Category: rain forest

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Hiking Cathedral Grove, Vancouver Island

by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

MacMillan Provincial Park is a 301-hectare (740-acre) provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. Located 25 km (16 mi) west of Qualicum Beach and 16 km (9.9 mi) east of Port Alberni, the park straddles Highway 4 and the Island Rail Corridor in central Vancouver Island.

The park is home to a famous, 157-hectare (390-acre) stand of ancient Douglas fir, known as Cathedral Grove, which draws visitors from all over the world.

… the only highway-accessible protected old-growth Douglas-fir forest in British Columbia.

In 2007 Cathedral Grove made the short list on CBC‘s competition Seven Wonders of Canada.

My video includes parts of both loops. AND some shots outside Cathedral Grove, in the Provincial park.

I stop every time I drive highway 4.

Dozens of times, so far.

It is a fantastic short day hike.

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Learn to LOVE Hiking in the Rain 😀

Hiking in the rain can be miserable.

AND hiking in the rain can be wonderful.

You can hike the Pacific N.W. every day of the year. BUT many of those days will have a threat of rain. 

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. The joys and challenges of … wet weather.

TIPS:

  • the RIGHT clothing (layers)
  • long brim cap under long brim hood
  • the RIGHT footwear
  • the RIGHT backpack
  • gear protected in dry bags
  • electronics protected from water
  • the RIGHT attitude

Having tried many systems over the years, I’m happiest now with …

No blisters. The shoes dry quickly. )My feet do get wrinkled after a couple of hours, however.)

If the rain really starts coming down, I’ll add an inexpensive Frogg Toggs waterproof jacket on top. 

Since I bought a Hyperlite 3400 Windrider backpack, I’ve not used a pack cover. It’s quite rain resistant. Everything inside is protected from wet and water.

Check this REI post – How to Go Hiking in the Rain

Of course if lightning and thunder threaten, take shelter immediately. 

Camping in the rain is definitely more challenging.

related – Miranda has some thoughts on Frogg Toggs. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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BestHike #1 – West Coast Trail, British Columbia

West Coast Trail is our top hike in the world.

Click PLAY or watch a 1-minute preview on YouTube.

West Coast Trail

Challenging in many ways.

So much VARIETY in pristine Canadian coastal wilderness.

Mystic dawns and mind-blowing sunsets. Hidden pocket coves and weird coastal geology.

You’ll never forget the West Coast Trail.

WCT ladders

AT A GLANCE

  • 75 km (47 mi), 5-7 days Pachena Bay <> Gordon River
  • 3-5 day routes possible via Nitinaht Village trailhead
  • southwestern edge of Vancouver Island
  • Pacific Rim National Park
  • Permits required 
  • May 1 – September 30
  • extremely rugged, requires a high level of fitness
  • 6,000+ backpackers / year

Read more on our WCT information page.

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Hole in the Wall, Port Alberni BC

Hole in the Wall, a short day hike, is a is fast becoming a major attraction for the Vancouver Island community.

The hole is all that remains of a decades old water line.

Click PLAY or watch my 2023 video on YouTube. At dawn I had the waterfalls to myself.

Check in at the Port Alberni Visitor Centre for directions.

Parking can be difficult though the trail itself is only an easy 1.3km return walk.

Rather than following the normal route as posted on AllTrails Port Alberni Hole in the Wall, I walked instead from an industrial park end of Sherwood Road.

Definitely muddier and less traveled, I did find it interesting. Nobody else parked there.

Here are the rough trails as shown on Maps.me.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse of my 2021 hike on YouTube.

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5 best hikes in the Caribbean

The Caribbean is not at all considered a hiking destination. But Lonely Planet does recommend these trails.

  • Waitukubuli National Trail, Dominica (185km)
  • Pico Turquino, Cuba (22.5-25km)
  • Mt Christoffel, Curaçao (2.7km)
  • Gros Piton Trail, St Lucia (4.7km)
  • Dark View Falls, St Vincent (2.4km)

Details – The 5 best hikes in the Caribbean

Of those, we’re most interested in the long Waitukubuli Trail, officially opened in 2013.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Carly Hiked the Vancouver Island Trail

Solo.

Approximately 800km / 500miles

She saw no other hikers outside the 2 provincial parks.

There are multiple route options, but here’s the gist.

Carly Wiechnik:

The two higher elevation mountainous sections, the Beauforts and Strathcona, can be snow covered until the end of June, and snow can begin to fall again around the month of October.

A thru-hike might take a month (fast) to six weeks (slower), which can easily fit into the window of July-September.

The best month to hike would probably be August, as by then the snow is mostly gone in the higher elevations, precipitation is low and it is warm and dry. (However, campfire bans are common around this time to prevent wildfires). Coastal trails are also less muddy. …

Resupply: A cool thing about the VIT is that it goes straight through towns at reasonable intervals, so it’s easy to hit up a grocery store every 3-6 days …

Vancouver Island Trail: Recap (and Tips!)

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Best Hikes on O’ahu, Hawaii

I’ve never been to O’ahu (Oahu). Sadly.

But it’s high on my list.

The hike that jumps to mind first is the Haʻikū Stairs, also known as the Stairway to Heaven or Haʻikū Ladder.

Sadly, those 3000 stairs are closed. Plans are to have them removed as a safety precaution.

Backpacker magazine posted their list of BEST HIKES on the island.

  • Our Top Hike on O’ahu: Diamond Head
  • Best Rainforest Hike on O’ahu: Manoa Falls Trail
  • Best Hike on O’ahu for Views: Kuliouou Ridge Trail
  • Best Scramble on O’ahu: Olomana Trail
  • Best Adventure Hike on O’ahu: Moanalua/Kamananui Valley Trail
  • Best Climb on O’ahu: Kokohead Lookout
  • Best Hike on O’ahu for Hot Weather: Aiea Loop Trail
Diamond Head

AllTrails users rank Koko Crater Tramway to Kokohead Lookout as even better than Diamond Head.