Vancouver North Shore Adventure Tour 6 Hours
Downtown Vancouver is fifteen minutes from a rainforest canyon and an alpine summit. The Vancouver North Shore Adventure Tour skips the city loop entirely and spends all six hours on the other side of Lions Gate Bridge.
You cross the bridge, walk the Capilano Suspension Bridge, watch salmon climb a fish ladder, stand on top of Cleveland Dam, and ride the Skyride to 1,100 metres. Fewer stops than a city tour, far more time at each one.
A private six-hour chauffeur-driven route through North and West Vancouver. It covers Lions Gate Bridge, Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, the Capilano Salmon Hatchery, Cleveland Dam and Grouse Mountain, with a choice of Deep Cove, Lynn Canyon or the Shipyards District on the return. Attraction tickets are paid separately.
Both packages run six hours and cost the same. They are not the same day.
| 6-hour City Discovery | 6-hour North Shore Adventure | |
| Downtown landmarks | Nine stops | None |
| Capilano Suspension Bridge | 90 minutes | Up to 2 hours |
| Grouse Mountain | Not included | Yes, Skyride and summit |
| Cleveland Dam | Brief viewpoint | Full stop, walk the crest |
| Deep Cove or Lynn Canyon | No | Your choice, on the way back |
| Time out of the vehicle | About 3 hours | About 4 hours |
| Pace | Busy | Slower, longer stops |
| Best for | First-time visitors | Repeat visitors, families, hikers |
First trip to Vancouver? Take the city tour. Been here before, or travelling with people who would rather be outdoors? Take this one.
City Tour or North Shore Tour?
How Your 6 Hours Are Spent
A typical run. Your chauffeur reorders it live for weather, queues and how long you linger.
Hours 1 to 2
The crossing
Through Stanley Park to the bridge approach, across Lions Gate, and up into North Vancouver.
Hour 3
Capilano
Suspension bridge, Treetops Adventure, Cliffwalk and the Kia'palano carvings.
Hours 4
Capilano River
The salmon hatchery, then five minutes further to Cleveland Dam and the reservoir viewpoint.
Hour 5
Grouse Mountain
Skyride to the alpine station, the wildlife refuge and the view back across the city.
Hour 6
Your choice
Deep Cove, Lynn Canyon or the Shipyards District at Lonsdale Quay, then back across the bridge.
Our Luxury Fleet in Vancouver
Choose the perfect vehicle for your trip. Every car arrives clean, inspected, and driven by a professional chauffeur.
Executive Sedans
- 3 Seats
- 2 Luggage
Sleek and comfortable. Ideal for airport transfers and business travel across Greater Vancouver.
VIP Mercedes Benz
- 3 Seats
- 2 Luggage
First-class comfort for executives and VIP guests who expect nothing less than excellence.
Luxury SUV
- 6 Seats
- 6 Luggage
Spacious and powerful. Perfect for families, ski trips to Whistler, and group airport runs.
Limousines
- 8–20 Seats
- LED TV & Music
Turn heads at weddings, proms, and special events with our stunning stretch limos.
Party Bus
- 18–40 Seats
- Sound & Lighting
Celebrate on the move. Built for birthdays, night outs, and unforgettable group events.
Sprinter Vans
- 9–14 Seats
- 12 Luggage
Executive seating and generous luggage space for corporate groups and cruise passengers.
Mini Bus
- 24-40 Seats
- 28 Luggage
Smart choice for conferences, tours, and large family gatherings around Vancouver.
Motor Coach
- 55 Seats
- 42 Luggage
Full-size comfort for big groups, long-distance trips, and cross-border travel.
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North Shore Tour Itinerary
Six stops, in the order your chauffeur normally drives them. Every one includes real time out of the vehicle.
- Stop 01
Lions Gate Bridge
The tour starts by crossing it, not photographing it from a lookout.
Lions Gate Bridge opened in 1938, funded by the Guinness family to open up their West Vancouver land holdings. It stretches roughly 1,500 metres across the First Narrows, with art deco towers rising above the water and two cast concrete lions guarding the south approach since 1939.
The bridge takes its name from The Lions, the twin peaks visible to the north on a clear day. Three lanes cross the deck, with the centre lane reversing by time of day, and your chauffeur times the run to miss the reversal working against you.
