Whytecliff Park
Whytecliff Park
4.5
About
This is a tiny cliffside park with access to the beach and scuba diving sites. Beautiful panoramic views of Howe Sound and Bowen Island can be found here, as well as grassy areas and picnic sites. It's a beautiful quick photo op for those visiting Horseshoe Bay.
Duration: < 1 hour
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36 within 3 miles
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26 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
171 reviews
Excellent
112
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44
Average
12
Poor
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2
Roary
Vancouver, Canada3,645 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
Wanting to get my kids off their screen time, we decided to go here based on other people’s photos and was commonly referenced online as a easy “hike” for the family.
We got here around 9am on a Sunday so we were able to grab a spot. By the time it was 10:30am when we finished, I could see cars circling for spots. Come early.
The walk down to see Whytecliff island is very short and is very accessible to any family with elementary school aged children. We spent 20 minutes admiring the views and exploring the immediate area. Fortunately the day we visited, the high tide wasn’t high enough to prevent getting to the island. Make sure to check for tide info if you intend on doing this so you don’t unexpectedly get trapped.
After exploring the area, we did a small “hike” around the park area. Very short and easy so it makes a good intro to hiking for small kids.
Didn’t see any sea life (like sea lions) on this visit, so we might try again another time. Nice way to spend an early morning with the family. Very popular spot for divers.
We got here around 9am on a Sunday so we were able to grab a spot. By the time it was 10:30am when we finished, I could see cars circling for spots. Come early.
The walk down to see Whytecliff island is very short and is very accessible to any family with elementary school aged children. We spent 20 minutes admiring the views and exploring the immediate area. Fortunately the day we visited, the high tide wasn’t high enough to prevent getting to the island. Make sure to check for tide info if you intend on doing this so you don’t unexpectedly get trapped.
After exploring the area, we did a small “hike” around the park area. Very short and easy so it makes a good intro to hiking for small kids.
Didn’t see any sea life (like sea lions) on this visit, so we might try again another time. Nice way to spend an early morning with the family. Very popular spot for divers.
Written July 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
msedona
Toronto, Canada185 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
A perfect deep swimming and shhhhh... cliff jumping spot. Wet socks are a must due to mollusks and barnacles covering rocks. Watch for tides as anywhere around Van coastal line and keep your clothes far from the water to keep them dry by the time you return to the shore from the islet especially! Close to sunset you might need to swim back to shore! Yesterday while swimming I saw a seal head pop up not far from me, maybe because there were only a couple more swimmers and only one paddleboard in the water! Marine life is abundant if you are curious and inquisitive. You would regularly encounter a couple scuba diving training teams in that area. It gets busy so parking may be tricky on weekends and holidays.
Our favourite spot.
Our favourite spot.
Written July 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
52_countries_so_far
Peterborough, Canada31 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
We were given turn by turn directions by our daughter...better than the GPS. We walked the trails, saw sea lions on the rocks, and looked for whales. We didn't see any, but the view is so good, we went back the next day, took a lunch with us and some games, and sat at a picnic table for a couple of hours just looking out at the water. Then we took a walk around sleepy Horseshoe Bay. Very relaxing day.
Written January 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
VncrCanada
Vancouver, Canada243 contributions
May 2022
This is one of the prettiest parks in metro Vancouver. At low tide the exploration to the little island is a fun adventure. Scuba diving is very popular here and fun to watch. The beach can be quite wavy and it’s rocky. The picnic area is sheltered from the wind. The view of Bowen island from the cliffs is spectacular. The canteen may or may not be open but when it is, the food is great, they even have home made pie sometimes.
Written October 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gillian S
West Vancouver, Canada19 contributions
Sep 2019
Whyteciff Park is easy to get to and has beach (pebble), rocks, trees, play area, picnic area, and a really nice place to get something to eat and drink. The only negative is that is is popular and parking is not easy. If you are a qualified diver, the underwater scenery is also great once you get out of the actual bay.
