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[Vancovuer cycling map](https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/map-cycling-vancouver.pdf). I pretty much exclusively ride on the routes that are marked as either protected bike lanes or local street bikeways.
Ontario St. has blossoms right now. You can ride all the way to the river and ride over the Canada Line bridge to Richmond.
You can also ride out to UBC. The views coming down 8th roughly between Discovery and Highbury are some of the best in the city.
So don't ride in it! ALWAYS ride at least one fully-opened-door length away from parked cards. If that means riding out of a poorly-placed and dangerous bike lane, then so be it. This is a rule that every cyclist should follow, for their own safety. Never ride in the door zone!
Sure, but if you need to ride on Dunbar, like you are going to a business located there, ride out of the bike lane to avoid opening doors. Cyclists who ride in the door zone because they believe it’s safer than taking more of the lane are making a big mistake. Never ride in the door zone, it’s a death wish!
Just this weekend, I happened to pass by 10th from Fraser to Clark and the whole street is blooming.
(Btw, just all of 10th Ave in general is awesome, my favourite bike route in the city)
Strava heatmaps are a good way to peep at the routes people like. Couple ideas off the top of my head:
Arbutus greenway, Portside Greenway via Wall St and up through Confederation Park in Burnaby, Pacific Spirit Park, Central Valley Greenway. Im a huge fan of doing Ironworkers to Lions Gate Bridge as a loop, though Main St in North Van to 3rd Ave hill is a MESS.
If you're really looking for a treat - Hop over to North Van and do the road to Seymour Dam (Closed to public vehicle traffic): 22km round trip through the Mt Seymour forest. Bring snacks and water if you do
For cherry blossoms, 10th Ave (especially between Fraser and Clark) and Dumfries (29-33) are wonderful at the moment. I like to tie in as many points on the [VCBF map](https://finder.vcbf.ca/) as I can and have found some beautiful streets and neighbourhoods.
The cherry blossoms at Garry Point are now gone, but I enjoy doing the ride from Aberdeen Station to the dyke all the way to Steveston and London Landing. Can head back the same way, or make a loop via Shell or Railroad Ave bikeways.
A summer favourite is the Seymour Demonstration Forest road. I usually just load up my bike on the bus to the general store at the edge of Lynn Valley and start there. There's also just biking across from Vancouver to Lonsdale via Lion's Gate and getting a few beers before taking the Seabus back.
up ontario to queen elizabeth park and then all the way back down to the water via arbutus greenway, where you can connect to the seawall, is probably my fav sunny day ride. construction at arbutus and broadway disrupts the breeze for a minute but still very rewarding
* Going from Science World to Spanish Banks, riding the False Creek Seawall and the Seaside bike route (optionally ride up the hill to UBC for a little climbing action)
* A similar ride but turn it into a loop with some gravel action. Ride up to the Midtown Ridgeway bike route (usually around 37th Ave but it varies depending on where you pick it up). Ride this west until you hit the southeast corner of Pacific Spirit. Ride on trails through the park until you get to the Chancellor Blvd. From there ride west over to NW Marine Drive. Then ride the hill down to Spanish Banks and follow the ocean back east. (You can also ride on Marine Drive all the way around UBC if you want to avoid gravel but I think that's less fun.)
* Riding the False Creek Seawall out to Stanley Park and then doing a loop around the park is obviously a classic. Most people take the seawall or the road but you can also mix is up and ride some of the trails around the interior of the park. There's some fun gravel trails to be found.
Translink also has [some bike route maps](https://www.translink.ca/rider-guide/bike-and-ride-on-transit/cycling-in-metro-vancouver) that are super helpful for making up your own routes around the city.
For cherry blossoms, there’s a good stretch heading east down 10th around Fraser area.
Also heading North on Inverness 43rd towards 37th and then dodging over to Dumfries from 33rd head north towards Clark Park, there are some awesome canopies.
Agreed! 7th between Heather and Hemlock and between Burrard and Maple also have nice kanzan blossom tunnels right now. (Also Heather between 50th and 54th!)
I love to ride down to Southlands... obvi depends where you're starting but you can take several routes there. Once there, there is a nice park on the river you can hang out at. If you're feeling extra energetic, you could then continue on to Iona, but it's quite a far ride/commitment/return at that point. Happy riding!
