The 32 km-long Della Falls Trail takes hikers through a beautiful river valley deep in the mountains of Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. From your riverside campsite, hike to the base of the falls or a spectacular viewpoint on the Love Lake Trail. At 440-metres-tall, Della Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in …
Vancouver Island
If you’re looking for a challenging and remote coastal hike on Vancouver Island, check out the Tatchu Trail. It’s a rough route along the Tatchu Peninsula where you are unlikely to encounter other hikers. Most of the route is on the coast, with a few rough inland sections. The highlights are sandy beaches, fascinating geology …
Backcountry huts give hikers, climbers, and skiers a warm and dry place to sleep, eat, and chill out between adventures. Thankfully there are dozens of backcountry huts in British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies. In this post, I’ve got basic info for over 80 backcountry cabins in BC and Alberta. The listing for each hut …
With lots of people stressing about backpacking reservations in BC, you might feel like you have to book backcountry camping months in advance if you want to go on a trip. But that’s totally untrue – there are tons of places to go backpacking in BC without reservations. I’ve been backpacking in British Columbia for …
The Little Huson Caves are a hidden gem on Northern Vancouver Island. It’s a spectacular location where a rushing creek funnels through a steep canyon into a cave, then comes out the other side. You can reach the caves via a short and easy trail. I’m surprised that few people know about Little Huson Caves. …
Vancouver Island in British Columbia is a special place. But most visitors tend to stick to the well-known spots on the southern end. Which is really too bad because there are so many great things to do on northern Vancouver Island. It’s actually my favourite part! Northern Vancouver Island is off the beaten path so …
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 …
Heads up: The Juan de Fuca Trail is closed in summer 2025 due to significant storm damage. It is not possible to hike the entire trail, but you can visit Mystic Beach and East Sombrio Beach. The Juan de Fuca Trail covers 47 challenging kilometres along the coast of southwestern Vancouver Island. I’ve hiked the …
The North Coast Trail is a challenging 43km multi-day backpacking trip along the northern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. I hiked the trail twice (to research my book, Backpacking on Vancouver Island). I’ve put together a section-by-section overview of the North Coast Trail to give you a taste of the trail and help …
The North Coast Trail is a multi-day wilderness hike across the very northern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It’s a challenging and remote hike through old-growth rainforest, along beaches, and across muddy coastal bogs. The 43-kilometre-long hike is difficult but beautiful. I hiked the trail twice (to research my book Backpacking on …