Wilderness Travels is an on-line magazine aimed at readers interested in wilderness recreational issues throughout the globe.
The following are some of the stories our writers have published.
More Wilderness Travel Stories
Into The Valley of Trees
Story/photos © Elise Mallory
My trip to the Carmanah Valley began as a weekend adventure to view some of the tallest Stika Spruce trees in the world but ended up being a journey into some of the thickest, richest rainforest that I have ever had the chance to explore. Though the desire to view the massive trees of the valley is what originally draws people...Story
BC’s Wild West Coast
Story & photos © Editor
The West Coast of Vancouver Island has its own unique ecosystem. The trees are shorter and sturdier than their interior cousins because the wind is harsher, and the rain and storms more violent during winter months. It is a rugged albeit beautiful part of British Columbia and the seas are extremely hazardous. Story
The Alberni Valley
Salmon capital…
Port Alberni is one of the most over-looked places on Vancouver Island as a base location to do wilderness adventures. Yet it’s in the centre of Vancouver Island, joined to the Pacific coastline via a long 48 kilometre inlet, has great fishing and access to good hiking, canoeing and kayaking…. Story
The Incan Empire in South America
Part One of a series: Raghbir Jin
When people hear about the Incan empire, usually the first thing that comes to mind is the stone city of Machu Picchu nestled high in the Perú’s Andean mountain range. Sadly, this is often the only thing that comes to mind. The sanctuary of the city, built around 1400 A.D., exemplifies the extraordinary craftsmanship and architecture of the time and remains one of the leading tourist destinations on the continent at 858,000 visitors per year. Story
The Incan Capital of Cusco
By Raghbir “Raggy” Jin Part two: The Incan Empire
Stepping into the historic downtown district of Cusco feels like stepping out of a time machine. Dogs pass as I walk through a car-less neighbourhood, stretching my arm out every now and again to brush the large stone walls left over from Incan times. Ladies in traditional Quechua clothing walk llamas over cobblestone sidewalks, past open-air markets that give a powerful feeling of nostalgia…Story
Touring Lake Titicaca
By Raghbir ‘Raggy’ Jin. Part three: The Incan Empire.
A man clad in decorative clothing paddles a small boat constructed of reeds across the water’s pristine, blue surface as our own vessel rumbles noisily past. Passengers scramble to the deck to take photos of the man, pulling their scarves tighter to fend off the morning chill and speaking amongst one another in an assortment of languages as colourful as the ancient culture of Lake Titicaca…Story
Trujillo and La Libertdad, Peru
Story & photos © Raghbir Jin
Part four: The Incan Empire
Moving onward from the megalithic stone structures and Andean mountain backdrop at the centre of the old Incan empire to the adobe-built marvels of Trujillo and Huanchaco on Perú’s northern desert coast is like shifting to a different world entirely…Story
Beyond The Surf
Story & photos © Elise Mallory
Tofino feels like it is on the edge of the world. Like if you drive through the quaint, enclosed town and just keep going you will eventually tip off the end of the map into oblivion. Once you drive through the pass just beyond Port Alberni and begin snaking along the coastline, going through what we call the ‘angry 30s’ feeling like you cannot possibly get further along the rugged west coast by car, you come to Tofino… Full Story
Memories of the Mountains
Story & photos Beth Bower
When I was a little kid the build up of excitement before a big camping trip was almost as good as Christmas Eve. There was the tent to pack, sleeping bags to stuff, and fleece pants to dig out of the very back of the closet. There were rogue pairs of Wigwam socks to track down… Full Story
Hiking Juan De Fuca Trail
Story & photos Alistair Cochrane
The morning air was cold and my breath hung in the air. I shivered as I stuffed my rain jacket into my backpack, but starting out cold and warming up is better than sweating for the rest of the day. My packing method for this trip can only be described as “disaster light.” If something went wrong, all I had was my rain jacket, a fleece hoodie, 3 liters of water, some energy bars, and a bagelwich to survive on. Full Story…
India’s WildLife Sanctuaries: Tiger Tiger
Story By Jim Christy, Photos by Virginia Dixon
From Jaipur, the 140 kilometre drive across the state of Rajasthan to Ranthambore took six and a half hours through dry, desert-like land reminiscent of the southern Okanagan in British Columbia. We stopped at a temple high in the hills where monkeys roamed free and women with snakes in baskets begged for money to appease the snake gods. One man played his flute and his cobra swayed, hypnotized by the music, or so he told people. But cobras have no sense of hearing; the beast was just following the course of the flute; wishing it still had its poison and its fangs. It’s a strange feeling to have a cobra poke at your fingers with its head… Full Story