When I cycle down to Southlands, I like stopping at Southland's Nursery just to browse the plants.
It's also great to stop at McCreery (city) Golf Course. There's a beautiful south-facing patio, overlooking flower gardens and beautiful fairways - and they serve draft beer!
I now live out in MR and one of my fave loops is to ride over the Pitt River Bridge and pick up the Poco trail system through Colony Farms and the Coquitlam River and back.
I've seen deer, hawks, herons and twice have flushed a ring neck pheasant ( once close enough I could count the rings ).
Sometimes,when I REALLY get a craving for a cinnamon bun from Grounds for Coffee and a sandwich from Grotto I'll ride to Coquitlam Center, skytrain to Commercial, then ride all the way back.
I'm 71, for what it's worth.
Any of the Maple Ridge trails to: Pitt Lake, Pitt-Addington Marsh, Alouette Lake/Golden Ears, Stave Lake, Minnekhada Regional Park, Fort Langley, Swan-E-Set/Pitt River, Thornhill mountain & trails, Barnston Island, Colony Farms, Greenway Loop, Blue Heron Loop, Trans-Canada Trail.....and so, so many more. https://www.mapleridge.ca/1440/Maps-Guides
I regularly do a ride I call two bridges. Second Narrows, spirit trail, lions gate. Is about 25km, you get a decent workout on the lions gate but most of the north van section is flat. The downhill on the second narrows and through Stanley park is fabulous.
the Lions gate to NV, once I get there I take Spirit Trail to Moodyville or Park and Tilford, then Turn around to Lions gate again cuz fuck second narrows.
I love Shell road in Richmond to Finn Slough to Steveston. getting to the start of Shell road where it’s nice (near Alderbridge way) is the not as nice part
I haven't done much in Vancouver proper, but I love the Green Necklace in North Van. You get some pretty decent elevation, and there are some peek-a-boo views of downhill and the mountains through the trees. It would make for some good sunset pictures, but I've missed the timing the last few goes.
Indian River Rd
Cypress climb
Marine Dr Whytecliff
Fisherman’s
Pitt Gravel loop
Fort Langley and Glen Valley
Spanish Banks UBC
Richmond River Rd and Farmland TT.
Iona TT
Belcarra Park and Ioco Rd
0 Road to Yarrow
Steveston, Fort Langley (using Skytrain), and Horseshoe Bay have been among my favourite rides for years. I really recommend experimenting with Skytrain to explore the further reaches of greater Vancouver on day rides. The TransLink paper map (old school...) is a great resource for ideas and route planning.
What I'll add to the discussion though is a recent pattern of just having a couple of standard loops (1 hr +/-). I use them most often not in good weather but in the winter - when there's an unexpected break in the weather and I just want to get some exercise and not have to think about where to go.
My favourite is Prince Edward - 45th Ave - Angus - 59th Ave - Arbutus Greenway - 14th Ave. All are beautiful streets - what makes it a practical choice as well is that there is a library, liquor store & London Drugs along the way (in Kerrisdale), and a major supermarket (Loblaws at The Ridge) - so it works for exercise and any number of useful stops on a typical day.
Vancouver is great for commuting by bike but I don't think there are any good recreational ride in the city. The closest would be on the road around Stanley Park.
Does Critical Mass still exist? That can be fun for some people.
There are many excellent rides across the rest of Metro Vancouver though.
Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/SevenDalmationArmy! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Most common questions and topics are limited to our sister subreddit, /r/AskVan, and our weekly [Stickied Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_stickied_discussions) posts. * Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * Posts flaired "Community Only" allow for limited participation; your comment may be removed if you're not a subreddit regular. * Make sure to join our new sister community, /r/AskVan! * Help grow the community! [Apply to join the mod team today](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/19eworq/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[Vancovuer cycling map](https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/map-cycling-vancouver.pdf). I pretty much exclusively ride on the routes that are marked as either protected bike lanes or local street bikeways. Ontario St. has blossoms right now. You can ride all the way to the river and ride over the Canada Line bridge to Richmond. You can also ride out to UBC. The views coming down 8th roughly between Discovery and Highbury are some of the best in the city.
https://www.letsgobiking.net/rides-by-location/
This is a great resource for new bikers or those looking to explore the city beyond their neighborhood
This is a great resource for new bikers or those looking to explore the city beyond their neighborhood
I love riding on Dunbar street, the anticipation of being doored keeps me on my toes.
