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. Mushroom Village features the returning Mushroom House and a 12-foot Teapot House, while a Butterfly House, Bee House and village of pumpkins can be found deeper in the patch.

“Some of the best parts of fall are seeing how our guests make the farm their own. Families come back to recreate the same photo, couples make it an annual tradition, and kids can’t wait to discover something new. We wanted to build on that connection by making the forest bigger, more immersive and giving guests new doorways to enter,” said Amir Maan, farmer and third-generation family member.

Elsewhere on the farm, visitors can tackle two corn mazes, including a family-friendly maze carved into the cursive shape of “Maan Farms” and a more challenging option. Barnyard Adventureland has added a Three-Lane Zipline Race and Corn Play Pit filled with dried corn kernels. Other attractions include a paintball gallery, climbing wall, pedal trikes, jumping pillows, play fort, tire mountains and the Petting Patch, home to pony rides, Highland cows, alpacas, donkeys, goats, pigs, chickens and peacocks. Live country music will also be featured in the Wine Garden from noon to 4 p.m. on weekends.

The seasonal menu at Mama Maan’s Country Kitchen includes new pumpkin pie cheesecake samosas, apple crumble ice cream jars, burgers, butter chicken mac & cheese and pulled pork mac & cheese. Returning favourites include Double Pumpkin Spice Cream, apple pie samosas, apple pie nachos, curry bowls, savoury pizzas and golden samosas.

“I am inspired by dishes reminiscent of what mom or grandma would make on a cool fall evening. Seeing people choose our farm as part of their seasonal traditions means everything to me. It’s what speaks to my heart and why I love what I do,” said Gurleen Maan, Director of Fun and third-generation family member.

Maan Farms Estate Winery is also adding new canned versions of its MAD Pumpkin and MAD Apple spiced wines. MAD Pumpkin recently earned silver at the National Wine Awards of Canada and features notes of pumpkin pie, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, while MAD Apple earned bronze. A Salted Caramel Cold Foam Apple cocktail is also joining the seasonal lineup.

“Our new sparkling wines bring together the warm spices and crisp flavours of the season in a new way. It’s another opportunity to share the harvest with our guests,” said Gaurav Maan, Director of Winery Operations and third-generation family member.

Special events throughout Fall at the Farm include fall-themed Goat Yoga, Pumpkin Bingo and Gilmore Girls Trivia Night. The event welcomes all ages, and dogs are permitted on select dates.

Halloween Takes Over After Dark

Beginning Oct. 2 and running through Oct. 31, Maan Farms will shift gears after dark for its second annual Halloween Fright Festival, combining four haunted attractions and live theatrical performances with the family-friendly Fall at the Farm experience. The expanded Frightfully Fun Forest will feature additional lighting, sound, effects and larger-than-life photo opportunities throughout the Forest Pumpkin Patch.

“Halloween has always been about gathering, dressing up, getting scared, and making memories. As AI and screens become a bigger part of daily life, real experiences matter more than ever, but we also embrace technology to make those experiences even better. We designed the festival around that idea: one ticket, the whole experience, and iconic moments worth capturing and remembering,” said Amir.

New this year is BADLANDS, a no-contact, full-body immersive haunt in which the environment itself becomes the threat. Guests will move through extreme conditions ranging from punishing heat and biting cold to violent winds, drenching rain and suffocating humidity.

Three returning haunted attractions round out the festival. The no-contact Slaughterhouse, billed as the Scariest Corn Maze in Canada, takes guests into the butcher’s territory, passing disinfection areas, bloodstained tools, chainsaws and increasingly horrific chambers before its finale.

The other two attractions include contact experiences. In The Way Down, guests enter darkness while wearing hoods, encountering touch, footsteps, shadow beasts and unseen forces before the experience continues into Pitch Black. 3D CarnEvil takes a different approach, sending guests wearing 3D glasses through fluorescent scenery, bending walls, ultraviolet puppetry and distorted characters appearing from the darkness.

All guests entering the Halloween Fright Festival must sign a liability waiver, and some attractions may be too intense for children under 14.

Maan Farms is a third-generation family-owned and operated farm in Abbotsford. Tickets and additional information for both Fall at the Farm and the Halloween Fright Festival are available through the Maan Farms website.

The post Maan Farms Welcomes Fall With Pumpkins, Food & Frights appeared first on British Columbia Magazine.

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. British Columbia brings together nearly every ingredient needed to form a waterfall: steep mountains, heavy precipitation, deep winter snowpacks, glaciers and a geologically complicated landscape shaped by uplift, erosion, volcanic activity and moving ice.