Looking through the Alpine Hourglass
Story & photos by Ben Ferrel
As you climb from Kicking Horse Pass, up through the lower reaches of Cataract Brook, you occasionally catch a glimpse through the canopy of Engleman spruce, subalpine fir, and the occasional pine tree. The sight of the north summit of Mount Victoria causes your heart to flutter, the dramatic glaciers on its north face look like they could come crashing down at any instant. Full story…
The Sunshine Coast Part One
Story & photos by editor
The Sunshine Coast lies on the mainland of BC, much of it on a peninsular that stretches from Sechelt to Pender Harbour and beyond. It is accessible only by boat or air, although it is a scenic 40 minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay, northwest of Vancouver. The area is particularly recommended for boating, kayaking, scuba diving, and is becoming one of the prime mountain bike destinations in BC. Full Story…
The Sunshine Coast Part Two
Story & photos by editor
This is part of a series looking at areas in British Columbia where you can find a variety of wilderness adventures. We’re also highlighting small towns which you might want to use as a base camp for wilderness activities. This particular area is excellent for scuba diving, kayaking, canoeing, day hiking, and wildlife watching. The upper Sunshine Coast, on that long peninsular from Sechelt to Egmont, is less populated and perhaps more rugged than the other half, and the backbone of that peninsular is the Caren Mountain Range. Full Story…
Big Friday
Story & photos by James Murray
I had just acquired my new form of housing, a 1974 Vanguard motor home. My friend Sarah had decided to loan my friend Ian and I her old home from last year, for the winter. Our plan was to live in as close proximity of the beach as we could, and surf as much as possible for the next few months. Full Story...
Costalegre Adventures
Story & photos © Al Maclachlan
There’s a small tour operation called Ray y Eva Tours that I walked by one day while walking the beach in Melaque. They were doing a trip to Tenacatita the next day and I decided to join them. The Costalegre is rugged country, much like coastal British Columbia, with winding roads up and over jungle covered mountains and hills.
The Lagoons of Bahia de Navidad
Story & photos ©Al Maclachlan
On one fine January day I took the local bus to Villa Obregon, got off at Calle Esmeralda, and explored the lagoon that lies between there and Barra de Navivad. It is a very large area full of wildlife, including white herons, iguanas, and crocodiles. It is legally only accessible on the perimeter which means walking along Calle Primavera, and/or Vicente Guerrero on the far south side of town, and then along the beach. Or, you can access it from the main roads outside of the villages. Story…
El Costalegre de Mexico
Story & photos Al Maclachlan
Come wilderness travelling, swim in warm emerald sea water, and soak up much needed sun rays on the Pacific coast of Mexico, where Mariarchies play while you dine on exotic seafood, watching the sun go down surrounded by happy people, in the wonderful state of Jalisco… Full story...
BC’s Wilderness Hotsprings
Story & photos Amber Lidstone
BC has a variety of amazing hot springs. Ones like Harrison or Nakusp Hot Springs are developed, but many others lie in our wilderness, accessible only by boat or driving dusty and often muddy logging roads and hiking in. These primitive hot spring pools have had some rudimentary building done to them over the centuries, but mainly they are much the same as when they were formed by primordial thermal underground activity. Full Story…
The Wonders of Whale-watching
Story & photos by Editor
I’ve seen Orca whales in the Strait of Georgia not far from Vancouver, but that’s rare. One of the best places to see whales is the west coast of Vancouver Island, usually from Bamfield, Ucluelet, Tofino or further north. To see Orcas I suggest going north of Campbell River to Johnstone Strait on the east side of the Island…Full Story
The One that Didn’t Get Away
Photos: Dave & Rick Andrews
Twenty or more years ago the coastal waters of BC were teeming with salmon. It was difficult to go out fishing and not come back with a good sized Coho, or Sockeye, or a large Chinook (Spring). Salmon are presently a diminishing resource – and there are many reasons for that, almost all man-made, including the fish farms which produce lice which attach themselves to wild salmon – but they’re still out there if you know where to look, and you have to go further afield. Full Story…
Rowed Trip
Photos by Julie & Colin Angus
So what do National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year (2007) do for their honeymoon? Sunbathe in Rivazzurra? Sip sangrias in Puerto Vallarta? Of course not. They row (and bicycle) from the tip of Scotland, through Europe and down to Syria. The human power duo’s latest expedition is related in their new book and documentary, Rowed Trip, both of which were released recently for their promotional tour of much of Canada.
