Explore Canada: Hometown Tourist.

I spend a lot of my days dreaming about travelling around the world, exploring tiny towns and old cities and hiking to mountain peaks. It’s easy to forget that I live in a beautiful city that other people dream about visiting. Lately I have been trying to feel what tourists experience when they come to Vancouver for the first time.

My favourite part of the city, aside from the awesome neighbourhood I live in, is the Stanley Park Seawall. It is incredible to me that you can be so close to the city yet feel like you are so far away from it. The crisp ocean air and the changing views as you travel the 10km of the Seawall are some of the best things about it for me.

A shot from this morning’s walk around the Vancouver Seawall.

Have you visited Vancouver or the surrounding areas? What activities did you do during your stay?

Explore Canada: Mount Galiano.

In June, my partner and I spent a weekend at a beachfront cabin on Galiano Island. The Gulf Islands are awesome, because they are all fairly close to Vancouver but far enough away that you are able to completely forget about city life while you are there.

We spent the weekend hiking to hidden beaches, visiting the local Farmers Market, eating ice cream, drinking wine by the ocean, hanging out with the local sea lion population (okay maybe not with, but near) and hiking up to Mount Galiano. My favourite part of the weekend was our time spent on Mount Galiano.

Mount Galiano view.

The hike to the top takes about an hour and once you are there, you are rewarded with a beautiful view of Active Pass. We sat up there for hours, eating strawberries, listening to the birds and enjoyed the view! Next time I am there, I definitely want to make it a camping trip so we can sleep under the stars and wake up to enjoy the view at sunrise!

Have you ever visited any of the Gulf Islands? And if so, which one is your favourite?

Explore Canada: Joffre Lakes, BC.

When I was 12 years old, my class did a hike up to Joffre Lakes, which is located just east of Pemberton, BC . I remember how hot the sun was and how good it felt to jump into one of the crisp glacier fed lakes to cool off. Ever since that day, I have had a huge love for this place.

Last summer, two friends and I made the trek up the mountain with our massive backpacks to do a backcountry camping trip there. The hike was great, although the trail was much busier than I remember it being in years past. When we arrived at our camping destination, there weren’t many spots left! I put my tent up on a bed of rocks, but I didn’t mind because of the beautiful mountain view and the sound of water rushing from the waterfall!

Campsite at Joffre Lakes.

Joffre Lakes sunrise.

We spent the evening taking in the views, playing cards and eating cheesy beans. I hope to make it back for another weekend camp at Joffre this summer, but I will be sure to arrive earlier in the day to secure a good spot to pitch my tent.

What are your favourite hikes to do in British Columbia?