Best Places to See in BC - China Beach

China Beach on Vancouver Island, British Columbia
is a spectacular place to let the essence of West Coast
seep into your soul.
Part of the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park,
China Beach is on the west coast of southern
Vancouver Island.
I'd explored a lot of Vancouver Island in the past
but for some reason never made it to this area.
Fabulous ocean vistas with magnificent storm clouds roll past you as you
wander along the beach watching the thundering ocean waves
and inhale the scenery right out of a
fairy tale.
China Beach is a "must put on your list"
place to see.

Spend time here.
Let Mother Nature
infuse the sense of infinite time
and natural wisdom through you.
You will be forever changed.

Best Places to See in BC, 20 Mile Bay, Harrison Lake

Harrison Lake is one of the best lakes to see in British Columbia.
She is
37 miles long and 5.6 miles wide.
Every square inch of this enchanting lake
has her own special beauty to offer.
On my journey to discover and explore
Port Douglas, I stopped for some nature bonding time
at 20 Mile Bay. The views up the Harrison Lake
are enchanting and constantly changing. Loons greeted my
quiet contemplation of lake life, and a family
of Canada Geese were teaching their young ones
the art of bungee jumping off logs along the water, without
the aid of a bungee. No babies were hurt in the process, but
I can only image the heart stopping first leap of faith from dry
land into the big wide world of water.
It was very hard to tear myself away from this peaceful and
soul renewing bay.
But other adventures awaited me.

Best Places to See in BC, Fort to Fort Trail, Fort Langley, BC

Besides being stunningly beautiful,
the Fort to Fort Trail in Fort Langley,
British Columbia is chock full of history.
The trail links the Fort Langley National
Historic Site to the original site of the
Hudson's Bay Company fort in Derby Reach
Regional Park.
Every curve and twist of the trail has something
to offer the walker, jogger or cyclist.
Views of Mount Baker and Golden Ears Mountains
offer a backdrop to Brae Island, the Bedford Channel
and the Fraser River.

Mother Nature is alive and well here, song birds
seem to be offering up their joy over the springtime sunshine.
I was lucky enough to glimpse a Kingfisher on his swooping patrol
of the river. Herons were standing knee deep in
vigilant watch for lunchtime fish snacks.
The sights and sounds of spring are intoxicating
and much welcomed along this beautiful part of
British Columbia.

Best Places to Visit in BC, Kootenay Lake

Kootenay Lake is 90 miles long
and bounded by the Selkirk Mountain range
on the west and the Purcell range to the east.
It is part of the Kootenay river system
that drains in to the Columbia River.
The whole area around Kootenay Lake
is incredibly beautiful and has a wild,
waiting-to-be-explored feeling to it.
Small towns dot her shores, many with
well kept historic buildings, paddle wheelers,
and heaps of history.
Kootenay Lake is also
home to the famous Kokanee salmon,
not to be confused with the famous Kokanee
brew.
Taking the time to explore and savor the
whole area could take a life time.
I am working on it.

The Galena Trail, BC

The Kootenays should be on
everyone's list of Top
Places to Visit in British Columbia.
Besides being packed with history,
the Kootenays is home to some pretty
spectacular scenery.
The Galena Trail is part of the
old railway bed of the CP railway.
This part of the railway was built in 1895 to access
the local silver mines in the Slocan Valley.
The 13 km long Galena Trail runs from
Rosebery to Three Forks, and is great
for hiking, mountain biking, and
cross country skiing or snowshoeing
in the winter months.

Best Places to Visit in BC, Slocan Lake

The Slocan region of British Columbia's
Kootenay district is steeped in history.
Known as the "Silvery Slocan" this
region was part of the silver rush during the
1890's to 1900's.
The Slocan River drains Slocan Lake,
which flows through the Slocan Valley
and in turn meets the Kootenay River a few miles
above the confluence of the Columbia River.
I know, it's confusing. The map here might help
out.
Once you visit this area it all starts to make
perfect sense.
During the 1940's, Canadian
people of Japanese descent were
interred in the north end of the
Slocan Valley. Amongst them
was David Suzuki.

Valhalla Provincial Park lies to the west of
Slocan Lake. The Valhalla Range offers incredible
mountain vistas and scenery.
With the abundance of wild life,
drop dead scenery, and even
ghost towns,
the Slocan Valley could take a lot
of further exploring on my part.

Monashee Mountains, BC

The Monashee Mountains are part
of the Central Columbia
Mountain Range in British Columbia.
Like most people, I have trouble
trying to understand the boundaries
of the various mountain ranges, districts, and areas.
Where do the Kootenays start exactly?
Are the Monashees part of the Kootenays?
Leaving the confusing details behind,
the Monashee's are beautiful.
In the wintertime, they are a treat for Mother Nature
seekers.
I've never seen a mountain I didn't like. The Monashee's
are no exception and offer the adventurer
trails, parks, peaks, rivers and creeks
galore to explore and experience.

