Whistler used to be a really special day trip for me when I was in school growing up in Canada. We’d get on the bus early in the morning in Coquitlam and be whisked away to the mountains for a day of skiing and be back at night for our parents to pick us up. It was one of my favorite school field trips and it helped make skiing important for me and for my family. I’m learning as a grownup that summer is also a really fun time in Whistler too. If you want to book a bus trip to Whistler there is still an express bus you can book, but our Seattle-based family of four usually drives the Sea to Sky highway. Since we often drive electric and there are lots of Tesla chargers on the route now too, it’s pretty easy to get there in an electric car. I also recently learned that in the summer you can actually take a seaplane to Whistler from Richmond BC or from Vancouver with Harbour Air Seaplanes from May to September. I was over the top excited when I was invited by Tourism BC to come and check this adventure out.
Getting to Vancouver BC (or Richmond BC to Vancouver Airport) from Seattle if you don’t want to drive
You have a few non-driving options to get from Seattle to Vancouver BC if you’re in the Seattle area. You can take an Amtrak train on the Amtrak Cascades route. I’ve taken this when I was pregnant with my twins long ago and it’s a beautiful ride but the Amtrak Cascades train is probably your longest route too-once it took me nearly 6 hours. We absolutley need a bullet train in the Pacific Northwest. Read carefully when you book the Amtrak Cascades because sometimes the train route is a bus route. If you want to take a bus for sure-the Bolt Bus and Quick Coach are both good options and family members and friends have taken both of these as well.
The most luxurious way I’ve now taken between Seattle and Vancouver BC is when Tourism British Columbia flew me by airplane. I had a Delta flight and have access to lounges with my American Express Platinum credit card so I visited both Delta lounges at Seatac (they’re amazing!) before my flight and I think I spent more time at the airport than I did in the air. This reminded me that flying is an option to get from Seattle to Vancouver BC and because we have family in Vancouver it’s nice to know we have a bunch of different ways to get there.
Taking a Seaplane over the Sea to Sky Highway
The highway to Whistler is called the Sea to Sky Highway and it is a stunning and sometimes difficult drive. We’ve been on the highway many times when there have been accidents because people tend to drive this stretch a little too quickly and there are many unexpected curves on the road. It’s been updated significantly since my childhood especially around the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, but it still can be treacherous and we often drive and stop at the Tesla charging station in Squamish and eat at some of my favorite “Whistler” restaurants.
Taking a seaplane between Richmond BC and Whistler eliminates the need to drive the Sea to Sky highway but you still get to see it from the air. I love the perspective that air travel brings and the journey is absolutely worth the adventure if you take a seaplane to Whistler BC in the summer. If you start your journey in Richmond BC, you can start with a yummy breakfast at the Flying Beaver Pub before you leave, then the flight stops in Vancouver where you get a stunning look at Vancouver Waterfront and Stanley Park as you land. We also flew by Black Tusk on the way to Whistler and it is such a magestic peak and it felt so close that it made me feel a little overwhelmed but I still couldn’t stop looking out the window. And when we flew over some intensely blue lakes, the contrast between the snow, the water and the sky was something so beautiful I almost couldn’t wait to fly back over everything again.
A few people on our flight felt a little motion sickness during our ride, which I’ve heard can happen in a seaplane, but even they said that seeing the route by air was worth it. I am usually quite an anxious flyer and I was worried I would have to go to the bathroom (there are no bathrooms on seaplanes) but I didn’t feel any motion sickness and it was so beautiful outside I couldn’t think of anything else. To help with my flying anxiety I brought a small bottle of water with me just in case I needed it and I always have candies in my pockets too. When we first got on the airplane we had to watch a short video about the safety on the airplane and that along with the captain’s professional demeanor was reassuring and helpful. It’s nice to chat with the captain of an airplane before you fly and I wish we could do this more on commercial airplanes too.
Some other seaplane logistics for our Vancouver to Whistler and Whistler to Vancouver Flight.
Harbour Air seaplanes from Richmond BC and Vancouver to Whistler are weather dependent and fly between May and September. You could even do a one day round trip and see Whistler just for the day. When I flew we could bring 50 pounds of luggage with us and I was so curious where it would go because you can’t bring that much with you to your seat. My big suitcase ended up in one of the pontoons and on the way back I bought some delicious pastries from the Fairmont Whistler’s Portobello Bakery (the honey cruffins are incredible) and that bag ended up in the back of the plane.
For people who fly this route from Seattle, my Whistler to Richmond flight brought us back to our original location at YVR South which is attached to the Flying Beaver Bar where a shuttle took me to the Vancouver Airport and I headed back to Seattle on Delta Airlines. I think there is a seaplane that heads to Seattle too in the summer, so I need to look into that as well for next time.
As stated before, I was hosted for this journey including my return flights from Seattle to Whistler and for breakfast at the Flying Beaver and I’m so thankful to Harbour Air, Tourism Richmond and Tourism BC for this truly awesome experience.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)