Blanca Lake Backpacking Trip

August 21, 2024August 26, 2024 / Maria / 2 Comments

I hiked to Blanca Lake around the third week in July and it was the first weekend where it really started to feel like summer. The snow melt was very late in the mountains and I’d been tracking the hike via satellite all week. 5 days before we went, the entire lake was still frozen, but it was melting fast and by the time we hiked up there, it was almost entirely gone.

Blanca Lake is not a well known hike, but it is starting to get more popular. It’s located pretty far up Squamish Valley Road and it does require 4×4 to get to the trailhead. The hike is only 4.5km, but the road to the trailhead is long and exposed, so I wouldn’t recommend hiking the extra distance on a hot day. We ended up picking up a few hikers along the road and they were about to give up and turn around before we drove by because it was so hot.

We had a great crew for this trip. Seth and Sadie both joined me for their second hike of the summer, and of course Brandon was ready with his 4runner. We were also joined by our friend Adriana, who we hiked Tetrahedron with last year, and a new friend, Victoria, who we met when hiking Hozomeen Lake several weeks earlier. I downed a lot of gatorade along the drive as we convoyed up to the trailhead in two cars. It’s a pretty long drive on Squamish Valley Road, as well as on the FSR. The road isn’t in that bad shape, but there are several water bars along the way and a sketchy washout before the top. A few cars parked before the washout as it’s not a long walk from that section.

To make the occasion more special, it was Brandon’s birthday! We ate sandwiches at the car and then started the hike up to the lake. The trail is flat for a short distance, but then you immediately do a big climb up through the trees. It was challenging because it was so hot, but at least we were in the shade. After the climb, the trail stays in the trees and is pretty flat again. You traverse through some small meadows and eventually come to a stream crossing before starting to climb again.

Some of the group was able to get across the stream crossing with their boots on, but I opted to just put on my sandals and wade through it. It was much easier and we all did it on the return trip. We encountered a few groups who were day hiking on their way down, but otherwise we didn’t see a lot of people. You continue through the trees again and then eventually come out on a boulder field that follows the river to the top. Seth really struggled from the heat on this section and the hike took longer than we expected it would, but eventually we all made it to the beautiful wide open view at the top.

The final section of the trail and the lake are all in the alpine. Blanca Lake is really at the start of the alpine and if you have 2 nights to spare, it’s definitely worth it to stay up there for an extra day and explore around on your own. There aren’t any trails, but the terrain is easy to navigate and you can do a scramble to some of the other lakes and peaks.

Blanca Lake is the biggest lake, but there are several other lakes nearby, as well as a lot of tarns. I decided to swim in Blanca as soon as we arrived and it was so hot even Seth joined me! It was freezing cold (it had literally only finished melting 2 days ago), but it was refreshing. Adriana and Victoria opted to swim in the small lake just below Blanca, which was warmer, and Brandon scoped out a secluded place to pitch our tents by an even smaller tarn.

There were quite a few people camping on Saturday night. Most of them camped right next to Blanca Lake, but there’s lots of room to spread out. I liked our spot over by the tarn because then Sadie wasn’t distracted by or a nuisance to the other campers. I swam in the smaller lake and 2 tarns, but not the other 2 large lakes. I can’t see any names for them on Gaia, but there’s a big circular lake west of Blanca, and another lake to the South. I hiked over to view both, but they were a bit farther away, so I didn’t swim in either.

We sent up the tents and proceeded to have an excellent evening hanging out in the alpine! We brought party hats for Brandon and celebrated his birthday with some cherry liqueur that I’d brought home from Portugal. We had Brandon’s infamous thai chicken curry for dinner and had a great time hanging out and enjoying the view during golden hour.

There’s no facilities at Blanca Lake, so be prepared to dig catholes for your bathroom. There are some trees around, but it’s pretty barren, so we brought bear vaults and bear bags rather than hanging our food. It should be possible to find somewhere to hang your food, but it was definitely a lot easier using Carolyn’s bear vault, which I borrowed for the trip.

It was an absolutely gorgeous evening and we spent most of the night taking photos of each other. The sunset turned everything orange around us and we shared snacks to celebrate Brandon’s birthday. I made everyone worms and dirt (a girl guide classic!), but I guess our sugar tolerance is lower than my girl guides because we all ate way too much!