Mountains Put Water In Motion

At its simplest, a waterfall needs flowing water and a sudden change in elevation. British Columbia has plenty of both.

Mountain ranges cover most of the province, including the Coast Mountains, Columbia Mountains and Canadian Rockies. Streams that begin at higher elevations must lose considerable height as they travel toward valley floors, larger rivers and the ocean.

In some places, that descent is gradual. In others, water reaches a cliff, resistant band of rock or steep break in the landscape and drops almost vertically.

BC’s mountains also help produce the water that feeds those streams. Moist air arriving from the Pacific Ocean is forced upward when it encounters the Coast Mountains. As the air rises, it cools and releases moisture as rain or snow – a process known as orographic precipitation.

This helps make BC’s coast and windward mountain slopes some of the wettest parts of Canada. Even during relatively dry periods, water stored in mountain snowfields, glaciers, lakes and saturated forests can continue feeding creeks and rivers.

Glaciers Carved The Drops

Rain and elevation explain why BC has so much moving water, but glaciers are responsible for much of the landscape over which it travels.

During the last ice age, enormous glaciers occupied valleys throughout the province. Ice flowing through major valleys carved deeply into the bedrock, widening and lowering the valley floors. Smaller glaciers in tributary valleys had less erosive power and did not cut as deeply.

When the ice retreated, many of those smaller valleys were left perched above the deeper main valleys. Geologists call them hanging valleys.

Today, streams flowing out of hanging valleys encounter an abrupt edge where the tributary valley meets the main one. The water has nowhere to go but down, creating some of the province’s tallest and most dramatic waterfalls.

Takakkaw Falls is a particularly striking example of a landscape shaped by ice. The falls descend from high above the Yoho Valley, fed by meltwater from the Daly Glacier. The surrounding Canadian Rocky Mountain parks remain classic examples of glacial processes acting on highly folded, faulted and uplifted rock.

Glaciers also left behind steep-sided valleys, cirques, basins and rock steps. Once the ice disappeared, water occupied these features, forming lakes and streams connected by cascades and falls.

Rainfall & Snowmelt Keep Them Flowing

A cliff alone does not make a waterfall. There must also be a reliable source of water – and the character of that source determines how a waterfall changes through the year.

Along the coast, frequent rainfall can keep waterfalls active through much of the year. Atmospheric rivers and winter storms can transform quiet streams into powerful torrents, while smaller seasonal falls may appear on mountainsides after prolonged rain.

In colder and higher regions, snow plays a larger role. Winter precipitation accumulates in the mountains and is released as temperatures rise. During spring and early summer, melting snow fills creeks and rivers, often producing the most impressive waterfall flows of the year.

Glacier-fed falls follow a somewhat different rhythm. Their volume may increase during warm weather as more ice and snow melt. Takakkaw Falls, for example, is generally most powerful during the summer melt season, while access to the falls is seasonal.

This combination of rain, snow and glacial melt means BC’s waterfalls do not all peak at the same time. A coastal waterfall may be most dramatic during the rainy season, while one in the Rockies or Columbia Mountains may reach its greatest volume during late spring or summer.

Rock Determines Where Water Falls

The type and arrangement of rock beneath a stream also influence whether it forms a waterfall.

Some rock layers erode more easily than others. When a river flows over hard, resistant rock resting above softer material, the softer layer may wear away more quickly. This can undercut the harder rock and create a ledge from which the water drops.

Over time, falling water, sediment and freeze-thaw cycles continue eroding the cliff. Pieces of the overhanging rock eventually break away, causing the waterfall to retreat upstream.

Faults and fractures can also create zones of weakness in the bedrock. Erosion may follow these breaks, helping streams carve channels, canyons and abrupt drops. Faulting is not the main explanation for every waterfall in BC, but the province’s complex geological structure helps create the irregular terrain over which its rivers travel.

Volcanic landscapes add another variation. At Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park, the Murtle River plunges over the edge of a broad volcanic plateau into a deep canyon. Layers of ancient lava helped shape the cliff and surrounding landforms, while the force of the water continues to erode the rock below.

Waterfalls Are Still Changing

Although many BC waterfalls occupy landforms created thousands or millions of years ago, they are not permanent fixtures.

Water constantly reshapes the rock beneath and behind a waterfall. Floods can move boulders, alter channels and trigger slope failures. Rockfalls can change the shape of a drop almost instantly. Seasonal freezing and thawing widen cracks, while sediment carried by a river scours its bed.

