Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
For a hiker, B.C. is an ideal holiday destination.
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My favourite season for hiking is autumn.
The colours, for sure.
Sunlight low in the sky.
But even more is the melancholy of days getting shorter. The year coming to an end.
Most of the trees in the Vancouver Island rain forest are evergreen. But there are enough deciduous to make for wonderful scenes.
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Backpacking on Vancouver Island: The Essential Guide to the Best Multi-Day Trips and Day Hikes, was selected top guidebook at the 2024 Banff Mountain Book Competition.
Author Taryn Eyton.
I’m spending most of the year on Vancouver Island myself and can heartily recommend the destination and this guidebook.
In fact, the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island is our #1 hike in the world.
If you’ve never hiked temperate rainforest, plan a trip to Olympic National Park in Washington State.
There’s MUCH to do including some terrific coastal hiking.
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West Coast Trail is our top hike in the world.
Click PLAY or watch a 1-minute preview on YouTube.
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.
Read more on our WCT information page.
Trip report 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.
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:
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. 😀
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Challenging. Terrible weather.
Swarming with sandflies.
But beautiful.
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I met Blake and Eli cycling the Tuscany Trail in Italy.
World travellers, they’ve been living and working online from locations like Hawaii, Australia, Bali & Thailand.
Living the dream.
Click PLAY or watch one of their hikes on YouTube. Subscribe to the channel if you enjoy it.
Kalalau is one of our Top 10 coastal hikes in the world.
besthike.com 