British Columbia
Looking for the best backpacking in British Columbia? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around British Columbia. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the Outbound community.
Top Backpacking Spots in and near British Columbia
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Terrace, British Columbia
Backpack to the Maroon Mountain Meadows
3.010 mi / 5000 ft gainMaroon Mountain is among the Kitimat Mountain Range, and can be accessed from the unincorporated town of Rosswood. Follow the Nisga'a Highway north of the city Terrace for 34.5 km. Turn right onto the Wesach Creek forestry road (1.3 km north of the Maroon Creek highway bridge), and follow the sig...Read more -
Mount Robson, British Columbia
Backpack to Robson Pass
5.024.01 mi / 3766 ft gainThis trail is one of the most popular in all of Canada, and so reservations must be made to stay at campgrounds quite a way in advance. Find more information here http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcpar... Make sure to check out this map for trail and campsite information, an elevation profile, and good ...Read more -
D'Arcy, British Columbia
Hike to Mt Rohr
5.0/ 3200 ft gainThe Duffy Lake Road area is a scrambling paradise. If you love exploring the alpine off trail, this would be the place.Mt Rohr is a prominent peak, located just above Duffy Lake. One of the highlights of this trip is that you get to hike directly beside the incredible glaciers of Joffre Peak, as ...Read more -
Whistler, British Columbia
Hike the Musical Bumps Trail
15.5 miThe Musical Bumps are a series of rolling summits starting from Whistler Mountain that stretch over to Fissile and the Spearhead Range. It should come as no surprise that each one has a musical name: Flute, Oboe and Piccolo.There are two ways to access this area: you can ride the Whistler Village...Read more -
East Kootenay G, British Columbia
Climb Bugaboo Spire, NE Ridge
6 mi / 2300 ft gainThe adventure of the Bugaboos starts almost at the highway when you turn off at Brisco. A collection of rough and tumble roads that are only recently signed towards the Bugaboo Provincial Parking Lot are exciting enough... 4WD isn't required, but a car with decent clearance will make the drive mu...Read more -
Squamish-Lillooet C, British Columbia
Snowshoe Joffre Lakes
6.2 mi / 1312.3 ft gainThe Canadian west coast mountains around Whistler BC receive over thirty feet of snow each winter. This area is well known for epic skiing and snowboarding, and it's also a really fun place to go snowshoeing. Here's a winter version of the incredible Joffre Lakes adventure (see my profile to read...Read more -
Port Renfrew, British Columbia
Sombrio Beach
5.00.82 mi / 131 ft gainHeading west from Victoria, take the TransCanada Highway to Hwy 14. Continue past Sooke towards Port Renfrew. Look for the sign that reads Sombrio Beach Trailhead (approximately 45 minutes past Sooke) and take the left. Note that this dirt road can be incredibly rugged (aka full of potholes) and ...Read more -
East Kootenay G, British Columbia
Hike The Floe Lake Trail
5.013 mi / 2350 ft gainKootenay National Park is one of the lesser visited parks in a chain of spectacular parks in the Canadian Rockies between Banff and Jasper. Straddling the Trans-Canadian Highway, the park offers hot springs, awesome mountain views, and glaciers. As you enter the park, keep an eye out for the griz...Read more -
Pemberton, British Columbia
Mt. Currie Trail
13 mi / 7867 ft gainMt Currie is the giant mountain that sits above the village of Pemberton BC. It soars 7800 vertical feet from the valley floor to the summit in sheer cliffs. (The mountain itself is 8517ft high.) Before 2014, the only way to reach the summit was to bushwack the entire 7800ft climb (we did this t...Read more -
Crawford Bay, British Columbia
Hike the Pilot Bay Trail
5.04 mi / 200 ft gainKootenay Lake is one of BC's biggest lakes at 104km long, and between 3-5km wide. At nearly 500ft deep, this lake stays cold all summer long with the most perfectly clear and clean water you can imagine. Hiking the Pilot Bay Trail is a great way to experience this incredible place.All of BC's inl...Read more -
Whistler, British Columbia
Visit the Ancient Cedars
The Sea to Sky area is covered in old growth forest, but few people would expect to find trees of this size in Whistler. The Ancient Cedars Trail is a beautiful hike through breezy sunny forest to a little hidden grove of giant trees, tucked into the side of Cougar Mountain.If you're looking for ...Read more -
Comox-Strathcona C, British Columbia
Backpack to Moat Lake
15 mi / 1150 ft gainStarting at the Paradise Meadows Trailhead (3,600'), the trail to Moat Lake takes you through subalpine forest and lush meadows along Strathcona Provincial Park's Forbidden Plateau. The trail is well-marked and easy to follow as it winds past Lake Helen Mackenzie and onward past to the numerous l...Read more -
Comox-Strathcona D, British Columbia
Hike to Cream Lake, BC
12.4 mi / 1312.3 ft gainThe hike to Cream Lake starts at the trailhead for the Bedwell Lake trail, which you can find directions to here.From Bedwell Lake the trail to Cream Lake heads Eastward from the campground (past the outhouse), and begins climbing steadily. Shortly you will reach a waterfall with the trail climb...Read more -
Squamish-Lillooet A, British Columbia
Mountain Bike the South Chilcotins
The South Chilcotin Mountains are a veritable mountain biking and hiking paradise. With hundreds of kilometers of dry, flowy mixed use trails and epic scenery, it would be easy to spend weeks exploring this area.Many of the trails begin and end at Tyax Wilderness Resort, with the option to drive ...Read more -
Mount Waddington B, British Columbia
Camp at San Josef Bay
3.7 mi / 328.1 ft gainThis trek allows for easy access to an incredibly picturesque, white sandy beach. The trail meanders through the lush Pacific Northwest forest for most of the trip and then follows along a beach for the last part, ending at the camping areas.The hike begins at the Cape Scott Provincial Park parki...Read more -
Whistler, British Columbia
Hike to Helm Lake
4.012.4 mi / 3000 ft gainHelm Lake is a sparkly body of water tucked into one of the most scenic alpine meadows around. The lake sits on a lava field, just under the Black Tusk, with the unique volcanic remains of Cinder Cone and Helm Peak on the opposite side of the meadow.The big draw for this hike is that it's far les...Read more