Western Canada was the part of the country that really showed me the scale of its wilderness. Vancouver itself is a major modern city, but mountains, forests, alpine lakes, and wildlife are never very far away.
Vancouver
Vancouver is often ranked among the world’s most desirable cities to live in, and its location is a major reason why.
The city sits on Canada’s Pacific coast with mountains rising immediately behind it. The ocean moderates Vancouver’s climate, giving it relatively mild winters compared with much of Canada and comfortable summers.
There’s also an enormous amount to do outside the city. Mountains, forests, parks, and the coast are all within easy reach, while Seattle is only a few hours south across the border in Washington.
The tradeoff for Vancouver’s mild climate is rain.
Overcast skies and rainy days are common, particularly compared with many other major cities. I saw plenty of that weather during my visit, including this ship entering the harbor beneath a thick layer of clouds.
When the clouds cleared, Vancouver looked completely different.
On a sunny day, the combination of water, mountains, parks, and modern buildings makes it easy to understand Vancouver’s reputation.
Life Along Vancouver’s Seawall
One of my favorite parts of Vancouver was the seawall.
The waterfront has trails used by walkers, runners, and cyclists, along with parks and restaurants. On sunny days, people seemed to be outside everywhere.
Like any large city, Vancouver also had neighborhoods that felt completely different from the polished waterfront areas. I accidentally wandered into one of the rougher parts of downtown during my visit, which was a sharp contrast to the parks and marinas only a short distance away.
Into British Columbia
As impressive as Vancouver was, the scenery became even better once I left the city.
British Columbia is dominated by mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes. Fraser Canyon, a few hours northeast of Vancouver, gave me my first real look at the much wilder landscapes beyond the coast.
The turquoise lakes were especially impressive. Against the surrounding mountains and forests, some looked almost unnaturally bright.
Whistler
North of Vancouver is Whistler, one of Canada’s best-known mountain resorts.
The town is surrounded by the Coast Mountains and became internationally famous as one of the main venues for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Skiing is the obvious attraction during winter, but the mountains also make Whistler a major outdoor destination during the warmer months.
I visited in August, so instead of coming for skiing, I was interested in exploring the mountains themselves.
The Coast Mountains
Western Canada contains some enormous mountain ranges, and the Coast Mountains extend north from British Columbia into the Alaskan Panhandle.
During this trip, I attempted to climb Mount Garibaldi.
The weather didn’t cooperate.
I eventually had to abandon the summit attempt, but even without reaching the top, getting into the mountains gave me a much better appreciation for just how rugged the landscape around Vancouver really is.
A failed summit is still part of the experience. Sometimes knowing when to turn around is simply part of climbing mountains.
Wildlife in British Columbia
Wildlife was another constant reminder of how quickly the cities of western Canada give way to wilderness.
I encountered this young buck and chipmunk during the trip, although British Columbia is also famous for much larger animals. Both black bears and grizzly bears live throughout the province.
Coming from Vancouver, where I had been walking between skyscrapers, restaurants, parks, and marinas, it didn’t take long before I was traveling through places where bears were a much more realistic concern than anything I had encountered in the city.
Vancouver and the Wilderness Beyond
What stood out most during this trip was how quickly everything changed once I left Vancouver. I could spend part of the day in one of Canada’s largest cities and then find myself surrounded by mountains and wilderness only a short time later.
Between Vancouver, Whistler, Fraser Canyon, the Coast Mountains, and Mt. Garibaldi, this trip gave me a great introduction to southwestern British Columbia and made it obvious how much more there still is to explore.