Located between Vernon and Revelstoke,
Monashee Summit is accessible by car along
Highway 6.
Taking a tour through the Kootenays
should definitely include a look at the Monashees.

Sproat Lake, BC

A trip to Vancouver Island and a
drive along the Pacific Rim Highway
is not complete without a stop at
Sproat Lake.

A quick 10 minute walk along Sproat Lake's eastern shore
brings you to some prehistoric petroglyph's.
Petroglyph's have always fascinated me, the various
shapes and figures carved by ancient artists long ago
explain their world
and creatures that inhabited it. Some
resemble the stuff of scary nightmares.

Sproat Lake is also home
to the Martin Mars Water Bombers.
These flying tankers are really
an incredible sight to see. I had no idea
they were as big as they are.
The world's largest scooping water bombers,
they are used to fight fires, including some of
British Columbia's forest fires.
The Martin Mars base was closed for tours
when I was there, but will
definitely be on my "to do" list for the next trip.

Adam's River Gorge, BC

A "must do" on your favorite places to
visit in
British Columbia weekend trips
should be the Adam's River Gorge.
The Adam's River
runs through
Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park, and connects
Adam's Lake with Shuswap Lake.
There are several well maintained trails here to help while away
the hours and absorb Mother Nature at her finest.

The Gorge is famous in BC amongst white water
aficionados, and the sight of tons of water
crashing through some pretty narrow
rock walls is nearly heart stopping.
If you want to look at the gorge and not chance the
roller coaster water ride, it's
an easy 30 minute hike along the Upper Trails route.
Parking is available in the raft pull out area just
past the Squilax Anglemont Road Bridge.

British Columbia is certainly heaven on earth.

Enderby Cliffs, BC

I have never been lost so much
as "geographically challenged" at times.
Finding Enderby Cliffs was one of those times.
Enderby Cliffs Provincial Park
is a hikers dream come true.
The cliffs are actually volcanic rock,
the park has old growth Douglas Fir trees,
the area leading to the park is low grasslands
that is a photographers dream true.
The park is located
located 19km (11.8miles) northeast of Armstrong, BC.
Three trails can be hiked here, rated from easy to difficult, the
Reeves Lake trail being the easiest and the Enderby Cliffs
trail is difficult.
I wasn't able to hike these trails on this outing,
but Enderby Cliffs Provincial Park
is definitely on my "go back and explore further" list.

Craigellachie, British Columbia

One of the most inspiring sites in British Columbia
worth visiting is Craigellachie.
Pronounced "cray gal' a key", this site is
named after a village in Scotland, the home of
Sir George Stephen, the first president
of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Situated on the Trans Canada Highway
between Revelstoke and Salmon Arm,
Craigellachie is the site of the Last Spike.
For those history buffs, the Last Spike was
driven into the railway bed on
November 7th, 1885 by Donald Smith, who
himself was a Scottish born Canadian
fur trader railroad baron. The Last Spike
completed the Canadian Pacific Railway route
from eastern Canada to the Pacific.

I was surprised at Craigellachie. I was expecting
huge billboards, large advertisements to Canadian
ingenuity and fortitude.
What I found was very understated, very reserved
and so perfectly Canadian.
I found an incredibly beautiful setting amongst
newly snow covered mountains.
A stone monument featuring various
rocks from every Canadian province, and
some wonderful Canadian volunteers that
were keeping Craigellachie clean and beautiful.
I found Canadian spirit alive, well, and very friendly
set in an awe inspiring natural setting.

As I turned to leave Craigellachie, fittingly,
a train rumbled past me, on her way to
parts unknown, on an adventure like myself, to
discover parts of a province and country
I have come to love and call home.

Adam's River Salmon Run, British Columbia

One of the top spots in British Columbia
for viewing the Sockeye salmon run
is the Adam's River.
The sight of millions of the beautiful
red and green Sockeye salmon
fighting mightily to gain the upriver
advantage over each other is
almost overwhelming.
This year the salmon run was broke all kinds of records.
Though I missed seeing the main run,
the sheer numbers of Sockeye spawning
during the month of November left me in no doubt
about the records being broken this year.
Sadly, the salmon die here after they
have braved the ocean and river hazards
to return to their home waters to lay their eggs.

I was able to get up close and personal
with one Sockeye in particular, I honestly believe
we made eye contact.
I admit to feeling awe and sadness all at
the same time for these beautiful
fish that have braved so many dangers in
a world that is seldom understanding
nor forgiving.

Map of the Adam's River
area can be found on this link.