British Columbia

This magnificent 404-hectare park combines excellent attractions with a mystical natural aura. Don’t miss a stroll or a cycle (rentals near the W Georgia St entrance) around the 8.8km seawall: a kind of visual spa treatment fringed by a 150,000-tree temperate rainforest, it’ll take you past the park’s popular totem poles and alongside its shimmering oceanfront.

Christened ‘Tuff City’ by its early inhabitants due to its isolation and heavy reliance on logging, 21st-century Tofino remains a diminutive end-of-the-road town bordered by rugged wilderness on one side and the raging Pacific on the other. Although less than 2000 Tofitians live here permanently, the population swells tenfold in the summer when visitors from far and wide arrive for whale-watching, kayaking, fishing and – best of all – surfing.

Tofino is the undisputed surfing capital of Canada and the annual inundation of wave-riding surf bums gives the place a laid-back, modern-hippie flavor. Eschewing international chains and restaurant franchises, the town supports a burgeoning farm-to-table food movement and counts on a strong history of environmental activism.

It's hard to know which harvest is growing faster in this fertile and beautiful valley midway between Vancouver and Alberta: tourists or fruit. The 180km-long Okanagan Valley is home to orchards of peaches and apricots, and scores of excellent wineries whose vines spread across the terraced hills, soaking up some of Canada's sunniest weather. The valley has provided a summer escape for generations of Canadians, who frolic in the string of lakes linking the Okanagan's towns.

Osoyoos, near the US border, is almost arid, but things become greener heading north. Central Kelowna is a fast-growing city that's a heady mix of lakeside beauty and fun.

In July and August the entire valley is as overburdened as a grapevine before harvest; the best times to visit are late spring and early fall, when the crowds lessen. Snowy winters also make nearby Big White resort an attraction for skiers and snowboarders.

Named for the furry marmots that populate the area and whistle like deflating balloons, this gabled alpine village and 2010 Olympics venue is one of the world's largest, best-equipped and most popular ski resorts. Colonizing two mountains – Whistler and Blackcomb – and lying a mere 90 minutes north of Vancouver, the Village, which dates from the late 1970s, is a poster child for attractive design with nary an ugly building or piece of litter to pierce the natural beauty. Skiing may be Whistler’s raison d’être, but these days summer visitors with their BMXs and SUPs outnumber their ski-season equivalents. Adding more diversity, the resort has recently developed an art scene worthy of a small European city. The caveat? Whistler is busy (2.3 million visitors a year) and expensive. For a quieter, more economical experience, be selective with your dates and don’t follow the herd.

This huge Unesco World Heritage site encompasses Moresby and 137 smaller islands at its southern end. It combines a time-capsule look at abandoned Haida villages with hot springs, amazing natural beauty and some of the continents best kayaking. A visit demands advance planning as the number of visitors entering the park each day is limited. The easiest way is to take a guided trip with a licensed operator; access to the park is by boat or floatplane only.

The busiest and most developed of the Southern Gulf Islands, Salt Spring has a reputation for palatial vacation homes, but it's also lined with artist studios and artisan food-and-drink producers who welcome visitors. Well worth a long weekend visit, the heart of the community is Ganges, home of Salt Spring's awesome summer market.

One of the region's best days out is just a 45-minute ferry ride from Port McNeill. Located on Cormorant Island and radiating from the ferry dock along easily strolled waterfront boardwalks, Alert Bay's brightly painted shacks and houses-on-piles are highly photogenic – even the ones that are crumbling into the briny. Home to the Namgis First Nation, there are lots of ways to experience indigenous culture here, plus some cozy spots to eat or sleep. Expect eagles and ravens to be whirling overhead.

On a warm summer’s evening, with a 7.5km ascent under your belt and a pint of craft beer on the table in front of you, there are few better places in Canada than the top station of Squamish’s spectacular gondola. The glorious glass-and-wood Summit Lodge is a triumph of environmentally congruous Northwest architecture while the views – Howe Sound on one side and the 100m-long Sky Pilot suspension bridge on the other – are unforgettable.