personal bias as we have relatives living on what Islanders themselves call "Elysium" and the "Pearl of the Pacific," but we agree that Bowen is a fantastic destination for a day trip. A quick 20-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay takes you into Snug Cove, from where you can walk, bike or drive into the village or reach nature trails taking you to the loop around Killarney Lake. There are several lovely Island beaches to explore, and if you're up for a climb, you can try hiking up Mt Gardner. [travellingmom tip: There is a great mountain bike park next to Killarney Lake that your family will want to try.]
Granville Island. You can walk, bike, drive, kayak or even take the jitney ferry to access the many activities found on the Island. You can buy your picnic supplies at the Market, walk or bike around the Island and along False Creek, catch some free entertainment, and in summer spend hours at the Waterpark and playground. This is one of Vancouver's top tourist destinations for a good reason, but its popularity and success endure because Vancouver residents use and love the Island.
Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge and Ecology Centre. Pack a picnic and good walking shoes to spend the day in this free and fantastic natural playground in North Vancouver. A suspension bridge takes you over the impressive white water rushing through Lynn Canyon. If you're like me and have a fear of heights that prevents you from 'enjoying' the suspension bridge experience, you can simply hike the trail on one side and loop around on the Pipe Bridge. If it's a hot summer's day, pack a bathing suit to take a dip in the 30 Foot pool - a very popular watering hole for swimming and cooling off. Mind the water though, it's pretty chilly all year long.
Richmond Dike System. Bike or walk nearly the 6 kilometres of the West Dyke Trail. Running from northwest Richmond, this level gravel trail goes south towards Steveston and Garry Point park, offering views of Howe Sound, ocean marshes, Vancouver Island and the Fraser River. You can pack a picnic and enjoy it at Garry Point Park. Don't forget your kite as this park is well-known for a steady breeze that makes it perfect for kite-flying. [travellingmom tip: You can reward yourself with fish and chips or an ice cream and latte when you reach the fishing village of Steveston.]
Reifel Bird Sanctuary. One of our favourite family day-trips is to Reifel Bird Sanctuary, on Westham Island in Ladner, less than a one-hour drive from Vancouver. The cost for a family of four is only $12 (not including bird seed supplies!). You can walk at your own pace through the trails at the Sanctuary, which hosts a huge variety of bird species throughout the year. On the date of our visit they noted 69 bird species, including some of ones we saw; eagles, sandhill cranes, hummingbirds, a pygmy owl and lots of ducks. You may be surprised at how excited your kids will be about birds after visiting this wonderful facility!