Photo: Daniel Mosquin, UBC Botanical Garden
With crisp fall weather and changing leaves, Thanksgiving weekend is a great time to get outdoors. There are tons of adventure options to choose from. Use our list of the best outdoorsy things to do around Vancouver to make your long weekend plans.
Get Lost in a Corn Maze
Finding your way through a corn maze is a fun fall activity for all ages. Several Vancouver-area farms have corn mazes you can explore including mini-mazes for kids, scary haunted mazes for brave adults, and mystery mazes full of clues. Use our corn maze listings to plan an a-maize-ing trip.
Photo: Chilliwack Corn Maze
Visit a Garden
Albert Camus once said, “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” Pay a visit to one of Vancouver’s spectacular botanical gardens to enjoy the show. Bask in the tranquility at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden or Nitobe Memorial Garden. Watch the ginkgo trees change colour at VanDusen Botanical Garden. For a real East Coast feel head to the Carolinian Forest section of the UBC Botanical Garden. Book tickets to all gardens online in advance.
Photo: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden
Go for a Bike Ride
Thanksgiving Weekend is a great time for a bike ride. With lots of bike lanes and separated bike paths, Vancouver has lots of places to cycle. Use our list of easy bike rides around Vancouver to get you started. If you want to celebrate the season, use our guide to the best fall bike routes to discover eight places to see the colours change from the seat of your bike. If the weather gets too chilly, stop for a pumpkin spice latte break.
Photo: Tourism Vancouver / Hubert Kang
Pick a Pumpkin
Does anything say “fall” more than a big orange pumpkin? And what could be more fun than picking out your own? Use our pumpkin patch listings to find a farm near you. Many pumpkin patches also have fun fall activities like hayrides, kids’ games, and campfires, and fresh produce for sale.
Photo: Taves Family Farms
Run in the Turkey Trot
Participate in a Vancouver Thanksgiving Tradition: the Granville Island Turkey Trot. The scenic course loops around False Creek, starting and finishing at Granville Island. This year there are both in-person and virtual events. Complete a virtual 5KM or 10KM run between October 1 and 15, or race at the in-person 10KM event on October 11. If you register for both you’ll get a unique combo medal and toque. Entry fees help support the Great Vancouver Food Bank, Surrey Food Bank, and SHARE Family and Community Services.
Photo: Granville Island Turkey Trot
Hit the Hiking Trails
Walk off your holiday meal on a fall hike: breathe in the crisp air, listen to the crunch of leaves underfoot, and enjoy the canopy of red, orange, and yellow overhead. Vancouver has so many trails to choose from, but for the best autumn colours, choose a trail from our list of the most gorgeous fall hikes near Vancouver. Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you need to stay inside. Check out our list of the best hikes for rainy days.
Fall colours along the Four Lakes Trail in Squamish. Photo: Taryn Eyton happiestoutdoors.ca
Go Leaf Peeping
Autumn is a spectacular time in Vancouver as the weather cools down and the leaves change colour. The bold pockets of red, orange, and yellow leaves stand out against the blanket of evergreen trees. Pack a picnic and your camera, then head out to one of the best places to see fall colours around Vancouver or to one of Vancouver’s most Instagrammable fall locations.
Photo: Hubert Kang/Destination Vancouver
Walk or Bike to Breweries
Get some exercise while tasting delicious craft beer. Use our self-guided Mount Pleasant brewery tour to visit six different breweries. You can walk or bike the 1.5-kilometre long route. Or head out to Port Moody to explore Brewer’s Row. Our self-guided Port Moody brewery tour follows a 1.7-kilometre route that’s perfect for walking or biking. It starts at the Moody Centre Skytrain Station on the Evergreen Line so you can skip driving.
Photo: Parkside Brewery Co.
