During our babymoon to Whistler, we wanted to do some lake activities but thought kayaking would be…read moretoo strenuous for me. So we found Backroads, which offers pedal boating, which was the perfect activity. At $110/hour, it's more expensive than taking a kayak or a canoe (which I believe is $99) and doesn't seem as popular (there were only 2-3 pedal boats). We got there on a Friday at around 10:30 in the morning and it seems the most popular option was the kayak. But pedal boating was perfect for us. First, you go to the kiosk and put down a credit card. Then, you head over to a shed to pick up your life jacket, and depending on which boat you're taking, the crew will let you know the instructions and where to go. We took the boat for about an hour, which was enough time for us to go around the lake with some breaks in between. When you're done, you row back to where you launched, return your life jacket, and go close out the bill. Overall, it was kind of pricey but it was a fun experience being out on Lake Alta. Tip - no parking lot. There's only residential street parking, which wasn't plenty but we were still able to nab a spot at that hour. Bathrooms are actual stalled bathrooms and are pretty clean.

Terrible experience with this agency. They have a monopoly on the lake so can't do much…read more Fundamentally they claim policies and double charge you on your credit card. The staff is untrained and not really engaged in providing instructions. Would avoid them on the next visit.

We specifically picked Seabreeze Adventures for the zodiac style boat. We wanted to be more up…read moreclose and personal without 50 other people crowding the rails. So glad we did. We can't be happier with our choice. Our Orca pix will need to be downloaded. Ask for Jade and Elliot.

I wish I could say I enjoyed it. Starting off, we got there…read moreat 730am ready to board. We didn't board until after 8am because others were late. The captain was nice and a few others were helpful, but unfortunately the overall experience was not very pleasant. Almost everyone else on the boat seemed to know each other and 95% of the time spoke Mandarin to each other. I am not a Mandarin speaker so it really felt like we were being left out a lot. Only managed to get some sort of information or communication because my friend can vaguely translate what they say. As someone paying around $300/person, I expected to learn a lot and have more guidance. The moment we got on the boat one of the other guests lit up a cigarette. Let's just say throughout the entire day, someone was toting a lit cigarette. They probably smoked close to 3 packs while on board. No one from my group smokes, so we were pretty irradiated to say the least. We learned very little and had little guidance. They were helpful when we needed help, but for the most part it felt like they were having a blast and we were the party crashers. I do like that they followed the rules of fishing and what fish they have to release, what can be caught and what needed to be returned. However, they threw their cigarette butts into the ocean which I felt was unacceptable. Since I'm a beginner, I tried to copy what the others did on the boat in terms of releasing the line, but then told we shouldn't do that. I pretty much kept to myself and kept quiet because of the language barrier and honestly wasn't there to criticize people, I was there to learn and have fun . The 3 stars go to the captain and 1 or 2 of his friends. I really appreciate them giving us their catches and some crabs because I wasn't able to catch anything worth keeping and really they were kind and would answer questions if we had them, but I'm really shy, especially when it comes to new things. However, the last 30 mins would be the highlight, the other 8 hrs I felt like the kid that wasn't invited to the party but people were obligated to be nice to. I hope they learn from this review and are able to give other people a better experience than the one I got today.

We had a great experience. We took advantage of their early bird deal where you buy two hours and…read moreget one free. They had us arrive at 10 AM with the rental lasting until 1 PM, though we had to watch a 20 minute safety video and get lifejackets and everything so by the time we got in the boat and started off, we had about 2 1/2 hours left. I guess that's why they give you the third hour free? Fuel was extra though, which we didn't realize. Regardless, we felt it was well priced compared to other places where renting a boat could be double or triple the price. our boat was clean and looked practically brand new. We really appreciated that there was a cover/canopy on the boat to give us shade. We had amazing weather and the whole trip was lovely. I would definitely recommend doing this.

