trails
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West Coast Trail Transportation: How to Get There
Organizing transportation to the West Coast Trail can be one of the most complicated parts of the hike. There are a few different options for getting to the start and getting back from the finish, and it can be hard to figure out which one makes the most sense for…
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West Coast Trail Camping: Your Complete Guide
The West Coast Trail is a wilderness experience: each night you’ll pitch your tent on a remote beach and listen to the waves crash as you fall asleep. I’ve hiked the West Coast Trail twice and visited all of the campgrounds. And I can tell you… some of them are…
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7-Day West Coast Trail Itinerary (Plus More Itinerary Options)
Due to the way the campgrounds are spaced out, and the placement of the difficult trail sections, most people use a 6 or 7 day West Coast Trail itinerary. When I first hiked the trail in 2004, we just winged it. But when I was planning my 2019 trip I…
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West Coast Trail Section-By-Section Overview
The West Coast Trail is a 75km multi-day backpacking trip along the West Coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Along the way, you’ll hike through the rainforest on rough trail, boardwalks and mud bogs, walk along sandy beaches, boulders, and slippery coastal shelf, cross rivers on high bridges and…
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Alternatives to the Grouse Grind: Steep Workout Hikes Near Vancouver
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…
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Active Vancouver: Book Review
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,…
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How to Hike and Camp at Toleak Point in Olympic National Park
If you’re looking to explore some of Olympic National Park’s rugged coastline, I recommend hiking to Toleak Point from Third Beach. It’s a moderately challenging trail that travels along beaches and across steep headlands. The area around Toleak Point is dotted with dozens of offshore islands and sea stacks, making…
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35+ Vancouver Hikes You Can Get to on Transit
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…
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What to Pack for the Berg Lake Trail
I’ve done a fair amount of backpacking, but I had some trouble deciding what to pack for my trip on the Berg Lake Trail in early September. The trail is at a high elevation in the Canadian Rockies, so I knew the weather would potentially be colder and wilder than…
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The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Review
Many people don’t know this about me, but I collect guidebooks. I own several hundred of them! They date from the 1960s to present and are mostly focused on southern British Columbia. So of course I get excited when a new guidebook is released. I was especially excited when I…
