Ever since I discovered backpacking nearly 20 years ago, it’s been my favourite outdoor activity. Some of my most memorable backpacking trips have been close to home in British Columbia. So I put together a list of the best backpacking trips in BC. If you’re going to take time off to go backpacking, you don’t …
Vancouver Area
Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean you need to stop hiking. Since it can be tough to find trails without snow, I’ve put together the an absolutely enormous list of snow-free hikes in Vancouver for you. These are trails in Vancouver that you can hike year round… and there’s over 120 of them! I’ve got …
Most hikes go to a mountain top, a lake or a viewpoint. Those hikes are great, but sometimes you want something different. Something a little unusual. Something off-the-beaten path. Or even something even a little bit weird. Well don’t worry: I got you! I’ve got a list of 15 unusual hikes near Vancouver. These hikes …
Even in the age of the internet and social media, books are still one of my favourite ways to get info about hiking trails. I’m a bit of a hiking guidebook conoisseur. I own over 100 hiking guide books, most of them for British Columbia. In this post, I’ll give you my recommendations for the …
The hike to the Big Cedar and Kennedy Falls in North Vancouver is one of my favourite local hikes. Since it’s at a fairly low elevation, it’s a great hike almost all year since it doesn’t get much snow. And it’s entirely in the trees, making it a great hike for a rainy or cloudy …
I’m not a huge water person. I’d much rather be hiking up a mountain than paddling a kayak or swimming in a lake. But hot springs… that’s a whole other thing. I LOVE hot springs. After a day of hiking or hours in the car on a road trip, being able to sit in some …
If you hike in Vancouver, chances are you’ve done the Grouse Grind or at least heard of it. It’s a super steep hike up to the top of Grouse Mountain. It’s considered a bit of a local bucket list hike or a fitness challenge. And it’s so popular that hikers are now tackling a bunch …
If you want an introduction to outdoor activities in Vancouver, pick up a copy of Active Vancouver by Roy Jantzen. It’s got local recommendations for hiking, trail running, paddling, snowshoeing, cycling and more. Each adventure has a really cool “Eco-Insight” section with fun info about some of the plants, animals, climate or geology you’ll see. …
No car? No problem! There are actually lots of hikes in Vancouver that you can get to on transit. In fact, some trails are actually better on transit since parking can be a problem. There are even a few hikes that are best done as a one-way trip, which is much easier to do when …
It might be cliche, but everyone loves to defy TLC and “go chasin’ waterfalls”. I think waterfall hikes are some of the best because they are still beautiful in the rain and snow, so you can hike to them all year. There are a few well known waterfalls near Vancouver you can hike to (ahem …