Resort town offers more than just skiing
Beautiful B.C.: This final part of our series showcases province's wondrous wildlife, scenic treasures and unparalleled recreation
Whistler- An all-season resort
Whistler is the #1 Ski Destination in North America, but there's more fun to be had in Whistler than just on the slopes.
Whatever your speed, from bobsledding on the world's fastest track to lounging in an outdoor spa, everyone can enjoy Whistler, including youngsters and the family dog.
Hop on the three-kilometre Peak2peak gondola, which is the longest unsupported gondola line in the world. One of the trams, the silver special, has a glass floor that increases your chances of wildlife spotting.
Grab a bevy by the Olympic Rings and do a little people watching. One non-skier advantage is nabbing the best spot on one of Whistler's mountainside patios near a heat lamp with a great view — before everyone comes down from the mountain.
And indoors, the Audain Art Museum's 55,000-square-foot building is a work of art unto itself.
Although numerous lodgings in Whistler come with full kitchens, nightlife could include visiting (but not for long) an ice-cold and blue-hued vodka room before splurging on haute cuisine.
Jane Mundy
Haida Gwaii — Islands at the edge of the World
This sea-swept archipelago off B.C.'S northern coast is renowned for its natural beauty, abundant marine life, and unique First Nations culture and artistry. Called Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai, the “Islands at the Edge of the World” in the language of its early inhabitants, the western most point in Canada should be high on any adventurous traveller's bucket list.
Often compared to the Galapagos Islands for its evolutionarily unique flora and fauna, remote Haida Gwaii is home to millions of sea birds, a distinct species of black bear and lush rainforests thick with giant Sitka spruce and red cedar, from which master Haida carvers fashioned their world-famous totem poles.
Orcas and Pacific white-sided dolphins patrol the waters off its coastlines, and enormous colonies of sea mammals and migrating populations of salmon and halibut thrive just offshore, making these islands a worldclass sport-fishing destination.
For thousands of years, Haida fishers launched their enormous dugout canoes into Haida Gwaii's storm-pummelled waters, providing food for their clans who occupied coastal bays and inlets. Their descendants have made determined efforts to preserve, respect and renew their homeland and millennia-old culture and traditions. Today they invite visitors to respectfully experience the still hidden world of the Eagle and Raven clans.
Mark Sissons
Great Bear Rainforest — Home of the Spirit Bear
Named for the grizzlies, American black bears and Kermode or Spirit bears (a black bear born with a recessive gene that produces cream-coloured fur) that inhabit its thickly forested islands and inlets, the world's largest coastal temperate rainforest stretches from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border.
Twice the size of Africa's Serengeti, the Great Bear Rainforest is also home to countless species of birds, marine life and other mammals, including sea wolves that hunt salmon from streams and swim like sea otters.
Environmentalists first coined the name “Great Bear Rainforest” in the 1990s, partly to draw attention to their efforts to preserve its old-growth forests from industrial logging. In 2006, an agreement between the B.C. government and a coalition of conservationists, loggers, hunters and First Nations established a 400-kilometre-long protected coastal area.
Today, you can explore this magnificent coastline from an eco-lodge or by boat, cruising up thickly forested fiords lined with snow-capped peaks and visiting isolated First Nations communities.
While whales, sea wolves, dolphins and grizzlies are plentiful, the elusive Spirit bear — estimated to now only number around 400 individuals — only emerges from the forests of Princess Royal and Gribble Islands during fall salmon spawning season.
Mark Sissons
Victoria — The Garden City with a spectacular Inner Harbour
Savvy travellers prefer the autumn when summer crowds have gone, and the temperature is ideal for strolling its many gardens and Beacon Hill Park —Victoria is the garden city after all. Sure it's touristy, but Butchart Gardens never disappoints.
Take a crisp morning stroll along the loop: Start at the Inner Harbour, wind around James Bay to Dallas Road and the breakwater, take a left on Cook Street and stop for a coffee in Cook Street Village. Short-cut back through Beacon Hill Park or keep going along Cook to Fort Street and culinary stores.
Later, browse the historic warehouse district, pop into the iconic Capital Iron that has been selling everything forever, and sidle up to the bar at one of several craft breweries.