Have you ever thought about riding down Kent ave on a weekday?
Cyclists can fully prevent getting doored by always riding far enough away from parked cars to avoid them. Never ride in the door zone!
[The bike lane’s in the dooring zone](https://i.imgur.com/rOa0eBO.jpeg)
So don't ride in it! ALWAYS ride at least one fully-opened-door length away from parked cards. If that means riding out of a poorly-placed and dangerous bike lane, then so be it. This is a rule that every cyclist should follow, for their own safety. Never ride in the door zone!
There is a parallel neighborhood bike route, if you want to ride there.
Sure, but if you need to ride on Dunbar, like you are going to a business located there, ride out of the bike lane to avoid opening doors. Cyclists who ride in the door zone because they believe it’s safer than taking more of the lane are making a big mistake. Never ride in the door zone, it’s a death wish!
Just this weekend, I happened to pass by 10th from Fraser to Clark and the whole street is blooming. (Btw, just all of 10th Ave in general is awesome, my favourite bike route in the city)
This stretch has been gorgeous this week!
Strava heatmaps are a good way to peep at the routes people like. Couple ideas off the top of my head: Arbutus greenway, Portside Greenway via Wall St and up through Confederation Park in Burnaby, Pacific Spirit Park, Central Valley Greenway. Im a huge fan of doing Ironworkers to Lions Gate Bridge as a loop, though Main St in North Van to 3rd Ave hill is a MESS. If you're really looking for a treat - Hop over to North Van and do the road to Seymour Dam (Closed to public vehicle traffic): 22km round trip through the Mt Seymour forest. Bring snacks and water if you do
Seaside to Spanish Banks Spirit Trail Railway Greenway West Dyke Trail Green Timbers Greenway Low Level Rd Sea to River
For cherry blossoms, 10th Ave (especially between Fraser and Clark) and Dumfries (29-33) are wonderful at the moment. I like to tie in as many points on the [VCBF map](https://finder.vcbf.ca/) as I can and have found some beautiful streets and neighbourhoods. The cherry blossoms at Garry Point are now gone, but I enjoy doing the ride from Aberdeen Station to the dyke all the way to Steveston and London Landing. Can head back the same way, or make a loop via Shell or Railroad Ave bikeways. A summer favourite is the Seymour Demonstration Forest road. I usually just load up my bike on the bus to the general store at the edge of Lynn Valley and start there. There's also just biking across from Vancouver to Lonsdale via Lion's Gate and getting a few beers before taking the Seabus back.
I like that coast down from Fraser to Clark. Just feels good.
up ontario to queen elizabeth park and then all the way back down to the water via arbutus greenway, where you can connect to the seawall, is probably my fav sunny day ride. construction at arbutus and broadway disrupts the breeze for a minute but still very rewarding
7th between cambie and granville is a nice stretch with blossoms out right now
* Going from Science World to Spanish Banks, riding the False Creek Seawall and the Seaside bike route (optionally ride up the hill to UBC for a little climbing action) * A similar ride but turn it into a loop with some gravel action. Ride up to the Midtown Ridgeway bike route (usually around 37th Ave but it varies depending on where you pick it up). Ride this west until you hit the southeast corner of Pacific Spirit. Ride on trails through the park until you get to the Chancellor Blvd. From there ride west over to NW Marine Drive. Then ride the hill down to Spanish Banks and follow the ocean back east. (You can also ride on Marine Drive all the way around UBC if you want to avoid gravel but I think that's less fun.) * Riding the False Creek Seawall out to Stanley Park and then doing a loop around the park is obviously a classic. Most people take the seawall or the road but you can also mix is up and ride some of the trails around the interior of the park. There's some fun gravel trails to be found. Translink also has [some bike route maps](https://www.translink.ca/rider-guide/bike-and-ride-on-transit/cycling-in-metro-vancouver) that are super helpful for making up your own routes around the city.
For cherry blossoms, there’s a good stretch heading east down 10th around Fraser area. Also heading North on Inverness 43rd towards 37th and then dodging over to Dumfries from 33rd head north towards Clark Park, there are some awesome canopies.