I was the first one up in the morning thanks to Sadie. It gets bright so early and she wants out of the tent, so I decided to let everyone else sleep in and take her for a walk. She was my little dog sherpa and carried our essentials in her bag. Like I said, there’s a lot to explore, so we did a short hike up to some of the ridges to view the other lakes and have our breakfast. Blanca is cool, but in my opinion, the lake to the west has the most beautiful view. I wish we’d had more time to explore, but I’ll have to add it to my long list for a return trip.

We took our time having breakfast and packing up and as a result, we were the last to leave. The campsite was completely empty, so I think it’s really only busy on the weekends. The hike back down the valley was nice and there were a lot of wildflowers around. We stopped for lunch shortly after crossing the river and then continued back to the cars. We stopped at the Water Shed in Squamish for dinner and then closed the books on a really nice weekend in the mountains! I took way too many photos on this trip, so here’s a few more!

10 Epic Thru-Hikes in BC

July 31, 2024September 17, 2024 / Maria / 5 Comments

If you’re an avid backpacker already and looking for an epic adventure, there are lots of multi-day trips in British Columbia to whet your appetite. I’ve only done a small sample of what BC has to offer, but these are some of my favourite thru hikes! If you’re a beginner, check out my Guide to Backpacking and Overnight Trips for Beginners posts, as well as my safety resources.

A thru-hike is basically a trip that starts and ends at different locations, allowing you not to repeat any trail. They can be somewhat harder to coordinate and plan because 2 vehicles are often needed and the trailheads may be several hours apart from one another. I don’t recommend any of these trails for true beginners as they are all multi-night trips, several of which are in more challenging or technical terrain. But if you’re an intermediate or experienced backpacker and looking to get outside for extended periods of time, check out some of these trails!

North of Vancouver

Howe Sound Crest Trail

The Howe Sound Crest Trail (or HSCT), is the closest trail to Vancouver on this list, as well as one of the shortest. That might lead you to believe that it’s one of the easier trails, but that is not the case. I think a lot of people stumble onto this trail who are not quite prepared for the steep and technical terrain, so definitely proceed with caution. The trail is 30km long and runs from Cypress Mountain to Porteau Cove. It can be done as a 1 or 2 night hike and most people start from Cypress because then it’s a net downhill trail. There are no facilities, so be prepared to do a bear hang and dig cat holes for your waste.

I prefer to do this trail as a 2-nighter and camp at the Enchantments and Brunswick Lake, but there is no water on trail until the halfway point, so if you camp at the Enchantments, you need to do a large water carry. The trail crosses between the Lions and up and down through several small summits. The start and end to the trail are pretty straight forward, but the trail gets very technical in the middle. If you’d like to extend the trip, you can consider summiting Mount Harvey and Mount Brunswick along the way. It’s a gorgeous trail with unparalleled views of Howe Sound.

Helm Creek Trail

A hiking trail extends through the alpine of Garibaldi Provincial Park towards Helm Lake, with the forest and mountains in the background on a sunny day in British Columbia, Canada

This route doesn’t have a formal name, but extends from Rubble Creek to Cheakamus Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park, near Whistler. If you’re on my website, most likely you’re familiar with this trail because of the popular trips to Garibaldi Lake, Black Tusk, and the iconic Panorama Ridge. Lots of people explore these trails as a day hike or a 1-nighter from Garibaldi Lake or Taylor Meadows. But I always recommend turning it into a multi-day trip by continuing on to Helm Creek. This trail is more appropriate for newer backpackers because of its substantial facilities.

This hike can be customized to whatever length you prefer. Start at Rubble Creek and spend a few nights at Taylor Meadows or Garibaldi Lake and explore Black Tusk or Mount Price. When you’re ready to go to Panorama Ridge, pack up your camp and stop at the ridge on the way to the Helm Creek Campsite, which takes you through the gorgeous Helm Lake area. From there, you hike down towards the Cheakamus Lake parking lot. If you want to extend the trip further, make a detour to Cheakamus Lake or Singing Creek campsites. This hike requires camping reservations, which release 4 months in advance of your date from camping.bcparks.ca.

East of Vancouver

HBC Heritage Trail

A photo of Palmers Pond on a summer day, with the green meadows, forest, and mountains in the background, on the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC Trail) near Hope in British Columbia, Canada.

In my opinion, this is one of the most challenging trails on the list (except for maybe the North Coast Trail). HBC stands for Hudson Bay Company and is a historic trail that was originally used by the First Nations and later by the fur trade. The trail is 74km long and extends through the mountains from Hope to Tulameen. A lot of the trail is through the forest, but it has some gorgeous campsites and views along the way. It’s not an overly popular trail and you likely won’t see many people on it if you like solitude.

