The British Columbia Effect
A Different Kind of West Coast: Mountain Adventures in BC
The research is in. Spending time in nature benefits us in profound ways, from calming our nerves to increasing our cognition and transforming our perspective. But this isn’t really news, is it? We all agree we always feel invigorated when we take a forest hike, pause on a mountain walk to scan the horizon or cycle a wooded trail. In the North, they call this mixture of exhilaration within sublime nature “The British Columbia Effect.” It’s the aura that appears after bathing in the brilliant energy of the province’s abundant nature combined with significant cultural discoveries.
In this land of alpine expanses, mountain immersions are less than one hour from Vancouver International Airport (YVR). YVR also provides access to regional airlines that will carry you deeper into the Coast Range, to the Northern Canadian Rockies and the Kootenays. The mountains of BC await however you plan to adventure.
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Now, more than ever, we’re seeking something different from our travels. Amassing selfies has given way to the desire to travel more consciously, to connect more deeply with people, places, and cultures while leaving a place better than we found it.
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BC’s largest city sits at the doorstep of wilderness.
This closeness to nature shapes the people who live here—and those who choose to visit—offering a deeper connection to the natural world. Here, a rainforest stirs as the ocean ebbs and flows, and mountains rise high behind downtown skyscrapers. This city is just the beginning of the adventure, and the experiences that lie beyond can take you even deeper into the wild.
5 Days to Transformation: Vancouver & Beyond
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Nature is more than just landscape, more than just the backdrop to a holiday. Nature is therapy. It’s been shown that time spent in nature is an antidote for stress: It calms the fight-or-flight impulses, can lower blood pressure, and can even elevate your self-esteem.
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DISCOVER THE BC EFFECT
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Finding The BC Effect: Places In British Columbia That Inspire Purpose & Connection
Just what The Doctor Ordered
Highway 99 is most famous for connecting Vancouver with Whistler. The 90-minute route is better known as the Sea-to-Sky Highway, climbing from the Pacific Ocean, beside Howe Sound then into the alpine wilderness. Be Wild Adventures takes small groups on a variety of full-day excursions along the Sea-to-Sky corridor to experience Shannon Falls and other magnificent cascades, walking tours on Whistler's Valley Trail and hikes to Elfin Lakes, Garibaldi Lake as well as guided multi-day backpacking trips into the backcountry. With a variety of local restaurants, including the amazing Fergie’s, and lodging options Squamish is a perfect launching point for adventure.
The Sea-To-Sky Corridor
Skeptical that spending time in nature can impact us in profound ways? A convincing body of research tells us that time spent in nature can help heal symptoms of health ailments from anxiety to chronic diseases like diabetes.
As part of the PaRx program, BC doctors can prescribe time in the great outdoors for individuals experiencing physical and mental health problems. Backed by Parks Canada, this “prescription to nature” aims to get patients out into forests and fresh air for at least two hours per week.
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The Sea-To-Sky Corridor: Introduction
The Coast Mountains frame Vancouver to the east and north, providing one of the most picturesque urban centers in the world. Seasoned hikers can trek from North Vancouver into Squamish via a series of mountain trails. An easier way to go deep into the alpine is via a helicopter tour. Librico Helicopters elevates guests into a variety of impossible-to-reach places throughout the Lower Mainland. Indigenous storytellers share their culture, the fascinating geologic history comes into focus soaring over ice blue glacial fields, and passengers set down in the Cheam Mountain Range and elsewhere for a glacier-side gourmet lunch paired with BC wines.
Coast Mountains
In addition to glacier-capped peaks, deep rainforest ecosystems, and prime wildlife habitat, the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region is also BC’s ranch country. Bracewell’s Alpine Wilderness Adventures guide guests on once-in-a-lifetime multi day horse packs into wildflower meadows, along the pristine Stickelan River, and into mining country. You can ride for a few or many days where you’ll experience camping beside a seldom-seen lake, mountain goats, marmots and other wildlife, as well as fossil beds over 50 million years old.
