I love hiking and have done a lot of hiking over the past couple of years (I started a hiking group…read moretwo years ago), improving my stamina and fitness level. I have been able to do increasingly harder hikes, although my level is solidly intermediate -- I can't do hikes that are 20km, 10 hours, extreme elevation, really rough terrain, etc. The Stawamus Chief, known as "The Chief", is a popular hike that is on many people's bucket list. I was never particularly interested in The Chief, as the description seemed too difficult and being in Squamish, it was not possible to get there as a non-driver. However, this summer, some friends who I met through my hiking group wanted to try The Chief. We went on a Wednesday, in order to avoid the weekend crowd. Seven of us went, and none of us being morning people, we arrived around 11:30am, which is considered late for hardcore hikers. Fortunately, we were able to find a parking spot, although there were very few available at that time. The Chief consists of three peaks, and we only did the first one, which was more than enough. We went quite slowly, taking breaks as needed, and excluding about an hour at the top, taking in the view and having lunch, it took us about 4.5 hours to complete (2.5 hours to the top, 2 hours back down). While I was obviously able to complete The Chief, I didn't particularly enjoy the hike (although I really liked the company and hanging out with my friends), and I have no desire to do it again -- I've done it once, I don't have anything to prove, and there are so many other hikes to do. The trail for the first peak, while relatively short (under 4km there and back) is quite steep, and there are a lot of stairs. The problem is that I am short, and the steps were quite high, so I was extra slow as it took me longer to step up or down each stair, and by the end of the hike, I was exhausted (as were my friends). I had heard that there were chains and a ladder on the rock face that you needed to scramble up in order to get to the top, and this is why I had no desire to try The Chief. While challenging, the chains and ladder weren't so bad, and easier than I had expected. But the scramble up the rock face after the chains and ladder was horrible. I hated the scramble up the rock face, and I was actually pretty terrified -- I almost fell backwards to my death, as with Tunnel Bluffs. Thankfully my friends helped me. In my opinion, there should have been some chains to hold on to. Anyway, I made it up without dying, but I am never doing that again. At the top we could see the second peak, and to me, it looked like a pure scramble up rock face, the part I hated about our hike. I'm definitely never going to attempt the other peaks. We spend about an hour at the top, having lunch and hanging out. There was a cute chipmunk who ate the trail mix that I "accidentally" dropped, and we saw a Peregrine falcon and a raven flying around for over five minutes -- it looked like the falcon was chasing the raven. Overall a great day with my friends, but I did not enjoy The Chief and have no desire to ever do it again. [Yelp collections: Hiking]

I had never been to Stawamus Chief before but I was super excited for it. I had heard that it was a…read morerather difficult hike (which it is) but it's totally doable! We had someone with us who had never done a hike before and she made it to the top so it's doable. Having said that, we only did peak 1 because it was raining that day and we didn't want to risk anything. Peak 1 have lots of rocks and the elevation gain is pretty big. It took us 4.5 hours in total for the hike but if you are someone who is a hiker, it's possible to do it in 3 hrs. I will say that if you decide to do this hike on a rainy day, be prepared to have proper shoes because it does get slippery! Regardless I would say having proper shoes for this hike is important. The top of the hike is mostly climbing with ropes and on flat elevated rocks so it's good to have shoes with good grip. The view from up there is definitely worth it though!

I camped at the walk in sites at porteau cove campground. It's good that it's close to Vancouver…read moreand is a great location for viewing stars at night. However, as a campsite, it's quite noisy as there's constantly cars driving along the sea to sky highway, a nearby train, and sounds from the water. The walk in sites are very packed but the ones by the water are pretty neat. The parking lot to the day use area was full on the night of the pereseids meteor shower peak.