What makes this trail challenging right now is the state of the trail. The trail has been revitalized in recent years and has a dedicated volunteer maintenance group, but the 2021 flood was particularly hard on this area. Volunteers have been working to clear the trail, but there is still quite a lot of blowdown in some sections and the trail does require fording at least 3 rivers. All of the campsites have nice facilities, so if you give yourself enough time to navigate the technical terrain, it is a beautiful trail.

Heather Trail

If you’re new to thru-hiking, the Heather Trail would be my recommendation. This is a relatively easy trail, with gorgeous views and brand new facilities. It’s located in E.C. Manning Park and can be done over 2-3 days. The trail starts at the top of Blackwall Road, which means most of the challenging elevation gain is done in the car. Technically, the Heather Trail is 21km, ending at Nicomen Lake and requiring an out-and-back trip. However, if you connect to the Grainger Creek and Hope Pass Trails from Nicomen Lake, you can turn this into a ~40km thru-hike, ending at Cayuse Flats.

Over 2 nights, I would camp at Kicking Horse and Nicomen Lake, or you could add a night at Buckhorn Campsite at the start of the trip and take your time. The trail is all in the trees after Nicomen Lake, and even though it’s 17km from Nicomen to Cayuse Flats, it’s a very easy trail, though there is another campsite option at Grainger Creek. You do need backcountry reservations to stay at these sites as of 2024, which can be obtained 4 months ahead of your trip at camping.bcparks.ca.

Skyline II Trail

I love Manning Park and the Skyline II Trail is one of my all time favourites. This trail is more difficult than the Heather Trail, but still a relatively easy trip. The trail is approximately 25 kilometres from Strawberry Flats in Manning Park to Whitworth Meadow in Skagit Valley Park. There is one campsite at the halfway mark, Mowich Camp.

While this hike can be done in one night, I highly recommend doing 2 nights at Mowich Camp and making a detour to hike the 15km round trip trail along Hozomeen Ridge and back. This trail will take you to the border monument and a fantastic view of Hozomeen Mountain in the US. The trail itself is easy to follow and takes you through gorgeous alpine meadows. The campsite is pretty basic and the water source can run dry later in the summer. A backcountry permit is needed and can be obtained 2 weeks prior to your trip at camping.bcparks.ca.

Vancouver Island & Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast Trail

This is the longest trail on my list, but is hands down my favourite thru-hike ever! The Sunshine Coast Trail (or SCT) is 180km and extends through the entire upper Sunshine Coast, from Sarah Point on the Malaspina peninsula, to Powell River, and down to the ferry at Saltery Bay. The SCT is unique because it is a hut-to-hut hiking route, which means you can do the entire trail, staying in free mountain huts along the way.

The trail can be a challenge to coordinate in terms of transportation and food carries, but it is incredibly well maintained by volunteers, with gorgeous facilities. You can do a section of the trail, or commit to the entire thing. The trail is primarily in the forest and tackles a lot of cumulative elevation gain. There are tons of lakes to enjoy a cool swim and some amazing viewpoints along the way. The trail can get busy, so if you plan to stay in the huts, you should still bring a tent with you as a back-up.

Juan de Fuca

The Juan de Fuca trail is often touted as a great beginner coastal trail. It is good in that it’s a lot easier than its more popular sister trail, the West Coast Trail, but it is still challenging in its own right. It’s a 47km trail on Vancouver Island between Port Renfrew and China Beach. There are several nice campsites located both in the forest and along the beaches, but like all the coastal trails on the island, it can be very technical and muddy.

It’s been several years since I did this trail and I have heard that some parts have received much needed maintenance since I did it, but it will still be quite muddy in early summer and there are several tidal points on the trail that require advance planning to cross. The nice thing about this trail is that there are several bailout points that connect to the highway if the trail is too challenging. Backcountry permits are required and can be obtained 2 weeks in advance from camping.bcparks.ca.

North Coast Trail

Two tents camping on a golden sand beach with drift wood and the forest and waves of the pacific ocean in the background at sunset on Irony Creek Beach in Shuttleworth Bight on the North Coast Trail on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

The North Coast Trail (or NCT) is probably the hardest hike on this list. It’s much less popular than the West Coast Trail, but the traffic to this hike has definitely been growing. The NCT is a ~60km hike on the far north coast of Vancouver Island. It has a reputation for being extremely muddy and it doesn’t get very much maintenance. The NCT is only accessible by water taxi, so most people add on another ~25km of hiking to Cape Scott to finish this trail.

