This is always a popular spot. Usually on my photo trips, I’m the only person in the area taking photographs, but with this well-known and easily-accessible viewpoint overlooking the city, I knew I wouldn’t be.
Unfortunately the trees are starting to encroach on the view, so unless you have a 20 foot tripod it’s pretty difficult to avoid them completely, especially when jockeying for position amongst a tangle of tripod legs!
This is cropped from a wider 9-shot panorama I took, with the camera oriented vertically, so this is probably made up from about 6 shots.
For those unfamiliar with Vancouver, the Lions Gate Bridge can be clearly seen in the foreground, which leads into Stanley Park (on the right of the photo, extending most of the way across in the middle). Stanley Park is 10% larger than Central Park in New York.
Behind that on the right-hand side you can see the main downtown core (which continues to the right out of shot). The structure with what appears to be five pyramids is Canada Place, with the light reflecting in the Vancouver Harbour. Visible in the far distance at the top left of the photo is the Alex Fraser bridge (the two pairs of towers).
On a fine day you can also easily see Mount Baker in Washington State, over 100 miles away.
blue hour bridges panorama skyline vancouver