Climate change may also alter the amount and timing of water flowing over some falls. Warmer winters, earlier snowmelt and shrinking glaciers can change seasonal flow patterns, particularly where waterfalls depend heavily on alpine ice and snow.

The result is a landscape that is both ancient and active. BC’s waterfalls reveal the history of mountain building, glaciation and volcanic activity, but they also show erosion taking place in real time.

Every cascade tells a slightly different version of that story. Some owe their height to valleys carved by glaciers. Others follow faults, tumble over resistant rock or drain mountains soaked by Pacific storms. Together, they reflect the combination of water, ice, stone and elevation that has made British Columbia a province of waterfalls.

The post A Province Of Waterfalls appeared first on British Columbia Magazine.

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.

“What started as showcasing Abbotsford’s fall harvest has grown into a year-round celebration of the farms, producers, restaurants, and experiences that make our community special,” says Clare Seeley, executive director of Tourism Abbotsford. “There’s always something growing, being harvested, made, or shared, and Taste of Abby helps connect people to the local places, flavours, and stories that bring our community to life. It’s all part of the authenticity and small-town charm that can feel like stepping onto the set of a Hallmark movie.”

The festival begins Sept. 18 with the Taste of Abby Night Market at Jubilee Park in downtown Abbotsford. Local restaurants and food trucks will serve a diverse selection of seasonal fare, while the Food and Farm Awards, presented by Envision Financial, will recognize leaders in the region’s agricultural community. The awards will be presented at 5:45 p.m.

From Sept. 19 to 27, festival activities will take place throughout the region. Visitors can follow The Bun Run, a self-guided trail featuring local pastries, or sample craft beer, wine and cider flights through a modern take on the traditional pub crawl.

Other experiences include the Cornhole Classic lawn game competition, seasonal cooking classes, opportunities to pick flowers directly from local fields and longtable meals showcasing the region’s harvest.

Fresh produce and autumn flowers will feature prominently throughout the festival, along with limited-edition releases from Abbotsford’s craft wineries, breweries and cideries.

Tickets for the Night Market and other participating events are available at TasteofAbby.ca.

The post Taste Of Abby Fall Festival Returns appeared first on British Columbia Magazine.

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.

Visitors to the Magic of Sunflowers will enter through a secret doorway and follow pathways lined with sunflowers and zinnias while old-world melodies play in the background. Along the way, a weathered wooden bridge, vintage bicycles, gnome characters and a hidden gnome home provide plenty of opportunities for whimsical family photos.

“Opening the gates for another season is always a deep, soul-touching experience. What started 36 years ago as a small family dream, when we first opened our farm to the community, has grown into something we never could have imagined. Over the years, the land has been shaped by our family, but also by all the visitors who have made the farm part of their own traditions,” says Loren Taves, co-owner of Taves Farms.

The sunflower season will also feature several special events. Butterfly releases are planned from Aug. 21 to 23, while after-hours golden-hour access will be available on Aug. 22, 23, 29 and 30. Adults aged 19 and older can pair an evening walk with a visit to Taves Estate Cidery during Sip ’n Stroll events on Aug. 21 and 28.

When September arrives, the farm will trade its summer blooms for rich fall colours and more than 30 acres of seasonal attractions.

This year’s Magic of Fall introduces Autumn’s Lane, a new foliage-draped passage illuminated by vintage chandeliers. The Most Magical Pumpkin Garden in Canada will also return, inviting visitors to wander through an enchanting pumpkin patch complete with meandering pathways, a princess carriage, mythical faces carved into the trees and storybook details tucked throughout the farm.

Beyond the pumpkin garden, families can explore three corn mazes, take a hayride, bounce on giant jumping pillows, ride pedal karts and visit the farm’s playgrounds. The Mystical Meadow will feature a new 150-foot slide, while alpacas, goats and a miniature horse are among the resident animals waiting to meet visitors.

Fall is also apple-picking season, and guests can head into the farm’s vibrant u-pick orchards to fill their own bags. Taves Family Farms encompasses 50 acres of apples, pears, plums, pumpkins, corn, currants, goji berries and other crops.

The seasonal flavours continue at the farm’s concessions, where offerings will range from freshly roasted corn with toppings to pumpkin-spiced lattés. Food trucks will also be available on select dates.

At Taves Estate Cidery, adults can sample seasonal pumpkin and apple ciders, while cocktails and mocktails offer options for a range of visitors. Drinks can be enjoyed on the covered, heated patio or at the Barnyard Booths, where firepits and s’mores add a cozy finish to a crisp fall day.

