It is renowned for its proximity to nature, varied outdoor recreation opportunities (especially mountain biking) as well as historically significant west coast modernist architecture.
Attractions include three local ski hills – Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, and Mount Seymour – which feature skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, tubing, and tobogganing. Hiking and watersports are also popular activities in the North Shore communities. Popular hiking areas include six mountain peaks – Black, Strachan, Hollyburn, Grouse, Fromme, and Seymour Mountains – along with the Grouse Grind, Lynn Canyon Park, Quarry Rock, Norvan Falls, Dog Mountain, and Cypress Mountain. Watersports such as canoeing, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding are popular in Deep Cove during the summer months. West Vancouver's Whytecliff Park is a popular location for scuba diving. The Harmony Arts Festival is a ten-day arts festival taking place in West Vancouver every summer, the Coho Festival is a celebration of environment protection and nature's annual miracle of salmon returning to North Shore rivers and streams held every September in Ambleside, West Vancouver, and the Shipyards Night Market is a summer market taking place from May to September with food, locally made products, and live music. The Polygon Gallery at Lonsdale Quay is a non-collecting Canadian public art gallery with a focus on photography and media-based art.