Which country earned the top spot?
Victoria, named for the 19th-century British monarch, is the capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It's located on the craggy southern tip of Vancouver Island and is one of the oldest cities in the Pacific Northwest, having been founded in 1862. Victoria is known as the "garden city" for its attractive layout and ample green space. A popular tourist destination in its own right, the city serves as an ideal introduction to British Columbia's myriad collection of natural and man-made wonders.
Being out and about in British Columbia invariably brings you to Whistler. This is the epicenter of Canada's winter sports program, featuring as it does a world-class ski resort. But Whistler is just as compelling as a summer destination, with hiking trails, mountain bike tracks, and golf all appealing to the outdoor enthusiast.
A must-do at Whistler is a flight aboard the Peak 2 Peak gondola, which joins Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. It only takes 10 minutes or so to traverse the 4.4 km (2.73 mi), but it's an excursion that affords some truly jaw-dropping views.
Once you've familiarized yourself with the city, head off and explore the rest of Vancouver Island. The destination is all about spectacular coastal scenery, snow-capped peaks, and crystalline lakes. It even boasts a rain forest!
Several parks can be explored on the island, among them Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Here you can follow the legendary West Coast Trail, one of the most exciting hikes in Canada.
Okanagan Valley is wine country. Fields of neatly combed vineyards characterize this pocket of British Columbia, embroidering a landscape that enjoys hot summers and mild winters. Lake Okanagan provides a good excuse to indulge in watersports and, in particular, houseboating.
The best way to get to know the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is to base yourself in the small coastal town of Tofino. If you're into surfing, you're in for a treat—endless stretches of beach attract surfers year-round. Otherwise the park wows with its wildlife, with the reserve home to black bears, the Vancouver Island cougar, Roosevelt elk, and the American pine marten, among other species. Birdlife is numerous. Coastal kelp forests, meanwhile, attract Steller sea lions (pictured), seals, and thousands of fish.
British Columbia's biggest city is Vancouver. One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Vancouver deserves to be explored at leisure, blessed as it is with world-class tourist attractions and amenities.
The city's Stanley Park is, in fact, a peninsula adjacent to downtown Vancouver. It's perfect for a stroll at any time of the year, whether on foot or by bicycle, but is especially alluring in spring and summer. The totem poles at Brockton Point are a well-known cultural reference point. Elsewhere, the park's Vancouver Aquarium lures with its 300 species of fish, almost 30,000 invertebrates, and 56 species of amphibians and reptiles. Also finding a home here are around 60 mammals and birds.
If you're planning on spending a few days in Victoria and are feeling flush, why not book a stay at the Empress? This historic Châteauesque-styled property opened in 1908 as one of Canada's grand railway hotels. Previous guests include Hollywood child actress Shirley Temple and Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
The word yoho is a Cree First Nations' expression of amazement or awe, and it's an apt description for this park's outstanding natural landscape of massive ice fields and towering peaks.
Yoho National Park's other great natural wonder is Takakkaw Falls. The falls have a total height of 373 m (1,224 ft), making them the second tallest waterfall in Canada, after Della Falls on Vancouver Island.
Vancouver Island lies in the temperate rain forest biome. Its interior bristles with old-growth forest, giant trees that truly make you feel small and insignificant. Some of the most impressive examples can be admired at Cathedral Grove.
Upholding Victoria's sobriquet as the "garden city" is Butchart Gardens. Located north of the city at Brentwood Bay, the gardens offer fabulous displays of flora, a veritable quilt of color and texture that changes with the seasons.
The remote Haida Gwaii Archipelago is a chain of islands scattered off Canada's northern Pacific coast. Absolutely worth the effort to reach, Haida Gwaii is best described as one of the country's undiscovered treasures for its wealth of culture and unspoiled beauty. The islands are named after the Haida people, who have called this part of the world home for more than 8,000 years.
As its name suggests, Glacier National Park is all about glaciers— about 400 of them, actually. Besides these impressive ice sheets, the park is also known for the imposing Mount Macdonald, through which a 14-km (8.5 mi), single-track tunnel carries the Canadian Pacific main line.
Equally scenic and another favorite destination with hikers and climbers is Mount Revelstoke National Park. Its boundaries protect a small herd of the threatened caribou, as well as providing habitats for cougars, grizzly bears, lynxes, black bears, and other iconic North American wildlife.