Bracewell’s Alpine Wilderness Adventures
Cariboo-Chilcotin Coast
Don’t be surprised if you look out your cabin window at Tweedsmuir Park Lodge and see a brown bear lolling about in the semi-enclosed meadow. Brown bears are a part of life for residents who live in the Bella Coola Valley, about a ten-hour drive or 70-minute Vancouver-to-Bella Coola flight. Situated in the Great Bear Rainforest, the lodge is an ideal starting point to explore Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, embark on the lodge’s helicopter for heli-hiking, heli-sightseeing, and exploration of local Indigenous culture.
Tweedsmuir Park Lodge
Cariboo-Chilcotin Coast
“Big Country” awaits around seemingly every corner in BC, especially when you travel into the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region. Tyax Adventures takes guests deep into this varied land, known for mountain peaks and vast meadows, lakes, and wild rivers. Guests explore hundreds of miles of trails on horseback, mountain bike and foot, coming to rest on one of five fully serviced backcountry cabins and camps. Flight-seeing charters also travel to these locales, always a popular way for multigenerational families and other intimate groups to go deep into the storied bush to connect with place and one another.
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast
The Cariboo-Chilcotin Coast: Introduction
The Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area covers 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres) of lush wetland that provides habitat for over 300 species of birds. Naturalists lead tours from the Kootenay Columbia Discovery Centre in Creston.
Creston Valley Wildlife
The Kootenays are comprised of the Rockies, Purcell, Selkirk, and Monashee mountain ranges, an intriguing ensemble with unique environments, towns, and Indigenous cultures. The area is accessible from Vancouver via driving or a regional airport, yet California visitors may want to check out options from Spokane International Airport. Located along the Kootenay Lake shore in Ainsworth Hot Springs, Mountain Trek embraces The BC Effect with tremendous success. The all-inclusive wellness program is grounded in a four-hour daily hike, an opportunity to improve fitness while reducing stress and detoxing from our hectic daily schedules back home. The practices guests have integrated after they leave the five-star lodge have proven transformational.
The Kootenay Rockies
The Kootenay Rockies: Introduction
Kootenay Rockies
Kootenay Rockies
One could argue the Kootenays gave birth to The BC Effect, not just on the jagged peaks and deep ancient Douglas fir forests, but in the towns themselves. Rossland is home to Canadian ski culture, and mountain bike trails start right at the edge of town. Nelson’s vibe of mountain chill is famous across Canada. Stop into the town's Kootenay Coop , or one of the many funky coffee cafes or craft breweries, and you'll most certainly leave with a tale or two. Ditto for Kimberley and Fernie, two former mining towns that have much going in the summer as when their respective ski resorts take center stage.
Town Adventures
Floatplane flights always provide a special experience when in BC. Alpine Lakes Air will fly you to remote water where you can count the annual visitors on two hands. Edziza Trails lead a variety of expedition-style tours throughout the summer that includes traverses of Mount Edziza and the Spectrum Range as well as day trips from an established base camp.
Floatplanes
Tumbler Ridge, home to a UNESCO Global Geopark, exemplifies what Northern BC is all about, a vast, remote wilderness where you'll discover countless waterfalls, alpine meadows, peaks, and caves. What sets Tumbler Ridge apart are the confounding geologic formations and stunning collection of dinosaur fossils. The Visitor Center naturalists are your point people for epic excursions tailored to your specific interests.
Tumbler Ridge
There is remote and then there is Northern BC remote, and that makes all the difference. Only the determined explore this region, known for all things outdoor adventure in a sparsely populated environment. Within such a vast area, there’s plenty of wilderness for everyone. The Northern Rockies Lodge sits on Muncho Lake within easy access to Liard River Hot Springs and Toad River; the backcountry paradise known as Muskwa-Kechika also beckons nearby. The Northern Rockies Adventure charter will fly you from Vancouver to Fort Nelson in just over two hours. Westjet, Canada's second-largest airline, also flies to Dawson Creek.