And the shopping — many local designers showcase their wares, from clothing to crafts to fine art. Thrift shops abound on Lower Johnson, affectionately called Lojo, and there is a huge Value Village on Store Street.
The food scene is nothing short of amazing. In the not-so-distant past, a posh meal in Victoria usually meant French or Italian — and imported wine — from only a few decent restaurants. Now eateries are competing with each other to serve the best farm- and forest-to-table cuisine focusing on everything local.
Victoria is steeped in history, and for a crash course, sign up for one of several guided walking tours to delve into the past or visit heritage neighbourhoods such as James Bay with an architecture focus.
Jane Mundy
Harrison Hot Springs — A beachside weekend
Yes, you can have a beach vacation on the shores of Lake Harrison, two hours outside Vancouver. It was the nicest, quietest stay our family has ever had.
The Sts'ailes were called to these traditional “healing waters” long before “St. Alice's Well” enticed settlers in the 1880s. The hot springs still draw families to the village's shallow sandy beaches and mountain scenery, gelato shops and playground sets.
Try easy hikes to nearby Bridal Falls, beach picnics, and soaking in open-air mineral pools at charming Harrison Hot Springs Resort. Or go for the water sports: kayaking, swimming, boat tours, and fishing.
Heading home, don't forget to stop roadside for corn, fieldfresh berries, fruits, eggs and cut flowers.
Finish up at The Farm House Natural Cheeses in Agassiz, with ice cream for kids and artisan goat cheese for you (the Provencal chèvre's a soft cloud) — before hitting the highway for home, sand still in your toes.
Elaine O'connor
Northern Vancouver Island — Whale watching and wildlife tours
Few destinations can boast having more wildlife than people, but northern Vancouver Island is one of them. Bears, cougars, whales and wolves are some of the creatures you'll find in this largely undeveloped region with fewer than 150,000 residents.
But the people who do live here are often just as fascinating as the animals, from hardy loggers living off the evergreen forests, to self-reliant types who don't miss urban amenities, to Indigenous people eager to share their rich culture.
Whether it's going on a wildlife tour with an Indigenous guide from Sea Wolf Cultural Adventures, admiring masks and other artifacts at the U'mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay, or searching for sea otters with the newest business in the area — Coastal Rainforest Safaris — experiencing First Nations culture is an unforgettable highlight.
Nature lovers will want to hike into Cape Scott Provincial Park to camp on a sandy beach at the edge of the rainforest.
Those seeking more First Nations culture will enjoy The Kwa'lilas Hotel in Port Hardy. And for hedonists, nothing beats Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort. Suzanne Morphet
Rossland —
B.C.'S mountain-biking capital
Rossland doesn't mean to brag,
but it is the mountain biking capital of Canada.
It's also a hiking and trail running mecca. The hiking and trail running is on 200 kilometres of easy-to-extreme maintained and marked trails.
The alpine golf is excellent and there's sophisticated and casual dining, boutique shopping and spas. And, oh yes, it's the hometown of Red Mountain Resort, which touts the best powder downhill skiing in B.C.
The mountain, which dominates the view from Rossland, really does shimmer red in the sunshine. Built in the crater of an extinct volcano, Rossland, population 4,000, is surrounded by the Monashee Mountains in the West Kootenay Rocky Mountain region.
The aforementioned best-in-canada mountain biking is not just on Red Mountain, but kilometre after kilometre of old railway beds, whisky-running routes and miners' trails.
And speaking of miners, the town is named after Ross Thompson, who staked a gold rush claim nearby in 1892.
The town's main street, Thompson Avenue, is also named after him.
Cowichan Valley — Canada's Provence
Dubbed the “Cote d'or of Canada,” the bucolic Cowichan Valley north of Victoria claims Canada's only maritime Mediterranean climate. Filled with vineyards and farms, it's become a destination for gourmet travellers.
A road trip comprises many stops at a number of wineries, include exceptional eateries and accommodations.
The area produces award-winning pinot noirs and pinot grises, along with ciders and balsamic vinegars.
Part of the fun is following the wine route signs along winding country roads. And bring the kids: tubing the Cowichan River is a blast.
Kamloops - Love the Loops
Hike wide-open spaces. Golf award-winning courses. Bike uncrowded trails. Paddle on 100 lakes. Trophy fish on still waters. This is Tourism Kamloops' top-five list of things to do in the city affectionately known as The Loops. But that is by no means the end of the list.
