Vancouver family tour Squamish with Porteau Cove and Britannia Mine Private

There are few highways in the world with as much awe-inspiring scenery as the Sea-to-Sky Highway. Officially known as BC Highway 99, this legendary route from Vancouver to Whistler and beyond is a drive with incredible sights at just about every turn. It's also filled with fun stops, including outdoor destinations, cultural points of interest and historic sites.

The Britannia Mine Museum, formerly British Columbia Museum of Mining, is located in Britannia Beach, which is about 55 km kilometres north of Vancouver on the Sea-to-Sky Highway on Howe Sound. The Museum site itself is an exhibit – from historical machinery to heritage buildings to the massive yellow dump truck that lives within the facility. You can take an underground tour of the mine on an old mine train. The 45 minute guided tour gives you an understanding of what life was like as a miner back in the early 1900s.

Porteau Cove Provincial Park is an oceanfront haven for scuba divers, kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders, beachcombers and those just looking for a place to relax by the shore. It's a little bit of oceanfront paradise just minutes from Squamish. The 56-hectare park offers a ton of exploring through its driftwood beaches, tidal and intertidal marine life, sunken ships, artificial reefs, picnic areas and pebble beaches, plus 44 drive-in and 16 walk-in campsites to give you even more time and space to soak it all up

A 10 minute gondola ride will take you up to a truly magical place with some of the most spectacular views you will ever see and activities for all interests and ages. As you rise from the water’s edge on the valley floor, the view opens up before you: the bright blue water of Howe Sound, dotted with green islands and backed by the steep mountains of the Coast Range; the majestic Stawamus Chief; and a bird’s eye view of the town of Squamish with the rugged, snow-capped mountains to the north. You will arrive at the Summit Lodge where the experience continues. A popular spot for spectacular photos is the 100 metre Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge.