British Columbia Magazine

A long-discussed museum dedicated to the histories, cultures and contributions of Canadians of South Asian heritages is one step closer to becoming a reality in British Columbia. The province and the City of Surrey signed a memorandum of understanding on Sept. 18, 2026, formally setting out how the two governments will work together during the next stage of planning.

Fall Looks Different from Up Here There’s something about fall on Vancouver Island that makes the outdoors impossible to resist. The air turns crisp, warm drinks return to your hands, and familiar places take on a different mood. At Malahat SkyWalk, the change in season brings a little more atmosphere—and a lot more to discover.

In a pasture near Abbotsford, the first clue may be a fresh heap of soil. Beneath it, a broad-footed animal is moving through the dark, shouldering loose earth aside and probing the tunnel ahead with a sensitive snout. It may never break the surface. Most people living a few kilometres away will never see one. Townsend’s mole is an animal of hidden superlatives.

There is a moment every September when parts of British Columbia seem to catch fire. Not literally. Instead, high on mountain slopes where summer is already retreating, stands of larch begin changing from soft green to luminous yellow. Against dark spruce and fir, grey rock and the first dusting of snow, the effect can be startling: entire hillsides appear lit from within. Then, almost as quickly as it arrived, the show is over.

Fall is returning to Maan Farms in Abbotsford with an expanded pumpkin patch, new attractions, seasonal food and wine and a month of Halloween scares. Photo by Maan Farms Fall at the Farm runs from Sept. 12 to Nov. 1, with the Forest Pumpkin Patch doubling in size to five acres. Tens of thousands of pumpkins will surround larger-than-life storybook structures, including Canada’s Biggest Pumpkin House and a river of colourful heirloom pumpkins.

Waterfalls appear almost everywhere in British Columbia. They tumble from alpine lakes, pour through narrow canyons and emerge unexpectedly beside highways and forest trails. Some, such as Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park, plunge from cliffs hundreds of metres high. Others descend mountain slopes in a succession of smaller cascades, swelling during spring runoff and shrinking to ribbons later in the year. Their abundance is no coincidence.

Abbotsford’s fall harvest takes centre stage this September as the Taste of Abby Fall Festival returns for its fifth year. Photo by Robyn Bessenger Running from Sept. 18 to 27, the 10-day festival will celebrate the region’s farms, producers and restaurants through seasonal food, drink and hands-on agritourism experiences. This year’s program includes several new additions, from a self-guided pastry trail and craft beverage flights to a lawn game competition and longtable dinners.

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.