Written February 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nooshin F
West Vancouver, Canada116 contributions
Sep 2018 • Family
The are two roads reaching there , one is via highway the other is through a beautiful cliff road with ocean view.the park is not vast but unique in its own way. It has a beach and a great white cliff with seals and star fishes laying around. It was a Saturday that we went there and it was NOT crowded at all.some were sunbathing and some climbing . There’s a small playground mostly for very young children. I think the sea ought to be clear around this area as they were scuba diving teams there as well.
Written September 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Familyvacationphotos
montreal100 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
We spent last August staying on the North Shore and all the beautiful beaches in West Vancouver were closed because of poop in the water. They were declared unsafe for swimming. It was kind of strange because people didn't seem to care and the media reports were vague about the cause. It remains a mystery as to how all that poop got in the water in the first place.
I just heard that Vancouver is going to allow boaters with fewer than 15 passengers to discharge their toilet tanks one mile from the shoreline. There are tons of boaters in Vancouver in the summer. I fear the beaches are going to become one giant stinking toilet.
There are also lots of freighters anchored in the harbour. Who monitors them for illegal sewage dumping?
Part of the attraction of visiting the waterfront parks of Vancouver is swimming. If the beaches are closed next summer during our visit - we'll have to choose another place to vacation.
I just heard that Vancouver is going to allow boaters with fewer than 15 passengers to discharge their toilet tanks one mile from the shoreline. There are tons of boaters in Vancouver in the summer. I fear the beaches are going to become one giant stinking toilet.
There are also lots of freighters anchored in the harbour. Who monitors them for illegal sewage dumping?
Part of the attraction of visiting the waterfront parks of Vancouver is swimming. If the beaches are closed next summer during our visit - we'll have to choose another place to vacation.
Written January 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hawaiian Canuck
Vancouver, Canada2,079 contributions
Dec 2019
This is a great park to do a day trip to. Hop on the 250 Horseshoe Bay WEST VAN bus and get off at the park sign (ask the driver to let you know when the bus gets to it). its a beautiful wooded park on a peninsula in a wealthy residential area of West Vancouver.
Written December 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
migachan
Vancouver, Canada282 contributions
Aug 2016 • Friends
I decided to go to Whytecliff Park because it is a known to have Harbour Seals. My friend and I took bus 260 ‘Horseshoe Bay’ from Granville St. and West Georgia street, just next to the department store, the Bay.
It is about a 30 minutes walk from the Harbour Park at Horseshoe Bay. I am not sure if there is a shortcut where we can cut through the coast line, but we just followed the road (Marine Drive), which went around a residential area. Part of the pedestrian road ends, so you should stay to the side, since it is at a winding point.
We were there during low tide so we crossed a path towards a 'island' and saw three seals sunbathing! No one disrupted them though a couple of the seals went back into the waters because some people got too close. The large rock on the island is quite slippery so be careful if you choose to climb it.
It is about a 30 minutes walk from the Harbour Park at Horseshoe Bay. I am not sure if there is a shortcut where we can cut through the coast line, but we just followed the road (Marine Drive), which went around a residential area. Part of the pedestrian road ends, so you should stay to the side, since it is at a winding point.
We were there during low tide so we crossed a path towards a 'island' and saw three seals sunbathing! No one disrupted them though a couple of the seals went back into the waters because some people got too close. The large rock on the island is quite slippery so be careful if you choose to climb it.
Written September 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Firouzeh1
Taby, Sweden205 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
I'm from the North shore and this was my childhood playground. It makes me so sad to see that the water all around Vancouver has been contaminated and is no longer fit for swimming (at least for now). We flew to Vancouver on July 2nd. There were signs saying that there has been an oil spill in the Burrard inlet on April 30th, but that the water is now safe to swim in. My husband got a very bad rash on his head and back after swimming in the water off Whytecliff. 3 days later, the news announced that Whytecliff park's waters are too contaminated for swimming...go for a picnic or to enjoy the breathtaking views. Don't swim!
Written July 20, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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