British Columbia
Vancouver
Hailed as the most unaffordable city in Canada, Vancouver is crowded for a reason. Its hip, its beautiful, its modern, its popular, its got taste, its got culture, its got history, its got nature, its got the ocean, its got the mountains, the waterfalls, the rivers, the skiing, the surfing, the snow, the shops, the cultures, the restaurants, the foods, the people. Its also very expensive. Vancouver is packed densely with everything one could ever want.
Recommendations
For our purposes, I will consider the greater Vancouver area in this all encompassing list. This may include areas all the way from North Vancouver, to Richmond, to Coquitlam or even Surrey.
Granville Island is one of my favourite spots to visit. Embarrassingly enough, I have never actually been here during the day when it is busier, livelier and people around – the two times that I have been here has been during the night time. I’m sure during the day it is quite a place to visit as well. However, I especially love visiting here during the night due to how quiet it can be. It’s a great spot to see the city lights from all over and enjoy a peaceful night in.
Stanley Park is one of the best public parks I have ever been to. Its proximity to the city center is great as it is literally just a stone throw’s away and its size is also not to scoff at. Best yet about this park is its large network of paths that can help thoroughly explore everything it has to offer. It also goes without saying that the views all around are just gorgeous with big red cedars dotting the forest, an endless view of the ocean, the beautiful sky lines in the area and all the wildlife that can be found.
Kitsilano Beach had the best atmosphere with many beach goers simply walking around and enjoying life. One could really feel relaxed in this area surrounded by beautiful views of the mountains, the ocean and the city. If the jaw dropping views are not enough for you, you could also enjoy a game of volleyball from one of the many nets around available for public use. There are also plenty of facilities around available to use and plenty of parking all throughout. If I lived in Vancouver, I’d probably live around here.
North Van Kings Mill Harbour Park has got the best overall view of the Vancouver sky line in my opinion – especially at night. Here you’ll notice many locals choose to come here to have a nice walk along the water front. The bright lights of the city is reflected along the water and is quite the view.
Mt Seymour is a popular ski resort but I had also the privilege of visiting during the summer season – in the summer, it is a very popular hiking destination with many wildlife to see, alpine mountain and city views and some really fun hiking trails. With its many different trails, backcountry camping options and more, Mt Seymour proves to be a fun destination to visit while in BC.
Woodland Falls is a waterfall worth chasing. Drive up to Coquitlam, hike next to a shooting range and into BC‘s lush and ancient forests to finally arrive at this waterfall. The first sign of this natural wonder can be first heard in the air as a quiet whisper. Then it turns into a hum. Next thing you know, the water’s thunderous rumble is all one can hear in the air. This waterfall is worth the chase and is just as beautiful as it sounds.
Skyline From Richmond – take the skyline from the Richmond-Brighouse station and on a clear day, the views is absolutely gorgeous. As you near the city center, the sky line takes you through Richmond and across the ocean inlets. Up here, weather permitting, one can see a beautiful view of the surrounding areas – all the way up to the mountain peaks.
Canada Place to Vancouver Sea Wall – walking alone the waterfront of downtown Vancouver is an absolute treat. Start in Canada Place and end at the Sea Wall where it meets Stanley Park. Here you’ll enjoy sea plane views, beautiful walk paths, and pristine views of the ocean. Here experience what a local resident’s life might be like – taking a daily walk or run through the seawall and enjoy Vancouver’s beauty.
Yoho
Just a stone’s throw away (literally) from the infamous Banff National park, sits Yoho National Park. Often overshadowed by its neighbor, Yoho offers an abundance in natural beauty and jaw-dropping sights.
Takakkaw Falls is just one of the examples of what Yoho has to offer. The towering waterfalls can be seen from a distance away. Even from far, its grandeur is impressive. From up close, its thundering roar fills the air and it is near impossible to stay dry.
The first time I visited, back in the summer of 2019, was a day to remember. This was the first time I got up close to the falls. Since then, I’ve visited the falls a second time during the spring; it was just as beautiful as I remembered it. Even more Id say as a thin blanket of snow covered the nearby peaks. I was even lucky enough to cross off one of things off my bucket list: having a glimpse of my first alpine mountain goat.
Emerald Lake and Field
A road trip through Yoho is no road trip without visiting the popular Emerald Lake. Though its parking lot is often too small for all of its visitors, the lake itself offers plenty of space for all; for hikers looking to do the trail around the lake; for the casual visitors to lounge around the benches and the deck or for those who simply want to stay overnight in one of its rugged cabins. Just outside of the lake area is also the historic village of Field. Usually, I’d stop by through of my many road trips to use their nice and very convenient Visitor’s center but the village itself is a lot more than that. It is rich in history and every heritage building has got a story of its own. An especially great thing to do here is booking a tour up with Parks Canada up to the historic Burgess Shale and seeing the millions of trilobite fossils on the side of the mountains.
All around the iconic Emerald lake are peaks waiting to be conquered. I planned to do the Emerald Peak hike. On the linked All Trails hike, it is supposed to be a 10.5km loop with over a thousand meters of height gained. This is a pretty hard and long hike. The views are plenty worth it, especially when one gets a bit of elevation out of the trees to truly see the views all around.
The day that I attempted this hike, I had arrived a bit late. An 11:00am start for a hike to a peak is quite late. So my hiker math decided I could cut some time by cutting out the prolonged hike through the forest and instead I would go counter clock-wise. I was only itching to conquer the summit and not experiencing the whole trek. I’d start at the end and make my way to the peak. From the normal clockwise route, the whole thing is around 11km and by doing it this way, I’d be cutting it down to 6km. Hiker math says this would be faster.
