Horseshoe Bay and Whytecliff Park

The 257 leaves Dunsmuir at Cambie every 20 minutes at a weekday midday and runs by way of the Lions Gate Bridge and Park Royal to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in 39 minutes. The 250 takes the slow road along Marine Drive in 54 minutes and passes Lighthouse Park on the way, so you can hop off there for its old-growth coastal forest and the viewpoint over the Point Atkinson light station. Every bus is a 1-zone fare at any hour, and the ride costs $3.50 by tap.

Horseshoe Bay is a couple of streets around Bay Street and Royal Avenue, and Horseshoe Bay Park runs along the water. The BC Ferries terminal sends boats across Howe Sound and over to Nanaimo. Troll's at 6408 Bay Street has fried fish since 1946 and opens at 8 am, and the Troll family plans to close it at the end of 2027 when its lease ends. Sewell's Marina across the street has worked the bay since the 1920s, and its Lookout coffee shop doubles as a tourist information desk. Public washrooms stand on the shore walk in Horseshoe Bay Park, and leashed dogs may use its paved footpaths.

Whytecliff Park lies just west of the village, and the Horseshoe Bay Motel puts the walk at 25 to 30 minutes. From the Bassendale Terrace you look over the beach to Whyte Island, and the water off the park is a designated Saltwater Marine Protected Area that draws divers of every level. Entry is free, and the café in the park opens daily from 11 am to 7 pm. Dogs may run off leash in the part of Whytecliff east of Marine Drive, and the District of West Vancouver keeps them off its beaches and playgrounds.

Coming home, the last 257 leaves the ferry terminal at 12:20 am on weeknights and reaches Dunsmuir at Cambie at 12:53 am. On Saturdays it goes at 11:20 pm and on Sundays at 11:30 pm. BC Ferries warns that transit may not be running when a late sailing lands, and a taxi stand waits at the terminal.