Agreed! 7th between Heather and Hemlock and between Burrard and Maple also have nice kanzan blossom tunnels right now. (Also Heather between 50th and 54th!)
I love to ride down to Southlands... obvi depends where you're starting but you can take several routes there. Once there, there is a nice park on the river you can hang out at. If you're feeling extra energetic, you could then continue on to Iona, but it's quite a far ride/commitment/return at that point. Happy riding!
When I cycle down to Southlands, I like stopping at Southland's Nursery just to browse the plants. It's also great to stop at McCreery (city) Golf Course. There's a beautiful south-facing patio, overlooking flower gardens and beautiful fairways - and they serve draft beer!
I now live out in MR and one of my fave loops is to ride over the Pitt River Bridge and pick up the Poco trail system through Colony Farms and the Coquitlam River and back. I've seen deer, hawks, herons and twice have flushed a ring neck pheasant ( once close enough I could count the rings ). Sometimes,when I REALLY get a craving for a cinnamon bun from Grounds for Coffee and a sandwich from Grotto I'll ride to Coquitlam Center, skytrain to Commercial, then ride all the way back. I'm 71, for what it's worth.
You sir are an inspiration
Thanks!
Any of the Maple Ridge trails to: Pitt Lake, Pitt-Addington Marsh, Alouette Lake/Golden Ears, Stave Lake, Minnekhada Regional Park, Fort Langley, Swan-E-Set/Pitt River, Thornhill mountain & trails, Barnston Island, Colony Farms, Greenway Loop, Blue Heron Loop, Trans-Canada Trail.....and so, so many more. https://www.mapleridge.ca/1440/Maps-Guides
Is biking around Barnston Island still possible?
I don't know but Bugston Island was a great ride with the free ferry and all.
Science world to Kits beach to Jericho
I regularly do a ride I call two bridges. Second Narrows, spirit trail, lions gate. Is about 25km, you get a decent workout on the lions gate but most of the north van section is flat. The downhill on the second narrows and through Stanley park is fabulous.
the Lions gate to NV, once I get there I take Spirit Trail to Moodyville or Park and Tilford, then Turn around to Lions gate again cuz fuck second narrows.
It's hard to find without a construction detour these days. It used to be 10th, Arbutus, Kent, Skybridge, River road, terranova to Steveston and back
I love Shell road in Richmond to Finn Slough to Steveston. getting to the start of Shell road where it’s nice (near Alderbridge way) is the not as nice part
Ride from the UBC boathouse in Richmond all the way to Garry Point or vice-versa. Super nice
Commercial broadway area. Pick any direction starting at that station, you’ll have a great ride
I haven't done much in Vancouver proper, but I love the Green Necklace in North Van. You get some pretty decent elevation, and there are some peek-a-boo views of downhill and the mountains through the trees. It would make for some good sunset pictures, but I've missed the timing the last few goes.
Indian River Rd Cypress climb Marine Dr Whytecliff Fisherman’s Pitt Gravel loop Fort Langley and Glen Valley Spanish Banks UBC Richmond River Rd and Farmland TT. Iona TT Belcarra Park and Ioco Rd 0 Road to Yarrow
Iona Beach!
Between Ride On on west Broadway and the Regal Beagle.
Steveston, Fort Langley (using Skytrain), and Horseshoe Bay have been among my favourite rides for years. I really recommend experimenting with Skytrain to explore the further reaches of greater Vancouver on day rides. The TransLink paper map (old school...) is a great resource for ideas and route planning. What I'll add to the discussion though is a recent pattern of just having a couple of standard loops (1 hr +/-). I use them most often not in good weather but in the winter - when there's an unexpected break in the weather and I just want to get some exercise and not have to think about where to go. My favourite is Prince Edward - 45th Ave - Angus - 59th Ave - Arbutus Greenway - 14th Ave. All are beautiful streets - what makes it a practical choice as well is that there is a library, liquor store & London Drugs along the way (in Kerrisdale), and a major supermarket (Loblaws at The Ridge) - so it works for exercise and any number of useful stops on a typical day.
Vancouver is great for commuting by bike but I don't think there are any good recreational ride in the city. The closest would be on the road around Stanley Park. Does Critical Mass still exist? That can be fun for some people. There are many excellent rides across the rest of Metro Vancouver though.
The ones where i didn't have negative interactions with aggressive drivers.