Bradt British Columbia Guide

The new Bradt guide to British Columbia, a detailed standalone guide to the province.

About this guide to British Columbia

The new Bradt Canada: British Columbia guidebook is a detailed standalone guide to the entirety of this exhilarating province. Twenty-three times the size of Switzerland but with only two-thirds the population, British Columbia excels for all manner of outdoor activities, characterful towns and First Nations culture amid stunning mountainous landscapes that include more national parks (seven, with another in the works) than any province.

The new Bradt Canada: British Columbia guidebook celebrates the remarkable range of fascinating things to do in this rich province, whether you are enjoying an extended holiday or simply passing through en route to Alaska:

• enjoy immense hiking opportunities – from day hikes to long-distance treks (including the Sunshine Coast Trail, Canada’s longest hut-to-hut hike), mountain climbs to historic paths (like the Chilkoot Trail);
• in the birthplace of heli-skiing, choose from more ski resorts (87) than any Canadian province or US state;
• hit Tofino’s waves for the best surfing north of California;
• enjoy stellar wildlife watching: Vancouver Island boasts North America’s highest concentration of pumas, ‘spirit bears’ (white variants of black bear) roam British Columbia’s fjord-indented coast, orcas are easily viewed from ferries and bald eagles winter abundantly in Squamish;
• deepen your appreciation of indigenous cultures: British Columbia has more than 200 individual First Nations, with histories dating back millennia; and
• discover the diverse, ever-evolving culinary scene – including what some consider the best Asian food outside Asia – of Vancouver, ranked the world’s joint-seventh most ‘liveable’ city.

Written by vastly experienced guidebook writer Brendan Sainsbury, who has lived in British Columbia since 2004, the new Bradt Canada: British Columbia guidebook bottles the essence of the province, drawing out off-beat attractions and stories – from gold-rush history and First Nations sites to Whistler’s art culture – alongside established places of interest. Deep local expertise enables detailed advice to be provided on a plethora of travel options alongside self-drive. There is also coverage of Alberta province’s Banff and Jasper national parks, included specifically to help those visiting the whole Canadian Rockies region. In short, Bradt’s Canada: British Columbia offers everything you could need for a rewarding, varied trip.

Contents

PART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION
1 Background Information
2 Practical Information

PART 2 THE GUIDE
3 Vancouver & Lower Mainland
4 Sunshine Coast & Whistler
5 Vancouver Island & the Gulf Islands
6 Thompson Okanagan
7 The Rockies, including Banff & Jasper
8 Cariboo-Chilcotin Coast
9 Northern BC & Haida Gwaii

Appendices: Further Information
Index

About the author

Brendan Sainsbury is a British writer who has been a resident of British Columbia, Canada, since 2004. He has written extensively about the province, covering a range of topics – from a Vancouver Island village that bought a local forest to save it from logging to the legacy of the Doukabours, a Russian religious sect that resettled in BC in the early 1900s. An avid trail-runner, Sainsbury has developed a deep affection for Vancouver’s North Shore mountains, which he likes to explore on foot on clear summer weekends. His favourite route is the 29-km-long amalgamation of peaks, ridges and scrambling better known as the Howe Sound Crest Trail. His other BC passions include Whistler, overnight train journeys, and tea and scones in Victoria, an occasional treat that reminds him nostalgically of England. The author of Bradt’s Canada: British Columbia, Sainsbury has contributed to 70-plus travel guidebooks.