We were able to walk up on a summer day and book a boat for 8 people! What a great way to see VC!read more

Maple ridge beautiful lake park. A beauty that must be experienced in all seasons. Blue Color lake…read moreis mesmerizing and the wooded forest for hike is brainstorming. Plenty of people come here and book designated picnic tables to celebrate special occasions as many of them have bbq option. Else just the lake side view for any celebration is enough. I have taken many hikes around this beautiful lake and seen breathtaking views so you must go as well. The whole park is huge and I must say I could not explore in just one visit. So you got to come back to it again and again. Enjoy hikes with beautiful lake view but be careful around here as it is pretty wild and some of the trails are not for first timers.

Golden Ears Provincial Park is a very popular park and campground. Even though it's in Maple…read moreRidge, which is relatively close to Vancouver, I had never been due to lack of transit, but I finally had the opportunity to go on Thursday August 13, 2026 with four friends. Because Golden Ears is such a popular destination, free day passes are required for cars between mid-May to Labour Day on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. As we went on a Thursday we didn't require a pass, but we arrived at 11am, which is considered "late" (none of us are morning people), but we lucked out and managed to find one of the few remaining parking spots, and it was very close to the trail head. This was the first time at Golden Ears for all of us, so we took our time exploring and spent over four hours hiking and enjoying the day. We hiked along the East Canyon Trail to Viewpoint Beach, where we stopped for lunch for about half an hour and watched people on horseback frolicking in the water, and then started back down the trail and took the Crossover Trail to the Lower Falls, and then hiked along the Lower Falls Trail back to the parking lot. With the exception of the Crossover Trail, the trails we hiked were very easy, particularly the Lower Falls Trail (I wouldn't even say that this trail was a hike -- it was a walk). The Crossover Trail connects the East Canyon Trail to the Lower Falls, and while short, it was absolutely awful and I would not recommend hiking this "trail". On the map it's noted as a trail, but in my opinion, it really isn't. The Crossover Trail is very steep and the terrain is quite treacherous, particularly if you're short. Several times I just slid on my butt. The trails we hiked were by the North Beach area of Alouette Lake. There are campgrounds and several other trails, ranging from easy to advanced. Unfortunately there is no transit to this part of Golden Ears, but as of this summer, limited transit service to the South Beach of Alouette Lake began. In June, Translink began seasonal service from Haney Place in Maple Ridge to the South Beach parking lot. The #736 ran only on weekends and holidays until Labour Day every half an hour between 7am and 9pm (which is pretty damn good!). I was hoping to try this route out even though a one way transit trip would be 1.5 hours (getting to Haney Place is about an hour and includes 30 minute bus ride), but between my schedule and the limited days the bus ran, I wasn't able to make it before service ended. Also, I wasn't familiar with the hiking trails in the South Beach area, but now that I have been to Golden Ears and have studied the maps, I feel more comfortable exploring Golden Ears and hope to take transit there next summer. Even if I have friends who can drive, I want to support Translink and hope they keep this route going, and maybe expand it -- more transit to hiking trails is needed. [Yelp collections: Hiking; Parks and Gardens]

100% recommend. This was our first time chartering a boat to take out on our own and we could not…read morebe more pleased with the experience. We booked a half day of training with Darren to make sure everyone was comfortable and it was just what we needed to feel confident and get to know the boat. Darren was patient, knowledgable, and willing to work with us as much as we felt was needed. Everyone from the front office, to the dock hands, to Andrew (the owner), was personable, accessible, accommodating...we can't say enough about how much we appreciated all the time and attention. We had also spoken to them many times before we arrived with various questions and they were always responsive. We loved the boat and taking it to explore such a beautiful part of the world! I can't imagine any charter company doing more for their clients and we are so grateful that they made our first adventure of this type so wonderful.

