British Columbia

Escape to the vanishing horizon of the Pacific Ocean, where time is measured by the rhythm of waves.Located near West Vancouver's Horseshoe Bay neighbourhood, Whytecliff Park is home to more than 200 marine animal species and is one of the first Marine Protected Areas in Canada. You're almost gua...

Buntzen Lake is located in a beautiful recreation area just north of Port Moody. Although the lake is man-made and maintained by BC Hydro, the surrounding area is full of forests, nice beach areas, and many trails for hiking including the Buntzen Lake Trail, which loops around the lake.Beginning ...

Only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, Deep Cove is a great place to paddle in tranquil ocean waters. You can rent ocean kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddle boards from Deep Cove Kayak.The bay in front of the community is one of the few in Indian Arm that has both a sheltering shape and the shal...

Cheakamus Lake is tucked in behind Whistler Mountain. If you've hike the Musical Bumps trail, or any of the paths off the peak of Whistler, chances are you saw a huge turquoise lake below you. This is Cheakamus Lake.From Whistler Village, drive south on HWY99 to the stop lights at Function Juncti...

The 12km (7.5 mi) drive on Neaves Road to Pitt Lake from Pitt Meadows is one of BC's most scenic routes. As soon as you start this section of the drive you already feel miles from the city, but this route is only 30-45 minutes from Vancouver, depending on city traffic.Once you reach the parking l...

Setting out from Deep Cove’s pebble shoreline, it only takes a few minutes before you are away from small village and paddling the calm waters of this gorgeous arm. Seals can be frequently spotted as you follow the path of off oceanfront homes, some living off the grid, deeper into the mountains....

The trailhead for Lone Cone is located on Meares Island, accessible by water taxi ($40 return). Some choose to rent kayaks and paddle to the trailhead. The dock for the water taxi is located at the end of Main St.49°09’12.8”N 125°54’40.5”WThe water taxi is roughly 15 minutes and travels across th...

Beat the crowd at Moraine Lake and paddle Emerald Lake instead! This lake is a must for any Banff/Yoho explorer. It's an easy drive off HWY 1 but stop at the Natural Bridge along the way. There's a restaurant, Cilantro, inside the lodge with a patio along the shore. Canoe rentals are around $90 ...

Southwest of Hope and just east of Chilliwack, Jones Lake is a recreation site at a reservoir lake in the coastal mountain range, managed by BC Hydro. Set below granite mountain peaks and surrounded by a dense forest (that is unfortunately being logged), this lake isn't pristine, but it sure is p...

The name Green Lake says it all: this is a beautiful glacier-fed lake right next to Whistler village. There's easy access to the water from paved roads, making this a great outing for anyone visiting Whistler for a couple of days and looking for an afternoon adventure.Getting There To reach Green...

Tofino, British Columbia, is magical. It sits on the most western coast of Canada, on Vancouver Island. It is a small surf town, with natural Pacific Northwest beauty everywhere.....ocean, beaches, forests, islands. and the beautiful Pacific Rim National Park.I personally like surfing Cox Bay bec...

Where the beautiful Callaghan and Cheakamus Rivers converge, there is a great campsite aptly named after these two turquoise rivers. This is a quiet area, shaded by huge stands of West Coast forest, and easily accessible from HWY 99, about 20 minutes south of Whistler Village.Hiking and mountain ...

About one hour outside of Vancouver, Golden Ears Provincial Park is a great escape for hiking and paddling opportunities. The massive drive-in campgrounds are usually full for most of the summer, but deep into the lake's wilderness are marine spots for backcountry camping. Get your backcountry pe...

Take Highway 1 west from Victoria. Turn onto Exit 10 (View Royal/Colwood) and continue on the Island Highway. Turn right at Six Mile Road, which leads straight to Thetis Lake Regional Park.Note that this park is also accessible by bike via the Galloping Goose Trail.With minimal elevation (~60m) a...

Crescent beach is a great place to end your day, by taking some sunset pictures. It often lights up the sky and really pops with colour. It is best to park at the main parking lot near the pier and start from there. The beach walk from the pier to the end is just over a kilometre, so is very shor...

To get the the Della Falls trail head in Strathcona Park, you must cross Great Central Lake. This is a 45 km journey via either canoe, kayak, or speedboat. We chose to canoe, and it took approximately 9 steady hours. We parked our vehicles just on the edge of Central Lake Road across from Great C...