The Cape Scott Trail is accessible by dirt road and is better maintained than the NCT. The highlights of both trails are the gorgeous, remote beach campsites. There are several tidal points on the trail and you should be prepared for a very slow hiking pace through extremely technical terrain. But you’ll also likely get to view bears, eagles, and if you’re lucky, maybe even a wolf. Backcountry permits are required for this hike and can be obtained 2 weeks ahead of your trip at camping.bcparks.ca.

Rocky Mountains

Mount Assiniboine

Mount Assiniboine can be accessed as a loop trail, thru hike, or by helicopter. Of course, I did the thru hike option. Mount Assiniboine is one of BC’s premier mountain campsites and there is a lot to explore from the core area of the park. We planned for 3 nights in the Magog Lake Campground, and 1 night on either end of the trip to hike in and out. While Assiniboine Park is located in BC, the hike is accessed through Banff National Park in Alberta.

Take the gondola up to Sunshine Village and hike through the alpine meadows to Porcupine Camp on night one, then continue to Assiniboine for several days in the park. Explore Magog Lake, Cerulean lake, and Sunburst Lake, as well as the iconic hike up to the Nub for sunset. On your way out, hike through beautiful Wonder Pass and camp at Wonder Lake before ending your hike at Mount Shark. You will need to coordinate 2 vehicles and book backcountry reservations for Assiniboine 4 months in advance at camping.bcparks.ca, as well as backcountry reservations for Wonder Lake at reservation.pc.gc.ca, which release sometime in March for the entire season.

Rockwall Trail

The Rockwall on a sunny day with the mountains in the background and the forest in the foreground with blue sky in Kootenay National Park in British Columbia, Canada.

The Rockwall Trail is another extremely popular trail located in Kootenay National Park. It’s a 55km trail from Paint Pots to the trailhead for Floe Lake that is incredibly scenic. There are a number of campsites along the trail and it can be done in 3-4 nights. Floe Lake is the most popular campsite on the trail, but I also highly recommend staying at the Helmet Falls campsite. Along the way, you can stay at Tumbling Creek, Numa Creek, or both, they’re pretty similar sites.

The trail is very well maintained and has lots of facilities. Campsites release for the entire season in March at reservation.pc.gc.ca, so make sure you watch for the release date, because the sites will sell out immediately. If you’re lucky enough to score permits, enjoy this beautiful trail through the Rocky Mountains and past the iconic Rockwall.

Tofino Surfing Trip

July 17, 2024July 16, 2024 / Maria / 3 Comments

I’ve had the opportunity to do some pretty cool things with my girl guides over the years, and this was definitely one of the more unique experiences!

Last year we did a water series that involved kayaking, whitewater rafting, and canoeing. The only activity on our brainstorm that we didn’t do was surfing, mostly because it was too expensive to make a trip to the island on top of all the other activities. This year, we decided to prioritize the surfing trip and dedicated 4 days over the May Long weekend to travel to Tofino.

I’d never heard of Tofino before moving to BC, but I remember after moving here that Tofino seemed to hold this mythical status for people who grew up in BC. It’s a small town located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It’s most well known for its premier surfing beaches; but it’s also home to Pacific Rim National Park and fun activities such as hiking, whale watching, kayaking, and hot springs.

I’ve been to Tofino several times, but I’ve never surfed, so this was a new experience for me. To be honest, I’ve always found surfing to be a bit intimidating. I don’t like getting salt water in my eyes and mouth (inevitable when surfing), so I always avoided it. I was happy to do it for the unit, but it’s not something I would have opted to do on my own. Which is one of the reasons why I’m so lucky to get to spend time with 15 adventurous teenagers every year, because I had a fantastic time surfing!

We left New Westminster bright and early on Saturday morning of the May Long weekend to catch our ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. It’s a 3-hour drive from Nanaimo to Tofino, so we made our first stop at Little Qualicum Falls to eat a packed lunch. It was raining on and off all morning, but Qualicum Falls has a nice picnic shelter and the rain held off long enough for us to do some exploring around the park to see the waterfalls.

After that, we drove across the rest of the island to reach the coast. The weather was incredibly variable and there were several downpours along the way, but as soon as we reached the coast, all the clouds disappeared and it was a gorgeous, blue sky, sunny day. We were extremely lucky to be able to book the group campsite at Green Point campground in Pacific Rim, which was just large enough for our group of 18.