Waterfalls of British Columbia
Book Review. Photos by Tony Greenfield
“If the great outdoors is the cathedral in which we worship, then the waterfall is the altar we bow down before,” writes Tony Greenfield in his new guide book, Waterfalls of British Columbia; surprisingly the first book in Canada to focus on the natural wonders that our province has hundreds of. Greenfield writes with passion and eloquence about one hundred of the falls he has hiked or bushwhacked to in his wilderness travels around BC. Full story
The Awesome and Wild West Coast
Story & photos: Kris Rogerson
Port Renfrew is the northern most point accessible by car via Highway 14 on southern Vancouver Island, where the rainforest meets the sea. The village is tiny, and there’s not much more than a general store, a hotel and a few restaurants.But the coast’s rugged beauty surpasses the need for anything more than a pack full of snacks, a heavy sweater and a camera… Full Story
Baby Goes Backpacking
Story & photos by April Link
At thirteen months old, she was due for her first backpacking trip. With plenty of hiking, camping and canoeing experience plus a Calgary winter under her belt, we know she was up for it. After the wicked winter weather, returning to Vancouver Island with its mild climate, even in February, would be a blessing. Although we originally planned on doing the Juan de Fuca Trail, rain on the south of the island and sunshine up north quickly re-routed our plans to Cape Scott Provincial Park…Full Story
You Surf Where?
Story & Photos: James Murray
Surfing, while still considered a relatively new sport to Vancouver Island, has been steadily growing in popularity over recent years. With hundreds of kilometers of undiscovered breaks, Vancouver Island is a resource rich playground for those seeking that rare unnamed spot. When the swell, current, and wind direction are all working harmoniously, the conditions have been known to reach world-class status. Full Story…
Canada’s Highest Waterfall
Al MacLachlan Photos courtesy BC Parks
It’s strange how Canadians still talk about white Europeans ‘discovering’ physical places such as mountains and rivers a mere hundred years ago, ignoring the fact that First Nations discovered them somewhere between five and fifteen thousand years earlier. Still, according to Canadian statistics Della Falls was discovered by Joe Drinkwater in 1899, so let’s just say Joe renamed them after his wife, Della. Full Story
The Road to Bella Coola
By Erica Blair
When I awoke the sun was below the mountains, and clouds filled the sub-alpine bowl with a tumultuous mist. I could hear the crashing of the falls miles away, and I took some photos of the scene while the sun slowly rose and chased away the clouds, or morning mist. Except for the birds and the falls all was quiet. The nearest human being besides my sleeping camping companion was at least 30 km away. Full Story…
Slumach’s Gold
By Jim Christy
The lure of buried treasure has attracted many an adventurer to more tropical climes. I have to laugh. Why bother to hack your way through dangerous jungle when there are plenty of “lost treasures” right here in our own backyard, so to speak, among the mountains and rivers of British Columbia? Full story.…
Paradise at Princess Louisa Inlet
By Stu Young
After the long chug up breezy Jervis Inlet, it was the silence that surprised me most when we burst through Malibu Rapids and slipped into the still waters of Princess Louisa Inlet. 160 kilometers NNW of Vancouver, at the tip of one of the long saltwater fingers that reach far up into the Coast Mountains, Princess Louisa has the serenity of a mountain lake. Full story
Grizzly Bear Trophy Hunts Continue in B.C.
Humans myths are filled with stories of big bears. Early religions were bear cults, our ancestors probably dressed in the skins and heads of bears dancing around fires. We can only guess, but ritualized graves of bears have been found around the world, where bears existed. This grizzly bear (photographed by Rick O’Neill) is a similar size to the Cave Bear, which roamed Europe as far east as Russia during the last ice age… Full story