One of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia set between the mainland and Vancouver Island, Salt Spring Island makes for an interesting diversion, not least for the appealing laid-back character of its inhabitants, many of whom are farmers or artisans. This is where to purchase homemade cheeses and other local produce, as well as handmade jewelry and other souvenir trinkets.
Marble Canyon is the reason to check out Kootenay National Park. This stunning narrow gorge cuts deep into marbled limestone, through which tumbles and churns ice-cold meltwater.
Tucked away in the Selkirk Mountains is Nelson, a town known as "Queen City" for its its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days of a regional silver rush. The town is reached from the north via the landmark "Big Orange Bridge."
Yoho's Emerald Lake is one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the Canadian Rockies. Glass-calm with a steely-blue, jade-green palette, Emerald Lake is best explored by kayak. For those not so sure on water, a gravel trail runs along one side of the lake for over 5 km (3 mi). Along the way, why not stop at Emerald Lake Lodge (pictured) for refreshments?
A colossal slab of weathered granite announces Mount Robson Provincial Park—Mount Robson itself, at 3,954 m (12,972 ft), is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.
Standing as a poignant reminder of the Cariboo gold rush era of the mid-19th century, Barkerville is a fully restored mining town, built from the ashes of a huge fire that destroyed most of its buildings in 1868. Among the structures preserved for posterity is the historic St. Saviour's Anglican Church (pictured). In summer, costumed interpreters dressed in period costume act out "living history" to lend an added dimension to any visit.
Hell's Gate is exactly that, a narrow gap in the Fraser River that forces raging torrents of water through a canyon only 35 m (115 ft) wide. How do you cross this seemingly impenetrable gorge? By the Hell's Gate Airtram, of course. This funicular railway makes short but memorable work out of forging this natural wonder that was once only passable by using a spider's web of ladders and winches.
Squamish is one of those towns you stumble upon by accident, and leave better for doing so. This quiet, out-of-the-way community north of Vancouver welcomes townies and tourists in equal measure, with the emphasis very much on outdoor tourism.
Indeed, the main draw in Squamish is the scenery. Make the effort to scale the 700-m (2,297 ft) Stawamus Chief rock and have your breath taken away by the view from Panorama Ridge.
Vancouver's fascinating Museum of Anthropology highlights different cultures from around the world, but focuses specifically on British Columbia First Nations. The facility holds something like 50,000 ethnographic artifacts as well as 535,000 archaeological objects.
Browsing Gastown, the oldest part of Vancouver, is to discover a national historic site brimming with restaurants, bars, and galleries, most of which are set in carefully restored Victorian buildings. The neighborhood's centerpiece is the iconic steam clock.
Itching to explore outdoors? Well, just outside Vancouver to the north is the amazing Capilano Suspension Bridge, a 140-m-long (460 ft) aerial walkway spanning the Capilano River. The lofty experience includes the Cliffwalk, a curved section of the bridge that skirts a sheer wall of rock.
Unmistakable in its futuristic waterfront sphere is Science World. This child-friendly attraction features a range of hands-on interactive exhibits variously themed around water, air, motion, and invention. A highlight of any visit is the show presented in the 400-seat theater on the five-story-high OMNIMAX screen, the world's largest domed screen.
Don't leave British Columbia without greeting some of its most admired visitors: the whales that congregate in the waters from April through October. The province is one of the best places in the world to view orcas, humpback whales, gray whales, and other marine species. Pictured is a seriously happy humpback breaching the surface off the Broughton Archipelago in the Queen Charlotte Strait region of the central coast.
Sources: (Britannica) (Railway Age)(The Canadian Encyclopedia)
See also: How whales help to combat climate change
British Columbia, the westernmost province of Canada, is what outdoor tourism is all about. Textured with a breathtaking backdrop of rugged mountains, glass-calm lakes, and verdant forests, BC is simply unbeatable for its scenic splendor. Add historic Victoria and funky Vancouver into the mix, and you've got yourself an itinerary that takes in one of the most spectacular and appealing pockets of North America. So, already packing your bags?
Click through and get out and about in British Columbia.
Out and about in British Columbia
Exploring Canada's westernmost province
TRAVEL Canada
British Columbia, the westernmost province of Canada, is what outdoor tourism is all about. Textured with a breathtaking backdrop of rugged mountains, glass-calm lakes, and verdant forests, BC is simply unbeatable for its scenic splendor. Add historic Victoria and funky Vancouver into the mix, and you've got yourself an itinerary that takes in one of the most spectacular and appealing pockets of North America. So, already packing your bags?
Click through and get out and about in British Columbia.