British Columbia Magazine

Summer flowers will soon give way to pumpkins, corn mazes and apple picking as Taves Family Farms opens another season of family fun in Abbotsford. The farm’s autumn celebrations begin with the Magic of Sunflowers, running from Aug. 20 to Sept. 6, before the Magic of Fall takes over from Sept. 12 through Oct. 31.

Bear viewing in BC is one of those rare experiences where you’re able to view the wild side of nature with the safety of a guide. While encountering a bear in the wild can be a surprise, there’s a safe way to view these fascinating mammals: British Columbia is one of the foremost hubs in the world for bear viewing, and some of the best places to view bears in their natural habitat are on Vancouver Island, including Campbell River, Vancouver Island North and Tofino.

As wildfires burn across British Columbia during another hot, dry summer, some of the most fire-resistant places on the landscape may owe their survival to an unlikely ally. In valleys and stream corridors throughout the province, beavers are quietly building pockets of resilience. Their dams slow moving water, spread it across floodplains and raise local water tables.

A new moon will create ideal conditions for watching one of the year’s brightest and most reliable meteor showers. For a few nights each August, some of the best sightseeing in British Columbia happens after dark. The annual Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak overnight from Aug. 12 to 13, sending bright streaks of light across the sky. With the peak coinciding with a new moon this year, little moonlight will interfere with the show, making 2026 an especially promising year to watch.

From salmonberries glowing along a coastal trail to huckleberries ripening on an Interior mountainside, wild berries are among British Columbia’s most appealing seasonal foods. They can also offer an enjoyable way to slow down, observe the landscape and learn more about the ecosystems around us. Successful foraging, however, involves much more than finding something colourful enough to eat.

A short walk to a waterfall may not feel like a backcountry expedition. The trail is popular, the forecast looks favourable and the parking lot is only a few kilometres away. What could go wrong? In British Columbia, conditions can change quickly. Rain can make a trail difficult to follow, an injury can turn an hour-long outing into an overnight wait and an early wrong turn can place a hiker surprisingly far from the trailhead.

A bottle of water may look perfectly clear, yet pour enough of it into a deep basin and the result can appear intensely blue. Add finely ground rock, dissolved plant matter, microscopic algae or certain minerals, and a lake can become turquoise, emerald green, golden brown or nearly black. British Columbia’s varied geology, glaciers, forests and climate create an especially broad palette.

The forest may appear to offer slim pickings in the middle of winter. Berries have long since dropped, mushrooms are hidden beneath snow or frozen ground and spring greens are still months away. Yet overhead, one of British Columbia’s most abundant wild seasonings remains green. Douglas-fir needles can be gathered throughout the year. Their flavour shifts with the seasons, from the soft, citrusy taste of new spring growth to the deeper, more resinous character of mature winter needles.

People can once again access the dramatic alpine landscapes of Cathedral Park, as the first phase of restoration work following the Crater Creek wildfire nears completion. Photo by Similkameen Valley The August 2023 wildfire burned most of the park, causing significant damage to several trails, the main 16-kilometre service road and two backcountry campgrounds: Lake of the Woods and Pyramid Lake.

The future of a damaged section of the Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) Trail is becoming clearer as the province works with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS), the town of Princeton and the Trans Canada Trail organization to evaluate potential repairs. The discussions focus on a 67-kilometre stretch of trail between Princeton and the Coquihalla Highway that suffered extensive damage during the devastating floods of November 2021.