Vancouver is peppered with beaches around the city and plenty of nearby mountains with an abundance of water. However, I’m a sucker for finding waterways through cities. When I was searching for places to paddle in Vancouver, False Creek fit the bill! This paddle will take you through the city providing plenty of views along the way. Paddle under Burrard and Granville bridges, past Granville Island all the way to Science World. The round trip paddle from Sunset Beach is a manageable 4.5 miles. It’s a nice way to see the city from the water, which is surrounded by a sea wall.

The original plan was to launch from English Bay, but the bay was very choppy due to strong winds, so we decided to launch from Sunset Beach, a little closer to entering False Creek. There’s plenty of parking at Sunset Beach and it’s an easy walk to the beach. We paddled away from the bay under Burrard Bridge towards Granville Island. As we approached Granville Island, we saw the public market come into view - I highly suggest a land visit to this market! We continued under the Granville bridge and approached the Giant Murals. These beautiful murals were painted on concrete silos and add a bit of beauty to this Granville Island industrial landmark. After admiring the murals, we passed several houseboats on the water. I’ve always dreamed of spending time on a houseboat - how amazing would it be to wake up every morning on the water!

We paddled False Creek in October and the leaves were just beginning to change, splashing color to the tree-lined parks on each side of the water. We continued under Cambie bridge and soon after, BC Place and Rogers Arena were in view on the left side of the creek, with Science World now coming into view. Being a hockey fan, seeing Rogers Arena from the water was pretty cool even though we got a close up view when we attended a game the next night. I’ve seen tons of pictures on Instagram of paddle boarders in front of Science World, so after stopping for a few photos, we turned around and paddled back to Sunset Beach. Along the way, we ran into a few kayakers, paddle boarders, and water taxis. This was a nice paddle away from English Bay on a windy, choppy day!

While You’re There

Granville Island - After you’re finished paddling through town, head over to Granville Island. Grab a bite to eat and explore the public market and surrounding shops. We were there over Canadian Thanksgiving and signed up for the Granville Island Turkey Trot, a 10k run on the sea wall around False Creek - one of the highlights of the trip!

Stanley Park - We rented bikes and rode around the perimeter of Stanley Park. This was one of my favorite things I did all year - another highlight of my trip. The park is a gorgeous forest in the middle of the city surrounded by water. The views are endless and after passing under Lion’s Gate Bridge, the sunset was on full display. A trip to Vancouver isn’t complete without visit to Stanley Park!

SUP Vancouver: How to Paddle False Creek

While You’re There