Northern British Columbia
Northern British Columbia
Northern British Columbia
The Sea-To-Sky Corridor
The Sea-To-Sky Corridor
The Sea-To-Sky Corridor
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast
Kootenay Rockies
Northern British Columbia
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Cariboo Chilcotin Coast
Kootenay Rockies
Northern British Columbia
Location: Squamish
Photo Credit: Hubert Kang
Location: Tatlayoko Lake
Photo Credit: Kari Medig
Location: Nimpo Lake
Photo Credit: Kari Medig
Location: Creston
Photo Credit: Kootenay Rockies Tourism/Chris Wheeler
Location: Mount Edziza Provincial Park
Photo Credit: Northern BC Tourism/Marty Clemens
Location: Mount Edziza Provincial Park/Region: Northern British Columbia /Credit: Northern BC Tourism/Marty Clemens
Location: Skidegate
Photo Credit: Grant Harder
Location: Vancouver
Photo Credit: Kindred & Scout
Location: Mackenzie
Photo Credit: 6ix Sigma Productions
Location: Desolation Sound
Photo Credit: Andrew Strain
Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. Video Credit: Destination British Columbia
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast. Video Credit: Destination British Columbia
Location: Muncho Lake Provincial Park
Photo Credit: Megan McLellan
Video Credit:Destination BC/YouTube
Floatplane In BC's South Chilcotin Mountains
The research is in. Spending time in nature benefits us in profound ways, from calming our nerves to increasing our cognition and transforming our perspective. But this isn’t really news, is it? We all agree we always feel invigorated when we take a forest hike, pause on a mountain walk to scan the horizon or cycle a wooded trail. In the North, they call this mixture of exhilaration within sublime nature “The British Columbia Effect.” It’s the aura that appears after bathing in the brilliant energy of the province’s abundant nature combined with significant cultural discoveries.
In this land of alpine expanses, mountain immersions are less than one hour from Vancouver International Airport (YVR). YVR also provides access to regional airlines that will carry you deeper into the Coast Range, to the Northern Canadian Rockies and the Kootenays. The mountains of BC await however you plan to adventure.
Click to explore British Columbia
BC’s largest city sits at the doorstep of wilderness.This closeness to nature shapes the people who live here—and those who choose to visit—offering a deeper connection to the natural world. Here, a rainforest stirs as the ocean ebbs and flows, and mountains rise high behind downtown skyscrapers. This city is just the beginning of the adventure, and the experiences that lie beyond can take you even deeper into the wild.
The Pemberton Farm Tour provides insight into this important agricultural region, a key producer for the well-known “100 Mile Diet” movement. Hikers often traverse the Tenquille Lake Trail that is far less crowded. Further north in Lillooet, the jet boats ascend the Fraser Canyon and diverse hiking trails cross the slopes. Lillooet’s trails are known for their ruggedness, so check out the Lillooet Naturalists' Society’s “Canyon to Alpine” guide before you go.
Pemberton Farm Tour
The Sea-To-Sky Corridor
Whistler visits receive consistent accolades for good reason, but those in the know also make time to visit Pemberton and Lillooet located just a few miles north.
The Range Beyond Range Circle Route introduces visitors to the rich cultures of various Indigenous Peoples including the Lílwat, St’at’imac, and Tšilhqot’in Nations.
Range Beyond Range Circle Route
The Sea-To-Sky Corridor
Pemberton Farm Tour
The Sea-To-Sky Corridor
Whistler visits receive consistent accolades for good reason, but those in the know also make time to visit Pemberton and Lillooet located just a few miles north. The Range Beyond Range Circle Route introduces visitors to the rich cultures of various Indigenous Peoples including the Lílwat, St’at’imac, and Tšilhqot’in Nations.
Range Beyond Range Circle Route
The Sea-To-Sky Corridor
The Pemberton Farm Tour provides insight into this important agricultural region, a key producer for the well-known “100 Mile Diet” movement. Hikers often traverse the Tenquille Lake Trail that is far less crowded. Further north in Lillooet, the jet boats ascend the Fraser Canyon and diverse hiking trails cross the slopes. Lillooet's trails are known for their ruggedness, so check out the Lillooet Naturalists' Society's “Canyon to Alpine” guide before you go.