Stressful & unsafe two weeks. Minimal and unhelpful response from Nanaimo Yacht Charters (NYC)…read more This was our 2nd time chartering from NYC and decided to charter the same boat (52 foot power boat - Rock n Rye). Previous year had small issues on the boat but overall positive experience. This year was drastically different. Boat had not been maintained and we were sent out on a very unsafe boat. Night 1: Windlass stopped operating and lost generator power. This began two weeks of major power issues, the inability to anchor due to slow response and service, and incurring unexpected costs. We were forced to stay at marina's the entire time. At one point, the anchor came dislodged in the middle of Johnston strait banging against the boat. We were stressed and exhausted after week 1. We spent two days in Port McNeill waiting for the windless to be fixed. Going in to week 2, the windshield exploded above the galley - yes- while sitting at the marina on a calm evening. We then had a broken windshield, continued power issues (not enough power to operate much of anything while not on shore power). The first night we attempted to anchor after the windlass was supposedly fixed, there was not enough power to drop or pull up anchor without re-setting the fuse every 10 seconds. After two very expensive and stressful weeks we met with Andrew, the owner, who assured us he would 'make it right' and 'cover our costs'. It's been three months and we have been trying to reach him and he has not responded. We hope you don't make the same choice we did . Go with a different, reliable, safe and responsive charter company.

Ken (and his crew) were nothing short of world-class, top-notch service and class…read more I live in New York City and was tasked to plan a day cruise (stag outing, full disclosure) for myself and 8 other Americans. Ken and his company, Summer Sun Charters, came highly recommended from VAN locals that I am friends with. Ken was 100% reliable and responsive through out the entire course of investigating, planning and booking our tour. He is extremely genuine and friendly, providing information, pricing and recommendations through out the entire booking process. The boat itself was exactly what we needed. A very clean, well maintained ship that has SO MUCH ROOM and many options for outdoor and indoor congregation. Refreshments were provided by his delightful bartender and Ken prepped his gas grill for us to cook out on. I would recommend Ken, his boat and Summer Sun Charters to anyone in the Vancouver area looking to have a memorable time on the water. THANK YOU KEN! Job well done!

The most hospitable crew ever! Fantastic yacht , cozy , safe and very professional operation. The…read moreonly one to charter and very affordable. Dinner was exquisite..we highly recommend this yacht to anyone considering a cruise to remember.

Took one of their pedalboats out to fish last week. The boat itself is sturdy and has pedals on the…read morefront two seats. Getting onto it wasn't too difficult - the boat itself surprisingly didn't dip too far into the water considering I'm quite heavy and I didn't exactly keep my weight down as low as I'd liked to. Of course, they're small boats that get sent out into the lake every day so don't expect them to be sparkling shiny, but they are clean enough to sit in, definitely. They have a rewards-type card for future visits. Similar to those buy-10-get-one stamp cards but they actually give you something after your 2nd visit! The service is great. The staff chit chat a lot, and one of the girls asked us about our fishing goals while making sure our life jackets fit us well. Sign-in was quick, payment was easy. Location wise, they have instructions on their website and it was easy to follow. There is a large free parking lot that closes at dusk there. They have a bathroom, bike racks and are located right on a sandbank for those who want a beachy feeling but don't want to drive all of the way down to the West End for it.

This place has next level customer service…read more From reading the reviews, we knew this place had bad customer service but it ended up being worse than we expected even knowing that the service is bad! From other reviews, we knew that this place would sometimes close hours early when they felt like it. Not wanting that to happen to us, we called before driving there (we were ten minutes away) to ask if they were open and, at 3pm, they said they'd be open until 6pm. When we got there, they said that they were closed. They literally decided to close and then closed in the ten minutes between telling us they'd be open for three more hours and when we got there even though we told them we were heading there and would be there in ten minutes. It was truly an unparalleled customer service experience. Although this place is the most conveniently located canoe & kayak rental place near where I live, they're not actually more convenient than Burnaby Canoe & Kayak Club (off Burnaby Lake), Rocky Point Kayak, or Deep Cove Kayak, if they can't be trusted stay open for ten minutes when they say they'll be open for three hours.