After getting set up, we took a walk down to Long Beach before dinner, which is aptly named for its 16 kilometres of uninterrupted coastline. I’ve visited Long Beach several times, but I’d never been to this part of the beach. It’s a golden sand beach, with big waves, and on this occasion, a lot of wind. So it was definitely on the cold side, but we all loved running across the beach and exploring the area.

On Sunday, we had our first surf lesson. We did 2 lessons with Surf Sister School and I would highly recommend. As a female led organization, we loved having female surf guides to show us the ropes. On our first day, we met at Cox Bay Beach. We spent the first part of the day on land, learning how to safely get on our boards and pick our waves. Once everyone was comfortable with the instruction, we got in the water.

Surfing isn’t easy, but it was more fun than I anticipated. There was a steady stream of beginner waves rolling into the shore and we all practiced getting on our board. Standing up was almost impossible for me, but it was fun riding the waves on my belly and knees. Of course, once you get going, you become pretty determined to stand! I didn’t have any luck standing on Day 1, but several of the trex members were able to surf and it was fun to watch.

We returned to the campground for lunch and then planned for an afternoon exploring in the National Park. We visited the Kwisitis Visitor Centre on Wickaninnish Beach, which I’d highly recommend. They have tons of great info about the region and natural environment. From there, we did a short hike to South Beach, which is a small cobble beach. We had some excitement on the way when we spotted a bear! It was a great sighting because he was far enough away that us and the bear felt comfortable, and we were able to just watch it for a while.

South Beach turned out to be one of the group’s favourite parts of the entire trip. We didn’t do much there besides relax in the sun and do some beachcombing, but everyone really enjoyed taking it easy after a vigorous morning of surfing! We had dinner back at the campsite and then drove to Chesterman Beach for a sunset campfire. Tofino has really cracked down on beach campfires in the past few years, so you’re not allowed to have open beach fires anymore. Fires are only allowed at Mackenzie Beach and Chesterman Beach and must be in a contained fire pit. We brought a fire pit with us so that we followed all the rules.

On Monday, we had our second surf lesson, this time at Chesterman Beach. Our second lesson was mostly in the water and focused more on improving our skills. The general consensus from Trex was that they didn’t like Chesterman Beach quite as much as Cox Bay. The waves were bigger and less consistent, so I think it’s more popular for better surfers. But personally, I had a more successful day! I wouldn’t say that I actually managed to surf, but I did manage to stand twice, so it was nice to feel like I made a bit of progress! Considering that I didn’t want to surf, I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I would definitely surf again, and recommend it to those visiting the area. If you have time for 2 lessons, I think it’s more satisfying because you get to surf more on the second day.

One of the girls was celebrating her 13th birthday on the trip, so we had the most delicious birthday pie for lunch and then went into town for the afternoon. The girl guides had the opportunity to explore Tofino town on their own and I spent most of my time at the bookstore, Mermaid Tales, which is one of my favourites!

We finished the trip with a visit to Tacofino for dinner. We showed up only 15 minutes before closing (oops!!), but the staff were so wonderful in taking our 18 person order. We had some pretty good camp food on the trip, but the tacos were probably my favourite! We had a campfire to end the evening and everyone reflected on their favourite parts of the camp.

We still had a big final day ahead. It started to rain overnight and we had to pack up everything wet, which is never fun. But we’re really thankful that it didn’t rain during the rest of the trip, so it was a small price to pay! We had a pee break at the Taylor River rest stop on the way back, which has the most gorgeous green river running through. I’ll have to return in the future for a swim!

Our final stop on the trip was to the Old Country Market (better known as Goats on the Roof) in Coombs. The goats briefly came out on the roof for a photo op and we did some exploring around the market for lunch. We picked up some doughnuts from Billy G’s Doughnut Shop to enjoy on the ferry ride home.

I had such a fantastic time on this trip and I hope the girl guides did too! We received funding from West Coast Area’s Muriel Murray Fund and from Disney’s VoluntEars Program (through a parent employee) to do this trip. We’re so lucky to have access to funds to subsidize trips like these for teenagers. Several of the trex members are aging out this year after completing the entire Girl Guide Program from Sparks to Rangers. It is really transformative for girls to be able to go on trips like this, interact with female role models, and build up their skills. So thanks to everyone who’s ever bought girl guide cookies from me or a girl guide!