But not necessarily easier
See, I may be cutting down the distance by half but the height still stays the same. The mountain doesn’t get any smaller. So I’ll be doing the same amount of work, in less time, in less distance. It’ll be a much more intense climb up. To this day, this hike is one of the hardest I’ve done. It wasn’t necessarily technically hard. It was simply just going uphill at an extremely high angle. Every step felt like I was fully extending the full motion of my legs. It felt like the staircase machine at the gym except the steps were large and it was for 4 whole hours.
The hike up the gulley in the forest and thick bushes was miserable. Not only was it physically hard but it was tremendously challenging to keep my spirits up when progress was hard to see. All I could see were trees and the same view of the lake. As I got higher, the skies were clear of the forest but the view still the same; just a bit higher. One source of my motivation were some of the hikers I met on my way up as they made their way down in the typical route. Some of them were astounded I took this route. Some of them were grey and white. Wrinkly and frail looking. Basically, some of them looked very very old. Yet here they are summitting mountains. Conquering the stone giants. They gave me motivation to finish the hike through all my hardships. To this day, I remember them and they continue to inspire me.
Tofino
Tofino’s magic lies in its mystical wonder. Everyday was different but always so beautiful. I had found myself travelling to Tofino feeling very lost and aimless; as many others before me surely did as well. What I found instead was a place filled with mystique wonder.
Living the vanlife in Tofino, every day started very early. I quickly found out that the prime spot to learn to surf was in Long Beach and the prime parking spot was a small one right by the beach. This amazing parking lot had all the amenities: quick access to the beach, unrestricted views, great showers and washrooms. As per usual however, the parking lot filled quick and remained full all day long. I noticed that some stayed there all day long, making breakfast, going for a surf, making lunch, going for another surf, grabbing dinner and watching the sunset. I quickly joined these regular parking lot lizards. The only thing is that the parking lot filled quickly and my campsite was 30 minutes away. So everyday I aimed to get up at 6am, immediately made my way to the parking lot and catch up on the morning sleep-in on my concrete home by the beach.
Surfing is part of the Tofino lifestyle. Surf shops were aplenty, every place rented a board or two and plenty lessons were to be had. I had even booked one myself before coming here. However, I arrived a week early and I could not keep myself; I immediately rented a board and bought a new wetsuit. The next week I spent visiting the beaches and throwing myself into the ocean. I learned to love getting beat up by the ocean. Some people may call it surfing. I called it tough love. It was exactly that. Some days, the waves tossed my body like a ragdoll. Most days I found myself completely wiping out; as the ocean kept beating me back with its relentless waves. Even after a terrible wipeout, I found myself loving the struggle and picking up my board and heading out to sea. Despite a full day of aches, pains and suffering my body endured, I found myself lying in bed excited for another session. Time and time again I found myself coming back.
In Tofino I found myself.
Squamish
Squamish feels like the place you visit that particular summer and one fateful night, fifty years later, you wake up in a panic. You clutch your comfort rock-climbing chalk bag and feel happy and at ease that you never actually left and the dream you had of living in the suburbs living a perfectly plain life was nothing but a nightmare. Instead, you’re living your dream being a granola dirtbag climbing rocky walls, finding waterfall pools and enjoying beautiful drives by the oceans filled with mountains.
I lived that dream for a day. Spending some time in Vancouver, I went out to Squamish to see what it was all about. I went on a hike by the town to find this great waterfall that cascades into multiple pools. The hike was populated by mostly rock climbers hiking up or down to their route. The trail was nothing but fun and filled with ropes, steep climbs, steeper trees and great views. Better yet was the drive up and down the coast. With the mountains on one side and the endless ocean in the other, the spectacular views were a treat for the soul. To this day, I found myself confused as to why I had only spent one day in this area. I didn’t even make it to Whistler. One day, Id live that dream again and never look back.
Victoria
I’ll be completely frank: Victoria was a bit of a disappointment for me. Not because it was a bad city. Looking back, I think it was a pretty good city. But at the time, I was underwhelmed. Perhaps it was because I had such an amazing experience in Tofino. Maybe it was due to my impossibly high expectations. Before visiting, I’ve always heard mention of how amazing Victoria is and how much effort my friends from Alberta would go through just to get a glimpse. I thought Alberta and its Rockies were pretty dang out of this world so, Victoria must be absolutely paradise on earth right?
Well, not exactly. I had stayed mostly on the south side by James Bay. My favourite parts of the city was Beacon Hill Park and its stunningly lush landscapes with its peacocks and its massive trees. I also absolutely enjoyed walking through Spiral Beach and following its coast line and finding all the little art works on the rocks. I even drove all the way out to some suburb just to catch a glimpse of a lone redwood tree standing tall.
Looking back I wish I had gone off to check out more of what the city has to offer. Even now, I hear sings of praise for the city. I am absolutely still open to changing my mind and would love to visit again but for now, Victoria stands as a forgettable city to me.
White Rock
A surprisingly nice visit was a quaint little sea-side town, White Rock. Heading south to cross the border, I was very excited to finally leave the country and move on to my next adventures. With a little bit of time on the way, I had decided to visit White Rock. I didn’t have much expectations but I was surprisingly delighted to find a nice little town that’s beautiful in its own way.
I had visited during the late fall (November 11th) and the city was very quiet. It was a drab, gray and wet day but I could not help but feel great. I was moving on to new adventures and the whole town was dead quiet. I had no problem getting parking. The weather gave a great vibe and the whole place was beautiful. Even I could not help but like the small little painted white rock on the beach. I say small since I only saw it from very far on the longest Canadian pier, but in reality its quite big in person.
I’d visit this place again. It made me want to stay for a little while longer.
Travellers Pursuits 