I’m not sure why, but most people seem to assume that the trip to Whistler is much shorter than it actually is! Our client’s are consistenly surprised when they find out that the trip from Vancouver to Whistler is actually 2.5 hours in good weather and traffic!
The trip itself it actually only 138 km, but you have to keep the following in mind:
- The route goes directly through downtown Vancouver. Unfortunately, Vancouver is renowned for its traffic “issues”. My urban planning professor constantly used Vancouver as his example for how NOT to design a city.
- Once you’ve passed through downtown Vancouver, you have to go across the Lion’s Gate bridge. They could make this bridge 6 lanes wide and it would still be busy. Of course, it only has 3.
- Thanks to the 2010 Olympics, The Sea to Sky highway is MUCH better than it used to be. However, it is still prone to bad weather (ice & snow) and heavy traffic during holidays and weekends.
What can you do as a visitor to minimize your travel time?
- Try to travel midday if you can. Traveling during peak traffic periods in Vancouver will result in a longer trip.
- Traveling at night may result in delays due to construction on the highway.
- Traveling in the early morning, or late at night, will signifcantly limit the transportation options that are available to you. Buses and shuttles don’t run between 2300 and 0900 the next morning!
- Weekends are always busier due to increased local traffic. If you can travel on a weekday then your travel time will usually be shorter.