Stanley Park’s rainforest closes in on the approach road, then opens out to water on both sides. It is the best free thing on the tour and it lasts about ninety seconds.
- Stop 02
Cleveland Dam
Five minutes further up the valley, Cleveland Dam holds back Capilano Lake, the reservoir supplying drinking water to much of Metro Vancouver. Most tours drive past the entrance. Ours stops.
The dam was completed in 1954 and named after Ernest Cleveland, first chief commissioner of the Greater Vancouver Water District. It stands 91 metres high, with the spillway dropping straight into the canyon below.
Walk the crest and you look north up the reservoir into protected watershed forest, with the twin peaks of The Lions rising behind it. Turn around and the canyon runs south toward the city.
Capilano River Regional Park surrounds it with forest trails and a picnic ground. Entry costs nothing and it is the quietest stop on the route.
- Stop 03
Capilano Salmon Hatchery
A few minutes upriver, the hatchery sits in a canyon of second-growth rainforest. Admission is free, and it draws over 400,000 visitors a year.
It raises coho and chinook salmon to support runs disrupted by the Cleveland Dam upstream. Glass viewing panels show fish at several life stages, and the interpretive displays explain how the run works.
The fish ladder is the reason to time your visit. Between roughly July and October, returning salmon climb the concrete steps against the current. Children remember it longer than anything else on the day.
Trails run down toward the river from the hatchery car park if you want twenty minutes in the forest.
- Stop 04
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
The main event. A bridge was first strung across this canyon in 1889 using hemp rope and cedar planks, which makes Capilano the oldest visitor attraction in Vancouver.
Today’s span runs 450 feet across the Capilano River and hangs 230 feet above it. It moves underfoot, which is the entire point, and about a million people cross it every year.
Treetops Adventure carries you into the canopy on seven small suspension bridges strung between Douglas firs, up to 110 feet above the forest floor. Cliffwalk, added in 2011, is a narrow walkway cantilevered off the granite cliff face with a glass section over the river.
The Kia’palano area displays First Nations carvings and totem poles, and the Story Centre covers the park’s history through archive photographs. Raptors Ridge runs birds of prey demonstrations in summer.
Because this tour has no downtown loop, you get up to two hours here instead of the ninety minutes a city tour allows. That is the difference between rushing the canopy and actually walking it twice.
- Stop 05
Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain sits fifteen minutes from the dam and rises to 1,231 metres at its peak. The Skyride aerial tram carries you from the base to the alpine station at roughly 1,100 metres in under ten minutes.
On a clear day the view runs south over the city and the Strait of Georgia, out to the Gulf Islands, and southeast to Mount Baker in Washington State.
Summer brings the Refuge for Endangered Wildlife with its orphaned grizzly bears, the lumberjack show, birds of prey demonstrations and the Theatre in the Sky film. The Peak Chairlift climbs the last stretch to the true summit.
Eye of the Wind is the unusual one. A working wind turbine with a glass viewPOD built into the nacelle, twenty storeys above the mountain.
Winter switches everything over to skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating and sleigh rides, with the Light Walk running through the trees after dark from late November.
Dress for the summit rather than the city. It runs several degrees colder up there and the wind carries. The Grouse Grind trail climbs 853 metres over 2,830 steps from the base, and no, it is not part of this tour.
- Stop 06
Your Choice — Deep Cove, Lynn Canyon or the Shipyards
The last hour is yours. Three options, all genuinely North Shore, and all free to enter.
Deep Cove. A small village on Indian Arm, twenty minutes east. Kayaks on the water, Panorama Park at the shoreline, and a doughnut shop locals queue for. The Quarry Rock trail starts here if you have energy left.
Lynn Canyon. A free suspension bridge hanging 50 metres above Lynn Creek, plus the Ecology Centre, Twin Falls and swimming holes in summer. Smaller and rougher than Capilano, and many locals prefer it.
The Shipyards at Lonsdale Quay. A converted waterfront industrial site with a public market, food hall, harbour views back at the downtown skyline, and an outdoor plaza that becomes a skating rink in winter.
Tell your chauffeur at pickup, or decide on the mountain. All three work.
Food and Drink on the Tour
There is no booked restaurant meal in the six-hour rate, but this route has good options at three separate stops.
