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  • Limited Mobility on the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler

    The Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler with Limited Mobility

    Our next stop on our Grand Western Canada Road trip was Whistler, British Columbia via one of the most beautiful roads in the world, the Sea to Sky Highway.  The drive is truly breathtaking, with views of Howe Sound on your left and the Canadian Cascades to your right.  Even if you don’t have time to stay in Whistler, we highly recommend making the drive.

    If you make this drive, we recommend bringing your handicapped placard, if you have one, as there are many places in Canada where you will have options for preferred parking with a placard.  We left ours at home, and it was a real mistake.

    Take your time to do this drive.  There’s no rush, and so much to see.  The stops are worth it, and this is truly a beautiful place to explore.

    GuideAlong

    Again, we used the previously downloaded Canadian Rockies + Vancouver bundle from GuideAlong to guide us on this drive.  As mentioned in our previous blog post about Vancouver, GuideAlong (formerly known as GyPSy Guide) uses GPS tracking via your cell phone and provides audio narration for nearby landmarks, attractions, or even just local history. Just download the app and tour content before you hit the road, and you can access the tour even offline.  By the end of the trip, we were calling our GuideAlong “virtual guide” our dude friend and were always so happy to hear him chime in to give us information.  As in Vancouver, the virtual guide was very helpful on our drive to Whistler.

    Lions Gate Bridge

    As we left Vancouver and head towards Whistler, we crossed the Lions Gate Bridge, named after a pair of mountain peaks north of Vancouver.  You will pass a pair of cast concrete lions on the south approach to the bridge.  The bridge was built by the Guinness family (of Guinness beer fame) and was sold to the province of British Columbia in 1955 for the cost of construction. 

    Shannon Falls

    Shannon Falls photo by Megan, Photo of Dave and Ken at Shannon Falls

    Our first stop along the Sea to Sky Highway was at Shannon Falls.  If you are making this stop, be patient.  There is limited parking and the wait can be long.  There is no parking fee. We almost turned around due to the wait for parking, but in the end, we were glad we stuck it out.  There are accessible toilets near the parking area. Additional accessibility information on the park is available.

    We ate lunch at one of the picnic tables here.  The walk to the viewpoint is about 350 m on a gentle gravel path.  This walk was too much for Peggy, but Dave had no problems with his wheelchair.

    If you are going to the Sea to Sky Gondola next, there is a walking path between the two, and it might be easier for those without mobility restrictions to walk rather than wait for parking at Shannon Falls.  You also can catch partial views of Shannon Falls from the Gondola, but the view isn’t nearly as spectacular as from the viewing platform.

    Photo by Megan, Shannon Falls with Dave and Megan

    Sea to Sky Gondola

    Photo by Megan, Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge with Dave and Ken

    Our second stop on the drive was at the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish.  The gondola is fully wheelchair accessible, and the staff really seemed to know what they were doing to support people with limited mobility like Dave and Peggy.  The Gondola takes you to near the summit of Mount Habrich.  If going in the summer, like we did, you can grab a meal at the Sky Pilot Smokehouse or take a walk across the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge.  The bridge gets crowded.  While Dave’s wheelchair probably would have fit, it would have been a real challenge as no one would have been able to fit past him.  Both Dave and my 78-year-old father, Ken, enjoyed walking across the bridge.  Peggy watched from a safe distance at the café.

    During the summer, if you have more mobility, there are several options for hiking trails and even an option for a Via Ferrata, but those things were well beyond Dave and Peggy’s capabilities.  If you visit in the winter, there are also options for tubing, Nordic skiing, ski touring, and winter hiking.

    At the time we visited, prepaid tickets cost $67.95 for an adult and $64.95 for a senior; however, prices may vary by date. 

    Photo by Megan, View from the sky Pilot viewing platform
    Photo by Megan, Megan on Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge

    Brandywine Falls

    Photo by Megan, Brandywine Falls

    Our third stop along the Sea to Sky Highway was at Brandywine Falls.  Again, here there is limited parking, but we didn’t find the wait to be as bad as Shannon Falls.  There is no parking fee. There are accessible toilets near the parking area. Additional accessibility information on the park is available.

    The walk from the parking lot to the falls is about 500 meters, or about 10 to 15 minutes, and is on a flat gravel trail.  The walk was a little too long for Peggy so she waited for us at a picnic table.  Dave’s wheelchair could generally handle the trail; however, there was a bump when entering and exiting the bridge over the river that was too much for his wheelchair to handle so he had to stand up to get past that bump. There is a viewing platform that should be accessible but may have a slight lip. Brandywine Falls are really beautiful, and we were glad we made the stop.

    Photo by Megan, Dave and Megan on the viewing platform at Brandywine Falls
    Photo by Megan, Ken and Peggy on the bridge to Brandywine Falls

    Remainder of the Drive to Whistler

    Along the Sea to Sky Highway, there are a number of good pullouts with views across Howe Sound and the Tantalus Range.  You can also stop in the town of Squamish.  In the winter, this might be a good place to spot bald eagles, as they are known to spend their winter here, feeding on salmon.

  • Vancouver with Limited Mobility in a Day and a Half

    Starting Our Canadian Adventure

    For our second trip of 2024 with Dave’s wheelchair, we set off on a family road trip with Megan’s parents across the Canadian Rockies, starting in Vancouver with stops in Whistler, Kamloops, Jasper, and Banff (note that this trip took place shortly before the wildfires in Jasper in 2024 so some things may have changed). Like Dave, Megan’s mom, Peggy, has limited mobility due to arthritis in her feet, a previous foot fusion, and artificial hips and knees. We like to say that Peggy is bionic below the waist. At the time of this trip, Peggy did not have a mobility device, but she has difficulty walking long distances. The entirety of this spectacular Canadian road trip will be covered via multiple posts, so this first post focuses only on our first stop – Vancouver, BC.

