Burnaby Mountain & SFU

Burnaby Mountain rises 283 metres above the Burrard Inlet at the east end of the city, and on top of it sits one of the most architecturally significant universities in Canada. Simon Fraser University was designed in 1963 by Arthur Erickson — the same architect who later designed Vancouver's Museum of Anthropology and Robson Square — and remains a remarkable piece of modernist brutalism. The central Academic Quadrangle, the Convocation Mall, the covered pedestrian spine along the campus, and the concrete staircases that step down the mountain are all open to the public. It's one of the most-photographed buildings in British Columbia.

Just below the campus, the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area wraps the north and west sides of the mountain with hiking trails, Douglas fir forest, and a series of viewpoints looking north across Burrard Inlet toward Indian Arm and the North Shore mountains. The summit lookout — Centennial Rose Garden, next to the Kamui Mintara (Playground of the Gods) totem poles — has the best single view of downtown Vancouver from the east, especially at sunset when the city lights up.

For newcomers, Burnaby Mountain is a worthwhile half-day trip even if you're not visiting SFU. The 145 SFU bus runs every 10 minutes from Production Way-University SkyTrain station directly to the summit — one of the best free scenic transit rides in Metro Vancouver. At the top, the covered pedestrian concourse through SFU has cafés and a bookstore that don't require a student ID, and the Burnaby Mountain park is free and open to all.