Sunset on a clear day at Ambleside Beach
Just a hop, skip, and a 20 minute drive away from downtown Vancouver, West Vancouver is home to a beautiful Ambleside Beach, the huge Park Royal shopping centre, and a very affluent neighbourhood. At over a half-kilometer long, Ambleside Beach is the destination to admire a stunning sunset. You can see all the way from Lion’s Gate Bridge and Stanley Park due east, to UBC due south, to the open Pacific Ocean due west.
You could watch sunrise here, but I just couldn’t get up at 4am to drive all the way out there. What you could do though, is pack a picnic and bring the whole family out to Ambleside Park. There are children’s play areas, public washrooms, and a jetty for water sports so there’s plenty to do for everyone. There’s plenty of free parking all around (just remember not to park overnight) and even some larger spaces for those with huge pickup trucks. There were even some old couples that admired the sunset in their cars watching the sky turn from blue to pink to purple to orange. I hope I can retire like that.
Looking for a bite and a walk after sundown? Park Royal shopping center is open till 9pm on some days so you could get a delicious burger or roast beef sandwich at The Village Taphouse and do a bit of light shopping. Park Royal is so big you’ll need to drive from one side to the other if you don’t want your feet to go sore! Do bring a good pair of walking shoes.