The boardwalk boasts an impressive backdrop of the Howe Sound, snow-capped mountains, and clear…read moreblue sky. This is the most southerly fjord in North America. With the parking lot being near the highway and free, many visitors (both people and dogs) stroll the area.  Watch out for the webby tents of caterpillars in the trees. They're a bit unsightly. Other things to do at Porteau Cove: - Scuba dive among shipwrecks, artificial reefs, sunken sculptures, and diverse marine life - Explore tide pools - Camp along the waterfront Porteau Cove was a picturesque stop along our Sea to Sky Highway road trip. I wish I could come back here to watch sunset or the stars at night. (Part 2)

Nice friendly people works at the Gibson Tourism center. Ask them any tourists questions and they…read morewill be able to answer you. They can give good advice on where to go and what to get. Or you can ask them what is fun to do around Gibson. There are free brochures that you can grab here. They also have some free goods that you can pick up. Like shirts, hats, magnets, postcards and etc.

We stayed at this campground for $29 per night, with an additional fee for a second vehicle,…read morebringing the total to $41, which we put into an envelope and deposited at the site. We chose a double site, which was ideal, and appreciated that it operated on a first-come, first-served basis. Many people book online but often do not cancel if they are no-shows. Although the website showed no availability, there were plenty of empty sites when we arrived. The bathrooms are clean and spacious, which was a plus. However, the amenities need improvement. The power outlets did not work, the taps only provided cold water, and the showers never got truly hot. The water was lukewarm at best. Since it was cold and rainy during our stay, a hot shower would have made a big difference. The showers operate on a push-button system, delivering water in short 10-second bursts, which was frustrating. The windows are left open, making the bathroom area uncomfortably cold. Toilet seat was like a sheet of ice in the morning. On the positive side, the campground has a large number of sites and is conveniently close to the beach.

A nice, well maintained provincial park for camping, with a busy day-use area…read more This beautiful nature setting is just minutes out of Sechelt. The campsites are a good size, with newly painted picnic tables that are in excellent shape. I expected the camping area to be busier, so we made reservations, however, it wasn't even half full when we arrived for weekend camping. We had to share the communal fire pit (with convenient benches in place around the outside) the first evening, but had it to ourselves the second evening. We didn't have any problems with sharing, since the clean air bylaw is the reason, plus the park provides the wood. I was shocked (and then happy I hadn't bought any in town) when we realized the wood was brought over each day by the PFOs (Park Facility Operators). The PFOs were friendly, and helped us to avoid an extra car fee but letting us know the other vehicle could just park across the road from the park on the highway. Score. We had a double site, which was super awesome for our needs, but you definitely wouldn't want to be in one if you didn't know the people on the other side. This campground is suitable for camping wusses, since there are showers and real flush toilets available. Otherwise, use the outhouses and the cold water. The water from the taps available around the site is wonderful. There is no need to boil it or to buy water. The park is on the municipal system. Those wanting to go down to the water should realize that the day-use area does get very busy, and seems to be a popular destination for families and gatherings with ankle-biters. Our attempts to find non-tarp covered shelter from the rain at the covered tables were thwarted by a child's birthday party. A sunny day following meant the beach was also packed, and tour groups with kayaks were setting up. There is a nice, short trail through the trees and over a creek to get to the estuary. This area is peaceful, and if you look closely you can see salmon fry seeking shelter in the back eddies of the river. The beach seems to be a favourite for clam diggers, as well. I had a quick chat with a friendly BC Parks ranger on my way out of the day-use area.

I can see why Cypress Mountain is known as one of the best snowshoeing destinations in Vancouver…read more There are many beautiful trails to choose from in the daytime and they offer a nice brightly lit evening snowshoe experience too. Follow the signage to "Nordic" and that's the area with ticket office and rentals for cross country skiing and snowshoeing fun! It has a diverse range of trails suitable for beginners and experienced hikers. Snowshoe rentals are available till 3:30pm for day time snowshoeing and just take note to return rentals by 4:30pm as they start night time tickets and rentals at 5pm. If you didn't pack foods, it's quite easy to grab a drink or a bite at their Nordic Cafe or at the Lodge. Five stars for their guest services - i was very impressed by the genuine effort they put in to help locate lost item for guests. Cypress is roughly 30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver (check Google map for traffic congestion or delays) and about 10 to 15 minutes drive from West Vancouver and North Vancouver.