Capilano has a cafe and a bistro inside the gates. Grouse Mountain has the chalet and Altitudes Bistro at the top station, with the view attached. Lonsdale Quay Market and Deep Cove both have proper food if you choose them for your final hour.
Want a sit-down lunch reserved? Tell us in advance and we will book it, then trim time elsewhere to fit.
Attraction Tickets — What You Will Actually Pay
Tickets are separate from your tour rate. Both parks sell direct, and we can arrange them in advance.
| Ticket | Adult | Senior | Youth | Child |
| Capilano Suspension Bridge Park | $65.95 | $60.95 | $37.95 (13–17) | $27.95 (6–12) |
| Grouse Mountain Skyride | $69.00 | $59.00 | $49.00 (13–17) | $36.00 (5–12) |
| Both, per person | $134.95 | $119.95 | $86.95 | $63.95 |
Children under 6 enter Capilano free. Children under 4 ride the Grouse Skyride free. Cleveland Dam, the salmon hatchery, Deep Cove, Lynn Canyon and the Shipyards all cost nothing.
Prices are for reference and change seasonally. Confirm on each park’s official website before you travel.
Want to cut the cost? Swap Capilano for Lynn Canyon and you save the largest ticket on the list. The bridge is smaller and the site is less polished, but the forest is excellent and we will tell you so honestly.
Pickup and Drop-Off
| Location | What to expect |
| Downtown Vancouver hotels | Chauffeur meets you in the lobby |
| Vancouver International Airport (YVR) | Meet-and-greet in the terminal, luggage carried through |
| Canada Place cruise terminal | Timed around your ship’s clearance |
| North Vancouver and West Vancouver | Ideal starting point, since you skip the bridge queue |
| Richmond and Burnaby | Short transfer time applies |
Staying on the North Shore already? Say so. Starting from Lonsdale or Ambleside removes the bridge crossing from both ends of the day and buys you extra time at Capilano.
Cruise passengers need a port call of at least eight hours for this package.
Vehicles
- Luxury Sedan — up to 2 guests
- Luxury SUV — up to 5 guests, extra luggage space
- Executive Van — 6 to 14 guests, high roof
- Stretch Limousine — up to 8 guests
- Wheelchair Accessible Sedan — 1 accessible passenger plus 3
- Wheelchair Accessible Van — 1 accessible passenger plus 7
- Minibus — up to 23 guests
The North Shore roads climb steadily and the Grouse approach is steep. We send SUVs and vans on wet-weather and winter bookings, and all vehicles carry water, phone charging and rear climate control.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Round trip from Vancouver | From YVR or Canada Place |
| Luxury Sedan | up to 2 | $1,092 | $936 |
| Luxury SUV | up to 5 | $1,196 | $1,027 |
| Wheelchair Accessible Sedan | 1 accessible + 3 | $1,209 | $1,040 |
| Wheelchair Accessible Van | 1 accessible + 7 | $1,794 | $1,547 |
| Executive Van | 6 to 14 | $1,521 | $1,313 |
North Shore Tour Rates
Pickup inside the City of Vancouver, returning to the same address. All-inclusive of tax, gratuity, surcharges and parking.
Pickup from YVR Airport or the Canada Place cruise terminal, ending inside the City of Vancouver. All-inclusive of tax, gratuity, surcharges and parking.
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and Grouse Mountain Skyride admission are not included. See the ticket table above.
Rates are in Canadian dollars. Nothing is added at the end of the ride except the tickets you choose to buy.
Best Times to Book
July to October
Salmon are returning, so the hatchery fish ladder is active. Grouse runs its full summer programme and Lynn Canyon’s swimming holes are usable.
Morning starts
Capilano is far quieter before eleven and the Skyride queue builds through the afternoon. Lions Gate traffic also thickens as the day goes on.
Late November to January
Grouse switches to winter operations and Capilano runs Canyon Lights after dark. A midday start turns this into a completely different tour.
Clear days matter more here than on a city tour
Grouse and Cleveland Dam both sell the view. If the forecast shows low cloud on the mountain we will say so and suggest moving the date.
