Hey, Lynn Valley, it’s August and time for the annual summertime FOMO check-in. What’s still on your holiday bucket list? Are you dreading that fall will be here before you’ve had the chance to really relax into the summer you were hoping for? Fear not, there’s still time to make sure it happens!
Fortunately, we’re not like our American cousins, many of whom are preparing to send kids back to school this month. Did you know that only 16% of American school districts still wait until after Labour Day (or, in their case Labor Day) to start the new school year? Some districts are starting as early as this week! So we can count our blessings that here in beautiful North Vancouver, we have a whole 31+ days left to enjoy the fruits of summer.
We know rising costs have made money tighter than usual in most households, but for busy families summer fun is as much a time management issue as a money management issue. We invite you to grab your calendar and schedule in some of your summer “bucket list” items so they don’t slip away from you!
There are lots of low-cost and local ways to get the Lynn Valley summer experience, and we’ve got a few ideas to get you started:
Pack a picnic and bike or walk up the Seymour Valley Trailway for a real forest getaway. There are some great picnic sites along the 11-km paved road, and access from Lynn Valley is easy via the Pipeline Bridge off the top of Lynn Valley Road. Click here for your map to adventure.
Take in an open-air movie or stage performance. Our neighbours in the City of North Van are screening a bunch of movies in different locations this month; here’s the list! Or if you can put in a few bucks for an over-the-bridge adventure, how about an evening at Theatre Under the Stars? Take your own picnic supper and enjoy it on the grassy hill before the musical begins. This year choose from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Legally Blonde. Buy tix here.
Walk in the footsteps of local pioneers and spend a day walking up the Old Grouse Mountain Highway. It’s not as steep as the other trails up Grouse, but it’s longer as a result, at about 10km. Treat yourself to a ride down on the gondola and bus back this way, or convince a kindly friend to pick you up. Trail map is here and gondola info here.
Plan a proper beach day, complete with snacks, spades, buckets, beach umbrella, book, blanket …. whatever it takes to make your perfect beach base camp. Park your phone in your bag and be present to the kids in the water, as well as all the natural sights and sounds on offer. If you’re going to Cates Park beach, remember to purchase your local residents’ parking pass online so you don’t get dinged for the hourly rate (it covers Lynn Canyon parking as well.)
Happy Hour, anyone? What could be nicer than a civilized BYOB gathering with some friends in one of the 14 alcohol-allowed parks in North Van District? Get fancy and bring some charcuterie or create a custom Summertime in the Valley cocktail and let some good conversation carry you well into the evening.
Sleep outside! Spending at least a night or two in the open air brings home that summertime feeling like nothing else. If you’re not the camping sort, perhaps you have a yard, deck or balcony and a foamy? Even pushing your bed up against an open window can bring the breeze in at night and give you that open-air feeling.
Catch a falling star! Bundle up and witness the Perseids meteor shower this month. You may want to treat yourself to the Perseid Meteor Shower Primer at the Planetarium – looks like a special evening!
So, Lynn Valley – those are some of our bucket list items from LVLife HQ, but we bet you have some great ideas of your own. From us to you, have a wonderful rest-of-summer — seize the day, and go make some good memories!