Glacier flights and lake landings from Vancouver
The half-hour city loop shows you the mountains from the harbor's edge. The flights in this guide head into them, over the glaciers of the Tantalus Range and, in summer, down onto an alpine lake. They cost far more than the classic tour and their landings depend on season and sky, so we go through what each one gives you for the money.
Four ways into the mountains
Four flights from Coal Harbour go beyond the city loop and into the Coast Mountains. Two are main tours on this site; the other two are extras we cover here because they fill gaps in time and price. The table lists them from cheapest to priciest, using the lower of the two booking sites.
| Flight | From | Time in the air | Landing away from base | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbour Air Extended Panorama | ~$221 | 45-minute experience, boarding included | None | Year-round |
| Seair Coastal Mountain (extra) | ~$236 | About 30 min, 40 in all | None | Check the listing |
| Seair Glacier and Alpine Lake | ~$426 | About 55 min, 75 in all | Lovely Water Lake, about 20 min | Landing July to October |
| Seair Chatterbox Falls (extra) | ~$680 | About 1.5 h | Princess Louisa Inlet, about 30 min | Check the listing |
Two of the four put you down somewhere wild, and the other two bring you straight back to Coal Harbour. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead applies on the main tours; read the terms on the two extras before you pay.
Lovely Water Lake on Seair's glacier flight
Seair's Glacier and Alpine Lake Adventure, from ~$426, is the one that sets you down in the high country. It spends about 55 minutes flying and 75 minutes in all. The route goes out low over the islands of Howe Sound and along the Sunshine Coast, then climbs high over the Tantalus Range, where glaciers feed waterfalls down the rock. Then the plane lands on Lovely Water Lake, a glacier-fed alpine lake in Tantalus Provincial Park, and you get about 20 minutes to look around and take photos.
The catch is the calendar. Lake landings happen only between July and October. In the other eight months the flight still goes but stays in the air the whole way. Mountain weather can also rule out a landing on the day, because the pilot has to see the lake clearly to put down on it. Reviews are few (19 on GetYourGuide, averaging 4.7), and its value sub-score of 3.8 is the lowest of any main tour on this site, which suggests some guests felt the price ran ahead of the experience. Check in 30 minutes before, and leave children under 2 at home.
Twenty minutes on an alpine lake
From July to October, Seair's glacier flight crosses the Tantalus glaciers and lands on Lovely Water Lake for about 20 minutes, 75 minutes door to dock, from ~$426. Free cancellation runs until 24 hours before departure.
Harbour Air's Howe Sound loop, the cheaper taste
Harbour Air's Extended Panorama, from ~$221, costs about half the glacier flight and gives you a 45-minute experience. It leaves over Stanley Park and English Bay, passes the Lions Gate Bridge, then heads north up Howe Sound past forested islands and roadless inlets with Coast Mountain peaks above. It runs along toward the Sunshine Coast before a final pass over the city, and the pilot picks a seasonal route on the day. The listing promises mountain peaks rather than glaciers, and there is no landing away from Coal Harbour.
The catch is the arithmetic. You pay about 60% more than the classic panorama for 15 more minutes, and those 45 minutes include boarding and taxiing. Its 616 GetYourGuide reviews average 4.7, though its sub-scores sit a little below the classic's. What a Vancouver seaplane tour costs lays the per-minute figures side by side.
The Lions in half an hour
Seair's Coastal Mountain Scenic Flight, from ~$236, takes a shorter line into the high ground. In about 30 minutes in the air, 40 in all, it covers the North Shore mountains, the twin summits of The Lions, Howe Sound and the glacier-carved valleys of the Coast Mountains. The catch is the price for so little flying time. Its 11 reviewers gave the guiding a perfect 5.0 but scored value at only 3.0 of 5, and for less money the Extended Panorama keeps you up longer.
Chatterbox Falls, the long day out
Seair's Chatterbox Falls Seaplane Adventure, from ~$680, is the longest flight on this site. About 1.5 hours of flying takes you up the Sunshine Coast and over the Skookumchuck Rapids into Princess Louisa Inlet, where steep granite walls rise about a mile (1.6 km) from the water. The plane lands near Chatterbox Falls, a spot only boats and floatplanes reach, for about 30 minutes ashore. A boardwalk leads to the falls. Ashore you will also find a picnic shelter and an outhouse. Groups are capped at 5, and a GPS commentary app narrates the route.
Its catch is plain. No other flight here costs as much, and GetYourGuide shows no reviews for it so far (Viator shows only the operator's reviews), so you would be among the first to report back. Ignore the low starting figure on Viator, too. When we priced a single adult there it came to about $800, above the GetYourGuide fare. Summer is the sensible time to try it. The listing asks you to bring sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, headphones and a charged phone.
What to wear for a lake stop
Dress for the lake, not the dock. A mountain lake usually feels cooler than the city, even in July, so bring a layer you can pull on when the door opens. Wear shoes you do not mind getting wet, because you step off and back on over the float, and a shoreline is rarely dry. Sunglasses cut the glare off snow and water, and a cap stays on in the wind better than a wide brim. Keep your bag small, since cabins are tight and you will carry it ashore.
Private charters and the Whistler route
Both Harbour Air and Seair fly private charters for groups that want their own plane or their own route. Neither shows charter prices on the booking sites, so you ask the airline for a quote. A cheaper way over the same range is Harbour Air's one-way flight to Whistler, from ~$252, which crosses the Coast Mountains in about 45 minutes and lands on glacier-fed Green Lake. It is transport rather than a tour, with the return booked separately, and Vancouver to Whistler by seaplane covers its tight baggage limit.
If this is your first time in a small plane, read what to expect on your first seaplane flight before you book a long one. The best time for a seaplane flight explains why the summer months give mountain flights the clearest odds, and seaplane, helicopter or FlyOver weighs the other ways up. For which airline flies which plane, see Harbour Air or Seair.