Who This Tour Suits
- Repeat visitors who have already done downtown Vancouver
- Families with children who would rather climb than shop
- Hikers and photographers wanting rainforest, canyon and alpine in one day
- Cruise passengers with a port call of eight hours or more
- Groups celebrating something outdoors, using the executive van or minibus
- Anyone staying on the North Shore already
A note on mobility. The Grouse Skyride, top station and Cleveland Dam crest are step-free. The Capilano bridge, Cliffwalk and Lynn Canyon all have steps and steep sections. Tell us and we will rebalance the day around what works.
Why Book United CLS
Licensed and insured in British Columbia
We operate under provincial passenger transportation regulations and carry commercial insurance on every vehicle. Licence details are available on request.
Chauffeurs who drive the North Shore weekly
They know the Lions Gate lane reversal, when the Grouse lot fills, when Deep Cove parking becomes impossible, and which crossing to use on the way home.
One operator across two countries
United CLS runs chauffeured fleets in Dallas, Austin, Houston, Los Angeles and New York, and now serves Vancouver to the same standard.
Flat, all-in pricing
Tax, gratuity, parking and surcharges sit inside the quote. Only tickets and meals are extra, and we publish the ticket numbers above.
Honest advice
We earn nothing from Capilano or Grouse. If the mountain is clouded in, or Lynn Canyon suits you better than a $66 ticket, we will tell you.
Other Tour Lengths
- 6-hour Vancouver City Discovery Tour, for downtown plus Capilano
- 8-hour Vancouver City Adventure Tour, for city and mountain together
- 9-hour Vancouver Full Day Tour
- 4-hour Wheelchair Accessible Vancouver Tour
- Full-day Whistler and Sea to Sky Tour
- Sea to Sky Gondola Tour
Send us your dates and we will match the package to them.
- LIMITED AVAILABILITY
RESERVE YOUR LIMOUSINE NOW
How to Book
Send your date, pickup address and passenger count.
Tell us your final-hour choice and whether you want tickets arranged.
We confirm the vehicle, route and flat rate in writing.
Your chauffeur calls the day before with their name and number.
You cross the bridge and spend the day on the right side of it.
Vancouver North Shore Adventure Tour- FAQs
What is the difference between the North Shore tour and the 6-hour city tour?
The North Shore tour skips downtown entirely and spends all six hours across Lions Gate Bridge. It adds Grouse Mountain and Cleveland Dam, and gives you longer at Capilano.
Are Capilano and Grouse tickets included?
No. The rate covers the vehicle, chauffeur, parking and fuel. Both parks are ticketed separately, with reference prices listed above.
How long do we get at Capilano Suspension Bridge?
Up to two hours, since there is no downtown loop competing for time. That covers the bridge, Treetops Adventure, Cliffwalk and the Kia’palano carvings without rushing.
How high does the Grouse Skyride go?
The Skyride runs from the base to the alpine station at roughly 1,100 metres. The Peak Chairlift then climbs to the true summit at 1,231 metres.
Is Cleveland Dam worth stopping for?
Yes, and it is free. You walk across the crest for views north up Capilano Lake toward The Lions, and it is the quietest place on the route.
Can we choose Deep Cove instead of Lynn Canyon?
Yes. The final hour is yours, and Deep Cove, Lynn Canyon and the Shipyards District are all included at no extra charge. Decide at pickup or on the mountain.
Can we skip Capilano to save money?
Yes. Lynn Canyon has a free suspension bridge and costs nothing to enter. It is smaller and less developed, but the forest around it is excellent.
Is this tour good for young children?
Yes. Children under six enter Capilano free and under four ride the Skyride free. The grizzly refuge, lumberjack show and fish ladder all hold their attention.
Can we do this from a cruise ship?
Yes, with a port call of eight hours or more. Share the sailing name and all-aboard time and we will confirm before you pay.
Does rain cancel the tour?
No. The coastal rainforest is at its best wet and the Skyride runs unless high winds close it. Only the summit view suffers.
How far ahead should we book?
Three weeks is comfortable. Between May and September, book four weeks ahead for weekend dates.
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancel more than 48 hours before pickup for a full refund. Inside 48 hours, a partial charge applies. Flight and sailing delays are handled case by case.
Book the Vancouver North Shore Adventure Tour
Six hours. One bridge crossing. Canyon, river, dam, summit, and an hour of your own choosing.