Went twice down the Eagle Coaster last month. It was a beautiful day, the most serene ride up the…read morechair lift, and the most shockingly bumpy ride down the coaster lol. They tell you to not hold your phone. Two people lost their caps. They tell you to release the brake and to speed up but I think you do need to slow down during the turns and bumps. Felt like I almost fell out at those times. It was a fun experience. Line was short at 10:30am. Much longer on the second ride down at around 11:30am.

Had a fantastic experience during a semi-private lesson with Squamish Watersports…read more Originally we were scheduled for another day, but the weather forecast was not promising for kiteboarding. The office reached out and asked if we were able to schedule a few days later to best allow for a great lesson. A couple days later we had a fantastic kiteboarding lesson with Tom. He was extremely knowledgeable, patient, and walked us through the fundamentals, and we had a blast. He even got the beginner in our group up on the board on the first day! Thanks Tom and Squamish Watersports!

Memorable experience exploring Howe sound and its islands on a boat tour. Our guide Angelo was…read morefantastic and showed us all of the scenic landmarks and spots. You won't be disappointed if you go with this company!

Make sure to always check how full the ferries are so you know how early you should arrive to get…read moreon your preferred sailing! We arrived just under an hour before the 6:40 pm ferry on Sunday and ended up being one of the first cars in line, which was great! While you're waiting for the ferry to arrive, you can head over to the beach and enjoy the beautiful BC views. There are also a couple of places where you can grab a bite to eat, so you don't have to wait in the long ferry line for White Spot! I personally love spending my ferry rides out on the deck so I can take in all the amazing scenery. Although BC Ferries isn't perfect, the views make it all well worth it!

Wait times are crazy. Reservations are difficult to make. There's literally one food spot that's…read moreclosed half the time. This place is chud.

Spent a night here and already making plans to go back. Booked through Expedia. Got a River view…read morecabin with full kitchen. Very happy that I did. The interior exceeded my expectations. These cabins are nice. The bed is so comfortable and they even have heated flooring in the bathroom. The cabin we booked came with so many things that you would never get from a hotel (I.e. toaster, cutlery, plates, fridge, etc.) and for pretty much the same price. Honestly, if I had plans to goo hiking in the area or boarding at Whistler, I'd make this my god to accommodation. It's also a 10min drive from Alice Lake. One thing to note, and by no means is this a complaint, but bare in mind that not all of the cabins have a decent river view, but accessing the Cheakamus is only a couple minutes away. You can definitely hear it though and it's actually very relaxing to fall asleep to. Info: - The staff are very friendly - Fergies cafe is located here, which is a huge plus. - The parking spot is conveniently located right in front of your front door, which is very helpful if your unloading a bunch of bags and equipment. - Check out is a breeze. You just drop the key off at a box in front of the office.

We had our wedding here just this past weekend (Sept 21, 2019), and it was perfect!…read moreThe staff was friendly and did what they could when it came to our requests! You can also call them after hours if you need help with anything! It was a bit rainy, but this actually highlighted the colors of the forest! Everything was more vibrant! Around this time is the beginning of autumn, so most trees were green with a few yellow trees! It was perfect! Everywhere you look is a photograph! The campfire was great. We used it every night! The lodge was amazing! We used it for bbq and karaoke (that we brought ourselves)! Fergie's Catering for our wedding was fine dining! The river was beautiful, and made everyone want to explore! The couple's cabin was super cute and cozy! It was difficult to leave as we had the most perfect wedding! Having our families stay in the cabin made the wedding last all night! It was the best experience! Our family loved everything and hopes to come back!