Best Cycling and Biking Routes around UBC!
THE SUN IS COMING BACK!
If you’re like me, you can’t wait for things to get warmer in Vancouver. Not only does it make walking around campus more enjoyable, but it also just means that exercise can become more accessible through running, cycling, or even just going for a walk. Of course, being around UBC, there is an abundance of amazing routes you can take to make your exercise even more enjoyable. So here are some fun routes to hit.
Running:
If looking for a quick run, there is no better path to take than around UBC. UBC offers a wide range of paths to take if interested in going for a jog. To get the most out of a run, you can start at the UBC Flag Pole, located at the north end, looking out into the Burrard Inlet and Howe Sound. From there you can start your run down Main Mall, passing by all the familiar buildings on campus, all the way down to Bean Around the World. There you can hop onto the Main Mall Greenway, the classic path that the UBC Marching Band takes everyone down on Homecoming day. Once you’ve reached the Thunderbird stadium at the end, you can make your way up the road to the Thunderbird park with all the turf fields, and run by them as you head to Wesbrook. Continue straight, heading South, as you pass by the UBC Farm and TRIUMF, finally making it to SW Marine, where you can take a path to your right heading back to campus along the treeline. This last bit of the run is my favourite, as you go from running next to the forest to running alongside the cliffed coast on the west side of campus, finally making it back to the UBC Rose Garden where you started.
Cycling:
The great thing about cycling is you can go great distances over a short amount of time, allowing for the ability to add more variety to your routes. If you want a trip with an array of different views then make sure to take North West Marine Drive when starting your ride at UBC. Located at the north end of UBC, this road takes a quick downhill turn that soon ends with a 6km bike ride along the coast from Spanish Banks to Kits Beach. This ride is filled with views of the north shore across the Burrard Inlet and goes through several beaches and neighbourhoods. Once making it to kits beach you can bike over to Burrard Bridge, and follow the bike path to English Bay Beach. This final leg of the journey will take you along the west side of downtown Vancouver all the way to Stanley Park, where you can make your way around the entire park, taking in the scenery forest and the shoreline. Once finishing the loop, you can make your way back to campus the same way on your bike, or even take it easy, and bus back thanks to BC Transit’s bus bike carriers.
Walking:
Wreck beach is one of the quintessential locations of UBC. On a beautiful day, it is an amazing place to visit and relax. A perfect walk on that kind of day would be taking the stairs, also called trail 3, down to Tower Beach, located at the North End of Campus to the right of MOA. Once down the stairs, you can take a left and walk along the beach, as the view turns from staring at the coast of North Van to the expansive Strait of Georgia. After about 25 minutes you’ll have made it to Wreck Beach, where, if you wait long enough, you can watch an incredible sunset, as the sun disappears behind Vancouver Island, before making the trek up the Wreck Beach stairs, back to campus.
If you’re looking for ways to get moving on campus, check out the Move U Crew! We have awesome initiatives that aim to get the UBC community active in all sorts of ways. Click here to learn about and sign up for a Wellbeing Walk!