Kamloops, the city of 115,000, located where the North and South Thompson rivers meet in B.C.'S Southern Interior, also has wineries, breweries, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, boating, beaches, horseback riding and rock climbing.
“Our geography really sets us apart,” says Monica Dickinson of Tourism Kamloops.
“We're located mid-province, perfect for a driving B.C. staycation, and we offer great value for everything we offer.”
If winter's more your thing, then Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops is the largest downhill ski area in B.C.'S Interior.
Sun Peaks is also open in the summer for hiking, biking, dining and overnight stays at a range of hotels and lodges.
Steve Macnaull
The Chilcotin – B.C.'S Wild West frontier
Stretching from the Fraser River to the Coast Mountain Range, the Chilcotin's broad plateaus and grasslands, shimmering glaciers and cobalt lakes form some of the most spectacular scenery in British Columbia.
This is authentic cowboy country still, home to sprawling ranch lands and rolling hay fields, where horseback riding is as popular as hiking, and wildlife viewing draws visitors from around the world.
Whether you're staying in a 5-star dude ranch or a First Nations-owned grizzly bear safari lodge, you'll appreciate why the still largely untamed Chilcotin has been called B.C.'S Wild West frontier. Here in one of the largest expanses of wilderness found anywhere in North America, roads less travelled and rugged trails slice through breathtaking backcountry.
The Chilcotin's original inhabitants, the Tsilhqot'in (Chilcotin) and St'at'imc (Lillooet) First Nations, called this region the “Skumakun” or “Land of Plenty” for its abundance of fish and wildlife.
Grizzly and black bears, moose, wolverine, wolf, coyote, deer and bighorn sheep still roam free, as do eagles, owls, herons and dozens more species of birds.
From grizzly viewing at Tweedsmuir Provincial Park and fishing on pristine lakes to white-water rafting, trekking, snowmobiling and heliskiing, the Chilcotin is a year-round magnet for outdoor adventurers. Mark Sissons
Sooke — Where rainforest meets the sea
About 45 minutes west of Victoria, Sooke is perfect for lightweight adventurers and gourmands.
Rent a fast and stable foot-powered Hobie kayak and zip past Sooke Harbour and Whiffin Spit through kelp gardens, and water so clear you see purple and pink sea stars and a world of marine life far below.
Bike the famous 56 km “Galloping Goose” converted railway trail. (You can rent e-bikes, easy peasy.)
Hiking at Sooke Potholes Provincial Park is not to be missed — even on a gloomy day. Well-maintained trails lead down to pools and potholes naturally carved into the bedrock of the Sooke River with crystal clear water.
Sooke offers good restaurants (the Little Vienna Bakery and Wild Mountain Restaurant are fantastic), many artists' workshops and galleries and dozens of B&BS and small inns, including spectacular cottages at Sookepoint Ocean Resort. Although the resort is about 45 minutes from `downtown' Sooke, below your deck is “Orca Alley” — whale watching in comfort!
Jane Mundy
Tumbler Ridge — Where dinosaurs once roamed
Home to one of the most extensive exhibits of dinosaur footprints in Canada, Northern B.C.'S Tumbler Ridge has etched its reputation in stone.
Thanks to a dedicated team of local experts, this tiny community northeast of Prince George is now home to the first UNESCO Global Geopark in western North America.
Designated areas of international geological significance, Global Geoparks promote the sustainable development of local communities within their vicinities through conservation, education and geotourism initiatives.
For a deep dive into the distant past, visit Tumbler Ridge's renowned Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre, which features education and guided-tour programs, as well as museum exhibits in the Dinosaur Discovery Gallery and the Community Centre. Then head out to explore the area's wealth of protected geographical wonders, including waterfalls, rock formations, alpine summits, caves and more.
Visitors can also explore metallurgical-coal mines, giant renewable-energy wind turbines and plenty of rugged ATV and snowmobile terrain. Hiking and cross-country skiing, rock and ice climbing are also popular.
With a unique combination of diverse ecosystems, ground-breaking archeology and fascinating First Nations history and culture, set in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Tumbler Ridge is as unique as those ancient trackways and fossils that make it the undisputed dinosaur capital of B.C.
Mark Sissons