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MOI TOP 10 FAVORITES… so far.

Horseshoe Island - Bro Waving Bye Bye

Someone asked me the other day what were my favorite adventures on our current EH Tourism websites? I thought what a great question that I have never been asked before. Below is a TOP 10 List of my most memorable adventures in western and northern Canada.

As many of you know we are expanding the EH Tourism brand across Canada (www.CanadaEH.net). It is a long and very slow process researching this massive country first hand collecting data. Lots of bruises and lots of bumps but most importantly lots of smiles and laughs.

Since 1995… Bro had been workig his internet tourism business. He started with nothing and one website in a small community named Sidney, BC. In 2002, I went from a “suit and tie” guy to a “hiking boots and shorts” guy to follow his dream of travel and adventure. Hard work has paid off ten fold as we currently manage a leading British Columbia tourism website (www.BCeh.com) which includes 10 regional and community websites.

We worked out the bugs, we tweaked and poked the project till we got it right. Success soon followed. BCeh.com became a top resource online for tourism in British Columbia, Canada. Expansion soon followed. Today we are also proud parents of a Northwest Territory tourism website (www.NWTeh.com) and a Yukon Territory tourism website (www.YukonEH.com).

So….the original question was, “What are your favorite adventures in British Columbia, Yukon and NWT?”

I have complied a TOP 10 List of my favorite adventures in these three regions of Canada. Each one includes a link to the page with pictures and descriptive text. Also do not forget to check out the photo galleries as there are more pictures telling the stories.

Everyone likes different things when traveling, so this list is based on my personal likes which are wilderness, remote, scenery and wildlife… and if getting dirty is involved all the better. Enjoy!

  1. Cape Scott Trail (Port Hardy, BC) : Four sandy beaches. Amazing sunsets and crashing waves. Often have beaches to yourself. Explore an old homestead. Visit a lighthouse. Walk an old pioneeer wagon road. And – here is the trick –  one must backpack 16 kilometres to reach the first beach. Wahoooo! Visited the beaches, lighthouse on this trail 3 times and counting.
  2. Keeha Bay (Bamfield. BC): Short 2-3 kilometre one way hike / backpack through rainforest leading to an amazing white sand remote beach. Short but tough hike through mud, clinging to tree branches and high stepping tree roots most of the way.   And your last obstacle before reaching the beach is a big mud hill covered in deadfall trees blown down from storms. We call it “The Wall”.  The beach is worth getting dirty for. We use to hold a friends reunion every year for over 10 years at the beach. Good Times!
  3. Waterfall Highway (NWT): A stretch of highway leading to a series of powerful, thundering waterfalls and lookouts. Some of the most powerful waterfalls in the country that are easily accessible. All are different in their own way. Bring a camera.
  4. Savary Island (Lund, BC): A gem of an island which is often lost in the “glare of lights” of the popular Gulf Islands on the west coast of Canada.  However.. if you like beaches and water sports this island is the ticket. Savary Island is one big massive sandy beach stretching for miles leading to rock bluffs, caves and mermaids. Only access is a passenger ferry. Barely any cars on the island. Bikes is the transportation of choice.
  5. Dempster Highway (Yukon Territory): A 738 kilometre gravel highway traveling to the Arctic Circle from Dawson City, Yukon to Inuvik, NWT. It is one of the best (and rough and tough) self guided driving tours in Canada exploring up to 10 different and vital eco systems. There are sightseeing opportunities for wildlife, birds, mountains and wetlands. We saw caribou, moose, black bears and grizzlies on our trips.
  6. Liard River Hot Springs (North BC). An outdoor, non commercialized hot spring tucked away in the Liard River Valley in Northern British Columbia near the Yukon Border. Hot springs are situated in a rainforest of trees left in a natural state. A boardwalk path leads to the hot springs. An opportunity to enjoy hot springs like the pioneers once did… no gift stores, lawn chairs, concession stands or a massive resort.
  7. West Coast Trail (Bamfield, BC): An adventure for the hearty of wills. A 78+ kilometre backpacking adventure visiting beaches, rocky shorelines, river valleys and waterfalls. Scenery is unbelievable. The route is muddy, hilly and very challenging. Be prepared for the elements as the weather can get rough and so does the trail. Not for the light hearted. Well worth the pain and mud. I have completed the trail 5 times and loved it more every time.
  8. Masset (Queen Charlotte Islands). On the northern tip of Queen Charlotte Islands there is a road which leads from Masset into the trees and accesses some amazing trails and remote beaches. Visit North Beach, the Blow Hole and Agate Beach to list a few favorites. The scenery is so worthy and often you can enjoy it all by yourself.
  9. Cranbrook Island (Cranbrook, BC): During a stint in the Kootenays in British Columbia my jeep broke down. It just happens that at the time I was camping about 25 kilometres out of town not even close to civilization.  Bro went on his way. He did not have to wait around as work needed to be done.  So for 2 weeks I waited at Horseshoe Lake by my lonesome while my jeep was getting repaired. Horseshoe Lake is a remote area with amazing mountain  scenery. But with no vehicle,  little shade and temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celcius – I felt like I was stranded on an island. I even had to walk into town on a quiet road three times for supplies. Because of my isolation Horseshoe Lake became known to me as Cranbrook Island.  It left a lasting impression and provided some good material for campfire stories – it was another adventure to chalk up to life experiences.
  10. Life – it is the greatest adventure of all!

I hope my love for these destinations may some day be a small part in your decision to explore Canada.

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