White Rock Beach

The biggest reason for this place’s popularity are the amazing views of Semiahmoo Bay, Mount Baker, and some of the surrounding islands and headlands. There is a tidal beach and one of the few piers in lower mainland you can stroll down, a long coastal park, and a number of little shops and restaurants.
It’s busy on nice days — and a little twee in the manner of Steveston — but it’s still fun, in a miniature beach town kind of way. Unlike some beach spots, this place is going all season, too: I visited last weekend (January) and all the shops and restaurants were open.
Keep in mind one of the busiest train lines runs parallel to the beach. I’ve never seen anything bad happen, but still: watch out for those trains!

White Rock Beach is a beautiful place for strolling, picnic and dining. Walk along the shoreline or go to the pier. Do not leave without trying fish and chips from Moby Dick.

Unfortunately unlike most beach towns in British Columbia this one is not dog friendly. The main Boardwalk area along the water has the only grass area but dogs are not allowed even on a leash. You risk a 175 $ fine in doing so. Which only leaves one busy narrow Sidewalk on the opposite side of the road for those of us with fur babies to walk on. Unfortunately this would deter me from going back. Steveston was a lot more enjoyable.

We stopped by here on our way from Vancouver to Seattle. Such a cute pit stop. The weather was gorg and the streets were filled with shops, restaurants and gelato/​ice cream shops. We had just had lunch, which I immediately regretted as I would have loved to try a place on the strip. Definitely stop by the local favorite dolce gelato shop.
Not sure I would want to stay here more than a day or two but looked like great fun for families.

Great location. Good local restaurants. Awesome sunsets. Very busy in the summer and next to nothing going on in the winter. However most of the restaurants are open all year round

White Rock Beach and view gets 4 stars. The area to and from the beach gets 0.5 stars. Total average rating: 2.25 stars rounded down to 2.
The ridiculous traffic, layout and lack of free parking in the area is simply outrageous.
Don’t bring your car to the beach or this area as you’ll have a hard to find any parking unless you arrive early in the morning in the summer. There is so many drivers disobeying the rules of the road here and the no free parking except for residents. This is road rage heaven. We will go to Crescent Beach instead.

Love Whiterock Beach!
Great waterfront restaurants, ice cream shops, long boardwalk, and shopping. The beach is not sand more rocky, and depending on the tide you might be seating on the grass on the higher elevation.
Some negatives parking is not free hard to find parking on a hot sunny day and make sure you’re dogs are on leash.
Otherwise this place is amazing! Don’t forget the sun block!

I have been out to White Rock a few times in the past and decided that on my next visit I would bring my dog and take a nice walk on the beach. After reading a few reviews online I decided against Crescent Beach because someone mentioned that dogs weren’t allowed. There was no mention of White Rock beach being a dog free beach, so I drove down and paid to park for a few hours ($ 3 per hour). I was extremely disappointed as I walked over to the path leading to the beach and saw a big sign that said that dogs were not allowed. By the way… not only can you not walk your dog along the path or beach, but you can’t ride a bike, skateboard or anything else for that matter. Sad!

Just a good place for a walk/​stroll, forget about running… but today, what a view, even with the big fog at times on the southern side where Moby Dicks fish n chips is ;) Not many table booths, but finding a seat along the rocks is pretty cool still.
Wouldn’t come here for a picnic as it’s as usual way overcrowded, having bumper to bumper one lane each way along the main street. No privacy anyways, as the tables are right by the main walkway.
At least the extra star for easy phone pay by parking & renovated washroom facilities.
definite recommend, esp. for a tourist.

Sooo many people! This is not a beach to go for a secluded getaway; rather, it’s a place to feel — *really* feel — like you’re in the west coast of Canada. Ignore the crowds, get some fish and chips, find a rock (preferably not that big white one) and feel like you’re a part of something bigger. Sure, you can take stroll along the pier, and yes, feel free to strut around in a bathing suit, but really, it’s all about this view.
No amount of tourist traps that exist behind the actual beach can take that away. No matter how cheesy they may be…
*ahem*