    Vancouver was a great city for all four of us for a short visit. I wish we had more time
    here! Due in part to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, it is a highly accessible city with good sidewalks, curb cutouts, and friendly helpful people.

    Accessible Budget Minded Hotel that Gives Back

    Megan’s parents are budget minded travelers, and the most reasonably priced hotel we could find in the heart of downtown Vancouver was the YWCA hotel. The price was extraordinarily lower than any other comparable hotel we could find, with clean, spacious, accessible rooms, full kitchen availability for cooking your own meals, and friendly, accommodating staff. We can’t recommend the YWCA highly enough – a perfect location with easy access to numerous city attractions. In fact, if you are catching an MLS game, a CFL game, or a concert, BC Place Stadium is right next door. Our hometown MLS team was actually playing there on the night we arrived, but our long travel day left us too wiped out to add the game to our itinerary. One last note about the hotel before we get to the fun stuff: The YWCA hotel is a social enterprise hotel and primarily serves as a fundraiser for the YMCA. All of the revenue generated by the hotel supports YWCA community programs and services for single moms and families.

    Photo of Lions gate Bridge

    GuideAlong and Stanley Park

    Now, onto the road trip fun!

    Before hitting the road, we downloaded the Canadian Rockies + Vancouver bundle from GuideAlong, which was the best money we spent on the entire trip. GuideAlong
    (formerly known as GyPSy Guide) uses GPS tracking via your cell phone and provides audio narration for nearby landmarks, attractions, or even just local history. This is especially useful given how often national parks are devoid of cell or Wi-Fi service. Just download the app and tour content before you hit the road, and you can access the tour even offline. Your GuideAlong “virtual guide” also provides helpful, specific suggested routes to maximize your fun, and minimize your traffic jams while on the road.

    Totem Pole Park

    Our first stop in Vancouver was Stanley Park. The GuideAlong tour gives you step by
    step instructions on where to drive, down to which lane you want to be in to make stops and turns, along with useful commentary on what you will see and instructions on where to stop. You will need to pay for parking in Stanley Park, and you can do so in a parking app.

    We drove the loop around Stanley Park, stopping at the Totem Pole Park, Siwash Rock, and Prospect Point. The walk from the parking lot to the Totem Pole Park is short and easy to navigate for both people with limited walking stamina and for those in a wheelchair. While Peggy had to take a seat upon arrival at the Totem Pole Park, she was able to enjoy the Totem Poles and hear about some of the history. This is definitely worth a stop.

    We also really enjoyed the stop at Prospect Point. Prospect Point is the highest point in Stanley Park and has great views out to the Pacific Ocean, Lions Gate Bridge, as well as a peek at the cruise ships in the harbor if that’s something you enjoy. The upper part of the lookout is a short walk from the parking lot, which was challenging for Peggy, but no problem for Dave’s wheelchair. Prospect Point has a café and ice cream shop as well as accessible public restrooms.

    There’s a ton to do in Stanley Park, and you can easily spend a day or more just
    exploring all it has to offer. For those who enjoy an outdoor adventure, there is a paved bike path that runs all the way around the park’s seawall, roughly 10 KM. It is a concrete surface that can be traveled one way, counterclockwise, around the park and is wheelchair accessible. We didn’t have time to do the seawall path, but it’s a great option if you have more time than we did.

    Another stop that we didn’t have time for is the Vancouver Aquarium, Canada’s largest aquarium. For those with physical disabilities, the Vancouver Aquarium offers
    wheelchairs, noise cancelling headphones, strollers, and walker rentals, and the
    Aquarium allows accredited service dogs with proof of certification except in the free
    flight Amazon gallery. For people with sensory disabilities, the Aquarium offers comfort kits, weighted blankets, and sensory friendly hours. Disabled guests who purchase a full price ticket can invite an attendant to join them for free.

    There are so many fun things to do in Stanley Park, and it is very accessible for those with limited mobility!

    Lunch Time!

    For lunch, we had reservations at the nearby Little Bird Dim Sum. Little Bird is listed in the Michelin Guide as a Bib Gourmand restaurant. This was Ken and Peggy’s first time trying Dim Sum, and everyone really enjoyed the food. We tried so many things, and we all were stuffed when we left for a really reasonable price. I believe there is one step required to get into the restaurant so it may not work for those who are primary wheelchair users, but it was easy for Dave and Peggy to navigate.

    Whale Watching – Orcas, Seals, Sea Lions, and More

    The boats are open, which is better for viewing the wildlife, but it was cold out on the water so bring warm layers with and be prepared for rain. Our boat was the Explorathor II, which is not wheelchair accessible. Getting on and off the boat was near the limit of Peggy and Dave’s mobility, and Dave had to be extra careful stepping off the boat as he feared falling. This is not a stop for someone who is
    a primary wheelchair user who cannot ambulate at all. There is no ramp for entering
    and exiting the boat so you will need to be able to walk up a few steps to board this
    boat.

    Best Breakfast in Town!

    The next morning, we walked/rolled to Jam Café on Beatty Street. I am not
    exaggerating when I say that this was the best breakfast my dad had ever had, and he is a breakfast connoisseur. Get there before they open. We arrived shortly before they opened, and we managed to snag the last table inside the restaurant once they opened.

    There are a couple of steps to enter the restaurant, but I believe they told me that they had an accessible entrance in the back. Call to confirm if you are not at all ambulatory. The restaurant is tight and would be hard to navigate while in a wheelchair. They graciously stored Dave’s wheelchair for us out of the way while we were dining. If you have a sweet tooth, you absolutely HAVE TO try the Cinnamon Bun pancakes, which we shared for the table.