Go urban or natural in North Vancouver

There is much to discover in North Vancouver—from First Nations history to wonders of the coastal rainforest to shopping

by Jessica Kirby — April 20, 2012

A couple enjoying a hike on the North Shore Hiking Trail. — Beautiful hiking trails throughout the North Shore take visitors away from the urban bustle. — Photo courtesy Vancouver's North Shore Tourism Association

North Vancouver was first home to the Coast Salish, ancestors of the Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam and Squamish peoples, who built permanent winter villages and had fishing camps along local shorelines and river mouths.

What would become Moodyville, and later the city of North Vancouver, was the oldest settlement on Burrard Inlet, predating Vancouver. The logging industry ballooned in the 1860s and shipbuilding became one of the region’s primary industries.

A taste of local talent

North Vancouver grew up around Lonsdale Avenue, where today a lively food market takes place around more than 80 shops and services. The market started off as a carnival-style market in the early '80s and has evolved into a community pillar, bringing locals and visitors together surrounded by the Douglas firs and red cedar that brought settlers to the region to begin with.

Investigate the roots

The Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre is an interactive natural museum set in the temperate rainforest. Here, hands-on and interactive exhibits welcome thousands of visitors yearly and present an up-close look at rainforest ecology as well as important local and global environmental issues.

The Ecology Centre was built in 1971 to commemorate Canada’s centennial as a place that would serve the region for decades to come. Scheduled interpretive walks through the summer and self-guided tours at any time of the year allow visitors to see plant, animal and human galleries, as well as the Nature Nook—a playful interactive area for children.

The North Shore Historical Museum is located in an old schoolhouse closer to Lonsdale and offers interpretive and self-guided tours of the region’s history, including the settlement of Moodyville, progression of the logging industry, First Nations culture and home-grown design and architecture.

An all-in-one package

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is the ultimate afternoon escapade for anyone who wants a crash course in the West Coast experience in three hours or less. The bridge itself spans 450 feet, and the attraction, which is surrounded by a park, features First Nations interpretive events, flora and fauna lessons, and an exciting interactive kids program.

“If you are in town for two days and only get one day on the North Shore, this is the place to spend it,” said Jane Ince, public and media relations person for Vancouver's North Shore Tourism Association. “You get the excitement of the bridge, a sense of the rainforest and critters, and First Nations information all as a packaged experience.”

The Lions' tale

The Lions of Vancouver—twin mountain peaks to the north and west—are eloquently described in the Coastal First Nations legend of a great tyee, or chief, who ignored an ongoing battle with an ancient northern rival to make time for his two daughters’ coming-of-age ceremony. The young women, who could be denied nothing on their special day, asked their father to invite the enemy to take part in the festivities. He did, and the tribes mended ways. According to the legend, the creator—Sagalie Tyee—immortalized the girls, setting them forever in a high place, “for they borne two offspring—Peace and Brotherhood—each of which is now a great Tyee ruling this land,” wrote E. Pauline Johnson-Tekahionwake in 1911.