Plane spotting … top places to see planes take off

Watching planes take off and land is a surprisingly popular and hypnotic activity for the kids (and their dads too). Here are a few spots to zone out and check out the magical flying machines.
YVR Larry Berg Flight Path Park
Feel the rumble of planes as they take off and land, right next to the Richmond airport. A free, kid-friendly space to watch planes, run on top of the world (literally), and learn about YVR’s history.
Corner of Russ Baker Way and Airport Road, Richmond
Fraser River Park
A kid and dog-friendly park along the Vancouver side of the Fraser River. View YVR’s airport activity, with the added bonus of tugboats and busy river traffic along the Fraser In this popular city park.
8705 Angus Drive at W.
YVR Public Observation Area
An indoor plane-spotting space at YVR Airport, Richmond. Arrive early at YVR to enjoy the free views from the Public Observation Area in the Domestic Terminal, Level 4.
Iona Beach Park
A natural walking spot to enjoy YVR airport activity in Richmond. A regional park setting of a long, narrow jetty along north end of Airport, next to animal sanctuary, with spectacular views.
Just north of Vancouver International Airport
Airport Lookout @ Grauer Road
An airport viewpoint near the Templeton CanadaLine station. A quiet place to park and plane spot just underneath the Airport’s north runway in Richmond.
Image credit: 3DServices
Claudia lives in Vancouver. She's the mother of two teenage boys, and has a thirst for travel, chocolate, and pineapple margaritas. She writes and blogs as thetravellingmom.ca, offering a modern mom's guide to family travel sanity. She is much too active on Twitter as @travelling_mom.