Page 38 - 2026-2027 Travel Guide to Canada

BC
36
VIA FERRATA EXPERIENCE AT SEA TO SKY GONDOLA •
DESTINATION BC/@VIRANLLY
Chinatowns of Victoria and Vancouver, as
well as in the City of Richmond, with its
modern Asian shopping malls (www.visit
richmondbc.com). And all three traditions
come together at the Gulf of Georgia
Cannery National Historic Site (www.parks
canada.gc.ca/gulfofgeorgiacannery).
MUST SEE, MUST DO
Climb the Via Ferrata—an “iron road” of
cables, ladders and handholds up Whistler
Mountain (www.whistler.com). Then swing
over to Whistler’s Audain Art Museum to
take in a remarkable collection of works by B.C.
artists (www.audainartmuseum.com).
In Vancouver, take the foot passenger ferry
across False Creek to Granville Island and its
galleries, shops, restaurants, theatres and popu-
lar Public Market (www.granvilleisland.com).
At the Great Bear Rainforest on British
Columbia’s northern coast, First Nations
guides will take you on a search for the
elusive white kermode spirit bear
(www.spiritbear.com).
Go faster, higher, stronger at the Richmond
Olympic Experience, North America’s first
official member of the Olympic Museums
Network (www.olympicexperience.ca).
Set off on the most unforgettable whale-
watching adventure with Ahous Adventures,
an Indigenous-owned tour by the Ahousaht
Nation, where you’ll witness the majestic
giants of the Pacific in one of the world’s
most spectacular marine sanctuaries.
(www.ahousadventures.com/tours/
whale-watching)
Taking tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel is
a longstanding Victoria tradition. Even
better? Cocktails. Stop by for the royal purple
Q 1908 cocktail at the hotel’s chic Q Bar
(www.fairmont.com/empress-victoria).
SCENIC DRIVES
Don’t know where to start the road trip tour?
CYCLING THE KETTLE VALLEY RAIL TRAIL IN NARAMATA • DESTINATION BC/KARI MEDIG
Head to the new Rainforest to Rockies
digital guide from Destination BC and find
highly-customized routes covering BC’s
diverse landscapes from the rainforest and
ocean to the desert and glaciers, and of
course, the Rockies (www.supernatu
ralbc.com/places-routes/rainforest-
rockies).
From the rushing waters of Hell’s Gate
to the First Nations heritage village of
Tuckkwiowhum, the winding Fraser Canyon
scenic drive along Highway 1 offers a thrill a
minute, with delicious stops en route.
The open road of Route 97 takes you from
the windswept grasslands of the Thompson
River Valley cowboy country through the
bountiful Okanagan Valley vineyards
(www.route97.net).
The Pacific Marine Circle Route meanders
from Cowichan Valley’s wineries to the
towering rainforests of remote southwest
Vancouver Island, with panoramic ocean
views along the way (www.supernatu
ralbc.com/road-trips/pacific-marine-
circle-route).
Take the week-long Hot Springs Circle Route
through the Kootenay Rockies and soak in
the region’s spectacular mountain views
as well as its mineral-rich hot springs
(www.supernaturalbc.com/road-trips/hot-
springs-circle-route).
For info on these and other driving trips visit:
www.supernaturalbc.com
FAMILY FUN
Little ones (and big ones, too!) will love
meeting British Columbia’s wilder residents.
Whale watching off Vancouver Island is an
epic adrenaline rush, but you can also hang
with sea lions and other marine creatures at
the Vancouver Aquarium (www.vanaqua.org).
Learn about cougars and coyotes at the BC
Wildlife Park in Kamloops (www.bcwild
life.org), go bug-eyed at the Victoria Bug Zoo
(www.victoriabugzoo.ca) and The Explor-
ation Place Museum and Science Centre in
Prince George (www.theexploration
place.com), visit the resident grizzlies at
Grouse Mountain (www.grousemoun
tain.com) or meet Boo the bear at the
Grizzly Bear Refuge/Interpretive Centre in
Golden (www.kickinghorseresort.com/
purchase/boo-grizzly-bear).