Beautiful place to take a walk. Start at the top of the hill and work your way down, and that way you don’t need to worry about parking, either. There are many areas with steps, too, and you’ll get a good workout, esp. on the way back up!
The pier, albeit short, is quaint, cool and popular, and where else in Vancouver do you find a pier? Great view of Baker, too, and the er… White Rock. If you’ve lived here long enough you’ll remember when a) they used to have the International Sand Castle competition and b) when the rock wasn’t white. I remember jumping on those aforementioned castles as a child; those were glorious days in hot weather, and what horrid children were we?
Loads of restaurants down here too, but many need work. Try Vol Au Vent for top notch French cuisine or maybe the Boathouse for a great patio and below average food. And don’t forget about the delish ice cream place or the awesome gelato place on each corner. Just eat your IC before you attempt to walk back up the hill because as I discovered… it melts fast.
Many people in Vancouver ignore WR beach, but with just a 45 minute drive from the city – it’s worth it – especially when it is always 2 degrees warmer out here, and cheap gas is but 20 minutes away. I won’t even mention our new border exemption rules either, but they are certainly better than what we had in the past!

nice

Not a lot of people here which makes it the best place to go if you want a quiet time with your friends and soft sand.
One thing I realize here that the sand here is softer than most beaches I have been to, and I love going to beaches so this is a good plus!
I would totally bring my dog here! It is a place where dogs roam all the time and it’s so beautiful! The sands are white but the sea is a tad dark, like most Vancouver waters. :P
The parking is not bad as well in the area. It is so close to the beach it makes it so easy to access the car when need be and keep an eye on it. The community and the area is lovely, you can see the amazing houses on your left and the right is the beautiful beach.
I wish I lived in one of those houses so I can adore the beach when ever I want… Anyways, I would go back here this summer with me and my friends since it is nice and quiet. We all like that a lot.

On a nice sunny day in Surrey, this is the place to go. It’s the closest beach and has great views.
A few things that I love:
1. It’s a beach
2. Lot’s of great places to dine-​in
3. Great Boutiques
4. Beautiful View and Walk
5. Great Location
6. The older couples who just sit with their sweeties and enjoy their time together. Makes me cry… in a good way.
A few things I would love, if changes were made:
1. Parking. Need more of it!
2. Street lights. Need more of it!
3. Lights along the water. Need more of it!
In a nutshell, great place to go with friends, family, pets, etc.
Can’t wait for the weather to turn around. I love it here

It’s OK here. A little busy, especially in the summers, and it’s not really a «beach» per say. It’s not like you can go and lay out on the rocks.
But it is great to sit on the little strips of grass with some fish n chips — when the weather is warmer of course. (I’m talking specifically of East Beach).
I don’t care to get raked for parking, but it is what it is I guess. Starting March 1, it’s $ 3/​hour. Before that in the «offseason» it’s $ 1/​hour.

This is not a bad beach. Lots of sand to go around and you have a view of point roberts from there. Lots of ice cream shops and bathing suit shops in the area too. A good alternative to the hustle and bustle of the beaches in Vancouver

West Beach (west of the hill on Marine Drive) is where most of the action is. It has big names like The Boathouse.
East Beach has some stores, too, but mostly fish and chips. I noticed one new restaurant that is actual «Dining», not fish and chips and burgers (
). I want to try it out.
Beachy clothing and souvenir shops on both sides. Ice cream too. I think West Beach has gelato as well.
The actual Rock that is White is situated on the beach where Marine Drive has a hill, so you actually have to get out of your car and walk on the promenade to see it.
Marine Drive is supposed to be 30km/​h, but people usually don’t bother… except on sunny weekends and holidays, when many come show off their fancy convertibles and bikes ;)
I like the wavy patterns on the sand when the tide is out!
We like to bring Japanese visitors here (remember — Japan has no land border), and tell them to look east. «See all the trees to the left, then a big white thing (the Peace Arch)? To the right of that is all America!»

Okay, the ocean here is kind of dirty. A little drained sewage. I haven’t touched the water here in years. And in summer it is a high school hang out (ah, flashback to my highschool days)! And it is such a cliché first date on that side of the bridge.
But I heart White Rock Beach for the following reasons:
— Loads of restaurants, cafes, fish and chippers, and ice cream parlours to fuel your day.
— a lovely walk way which is nice for walking on a summer night, or jogging)
— A fantastic pier, best pier for strolling in the Lower Mainland I say!
— It’s so clean (other than the water of course)
— Finally, when people are fishing or crabbing you can totally go peek at their catch.
Just don’t feed the sea gulls — they will call out to every gull in a 10 km radius and they will swarm you (on the groung, in the air, eeeep sea gull invasion!)