Banff Town
Banff quite literally wouldn’t be Banff if it weren’t for its hot springs, which gush out from 2.5km beneath Sulphur Mountain at a constant temperature of…
Must-see attractions in British Columbia & The Canadian Rockies
British Columbia
Shaped like a lightning bolt, 1406-sq-km Kootenay National Park is centered on a long, wide, tree-covered valley shadowed by cold, gray peaks. It has a…
Tofino
Visible across Clayoquot Sound and accessible via kayak or water taxi from the Tofino waterfront, Meares Island was the site of the key 1984 Clayoquot…
Jasper National Park
About halfway between Lake Louise village and Jasper Town, you'll glimpse the vast Columbia Icefield, covering an area the size of Vancouver and feeding…
Banff Town
Looming up beside the Bow River, the Banff Springs is a local landmark in more ways than one. Originally built in 1888, and remodeled in 1928 to resemble…
Southern Alberta
Backed by the sheer-sided slopes of Mt Custer, placid Cameron Lake is tucked tantalizingly beneath the Continental Divide at the three-way meeting point…
Haida Gwaii
Much of the island's northeastern side is devoted to the beautiful 726-sq-km Naikoon Provincial Park, which combines sand dunes and low sphagnum bogs,…
Fort Langley National Historic Site
North Shore
A fortified trading post since 1827, this is where James Douglas announced the creation of British Columbia in 1858, giving the site a legitimate claim to…
Vancouver
Facing English Bay, Kits Beach is one of Vancouver's favorite summertime hangouts. The wide, sandy expanse attracts buff Frisbee tossers and giggling…
Lower Mainland
Sandwiched between railway tracks and the mighty Fraser River, this linear boardwalk park is an excellent New West addition. Join the locals for a breezy…
British Columbia
BC's fourth-largest park is bounded by the Clearwater River and its tributaries, which define the park's boundaries. Highlights for visitors include five…
Squamish & Around
Once the British Empire's largest copper mine, this giant and superbly restored industrial museum is just 10 minutes before Squamish on Hwy 99. The…
Haida Gwaii
The works of 20 Haida artists are featured at the jewelry workshop of April and Sarah Dutheil, second-generation artisans and sisters who were taught by…
Jasper National Park
Rising like a snowy sentinel over Jasper Town, Mt Edith Cavell (3363m) is one of the park’s most distinctive and physically arresting peaks. What it lacks…
North Shore
This popular farmyard attraction includes plenty of hands-on displays, plus a collection of more than 200 birds and domestic farm animals. Your wide-eyed…
Whistler
Built to link the area's two main mountaintops, the world's second-longest free-span gondola eases passengers along a lofty and ethereally peaceful 4.4km…
Vancouver Island
Don't be put off by the unassuming concrete exterior: this is one of Vancouver Island's best community museums. Studded with fascinating First Nations…
Alberta
Over a hundred mint-condition vehicles are on display in this huge museum, beginning with a 1910s horse-drawn carriage and taking you through to 1950s…
Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre
Whistler
This handsome, wood-beamed facility showcases two quite different First Nations groups – the Lil'wat and the Squamish – who have inhabited this region for…
Maplewood Flats Conservation Area
North Shore
Managed by the Wild Bird Trust of BC, this delightful nature escape is surprisingly accessible from Vancouver yet it feels like a million miles from the…
Vancouver Island
This excellent catch-and-release facility on the waterfront focuses on illuminating the marine critters found in the region's local waters, which can mean…
British Columbia
Once upon a time you had to fly to France for the kind of idyllic wine-supping experience offered at Sea Star. Water glistens like tin-foil through the…
Vancouver Island
This spiritual home of tree-huggers is the mystical highlight of MacMillan Provincial Park. Located between Parksville and Port Alberni, it's often…
Vancouver Island
Tiny (8-sq-km) Raft Cove lies south of much larger Cape Scott Provincial Park in Vancouver Island's northwest corner. A short 2km trail brings you to the…
Jasper National Park
Despite being only 23m high, Athabasca Falls is Jasper’s most dramatic and voluminous waterfall, a deafening combination of sound, spray and water. The…
Whistler
Located in an old industrial area, stepping inside here is a breath of fresh air – especially if you're an artisan booze fan. One of the elders of the BC…
Stawamus Chief Provincial Park
Squamish & Around
On the way into Squamish from Vancouver, you'll see a sheer, 652m-high granite rock face looming ahead. Attracting hardy climbers the world over, it's…
Vancouver Island
Check out the region's 'locavore' credentials at this delightful and highly welcoming working farmstead. Let your kids run wild – most will quickly fall…
Lake Louise
For a bird’s-eye view of the Lake Louise area – and a good chance of spotting grizzly bears on the avalanche slopes – climb aboard the Lake Louise Gondola…
Kelowna
In the hills along the lake’s eastern shore, you’ll soon come to one of the Okanagan’s most colorful wineries. Summerhill Pyramid Winery combines a…
British Columbia
This 708-sq-km provincial park, 30km southeast of Hope, is a hint of bigger – much bigger – things to come as you head east away from the farmlands of the…
Salt Spring Island
A family-friendly farmstead with a strollable garden, wandering chickens and a winery-like tasting room and shop, this quintessential Salt Spring spot…
Southern Alberta
Visible from all over town, this is the deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies, sinking to a murky 120m. One of the best vantage points is from the Prince…
Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation
Southern Alberta
This is a working rescue sanctuary that takes in raptors, owls and other birds of prey and – ideally – releases them promptly back into the wild. However,…
BC Tree Fruits Cidery & Tasting Bar
Kelowna
The cidery division of BC Tree Fruits, a 400-family BC cooperative, is booming. Head to the Cidery & Tasting Bar, next to its fruit and vegetable market…
Whistler
Tucked into an anonymous green shed behind the library building, this great little museum traces Whistler's development from 1970s hippy hangout to 21st…
Southern Alberta
At the west end of Cameron Falls Dr (a short hop from the center of town) is this dramatically poised torrent of foaming water, notable among geologists…
Drumheller
Home to the last wooden tipple (a coal-loading structure) in Canada, Atlas Coal Mine closed its production in 1959. Today it's an engaging historic sight…
Lake Louise
Evoking oohs, ahs and countless shutter clicks from every traveler who passes near, this pullover and viewpoint on the Bow Valley Pkwy/Hwy 1A sits at a…
Vancouver Island
This unique, beautifully rustic barn-like museum is bristling with hands-on artifacts and artfully displayed skeletons of cougars and sea otters, but the…