Taves Family Farms grew from a venture started by third-generation farmer Loren Taves and his brother in the 1980s, when the pair recognized the potential of niche crops and began growing gooseberries and currants. Loren and his wife, Corinne, later pursued their dream of welcoming the community onto the farm, opening it to visitors 36 years ago.

Tickets for the Magic of Sunflowers, Sip ’n Stroll and the Magic of Fall can be purchased through the Taves Family Farms ticket page. Visit the Taves Family Farms website or follow the farm on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for updates.

The post Step Into A Storybook At Taves Family Farms This Fall appeared first on British Columbia Magazine.

Different Species of Bears in British Columbia

There are three different types of bears in British Columbia, we have an article where we go more in depth on the species here. What you need to know: there are black bears, grizzly bears, and the rare Kermode, or Spirit Bear, which live almost exclusively in the Great Bear Rainforest. This guide is for Grizzlies and Black Bears.

For the bears you will actually see: Vancouver Island is black bear territory, with an estimated 7,000 to 12,000 calling the Island home. The mainland inlets are grizzly country, with Bute Inlet and Knight Inlet specifically named as where Campbell River and North Island area tours head to find them. Black bears and grizzly bears differ in more than looks. Grizzlies are the bigger of the two and tend to dominate at shared fishing spots simply based on size, and their diet leans more heavily on protein, including salmon and occasionally larger prey, while black bears eat more berries, insects, and plant matter. Both are technically scavengers and opportunists, but grizzlies are the ones you’ll find holding the best spot on the river when the salmon are running.

And yes, every so often a grizzly does make the swim across to the Island. Males can cover up to seven kilometers, females closer to two.

The History of Bear Viewing in BC

The history goes deep, starting of course, with the First Nations peoples who have coexisted with bears for thousands of years, both on the mainland and the Island. On the conservation side, grizzly bears were declared a species of special concern by the federal government in 2018, and BC ended grizzly bear hunting province wide as of November 30, 2017, with an exception for First Nations food, social, and ceremonial hunting. Bear viewing as an industry grew alongside that shift, formalizing in 2001 when Dean Wyatt of Knight Inlet Lodge founded the Commercial Bear Viewing Association with five operators. Today, BC has strict measures in place to protect bears, and a viewing industry built specifically as the alternative to hunting them.

Why Go Bear Viewing?

Viewing an apex predator in its natural habitat, at a safe distance, is both fascinating and thrilling. Unlike seeing an animal in captivity, seeing a bear in its natural habitat lets you witness mating rituals, hunting techniques, and all the small behaviours that give you a deeper appreciation for BC’s wilderness.

Where to Go Bear Viewing?

There are three hotspots for bear viewing: Tofino, Campbell River, and Vancouver Island North. Tofino’s tours are mostly shoreline black bear viewing, while Campbell River and Vancouver Island North operators run boat trips out to the mainland inlets, Bute Inlet and Knight Inlet, where the grizzlies are.

When to Go Bear Viewing?

Three windows, each with its own character:

• Spring (April to June): Bears come out of hibernation hungry and head straight for the shoreline, foraging at low tide for crabs and shellfish. This is prime time for shoreline tours out of Tofino.
• Summer (June to August): Coastal foraging continues, and grizzly viewing season in the inlets opens through this stretch as bears move between food sources.
• Fall/shoulder season (September to November), our focus: Salmon runs pull bears inland to the rivers, and this is peak grizzly viewing season out of Campbell River and Vancouver Island North within that window, pinks peak in September, with Coho and Chinook running October into November, so the later you go in this stretch, the more likely you are to see grizzlies actively fishing.

How Do I Know Which Bear Viewing Company to Go With? Is It Safe?

The partnership website lists Commercial Bear Viewing Association (CBVA) verified operators. The CBVA isn’t just a name. It’s 27 member companies and hundreds of guides trained through a real certification system. Booking with a CBVA operator also includes a small conservation fee that goes toward protecting the bears you’re there to see.

Make sure to book ahead, slots fill up well before the season.

The post Your Guide to Bear Viewing on Vancouver Island! appeared first on British Columbia Magazine.

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. The resulting wetlands can remain green after surrounding grasses, shrubs and forests have dried – creating refuges for wildlife and areas that burn less severely when fire arrives.

Beavers cannot extinguish a major wildfire or protect every nearby home. But research increasingly suggests that the wet landscapes they create can soften some of the effects of drought and fire.

Holding Water On The Land

A beaver dam changes more than the small pond visible on the surface.

By slowing a stream, the dam gives water time to move sideways across the floodplain and downward into the soil. Sediment accumulates, channels become more complex and the local water table may rise. Instead of rushing downstream during the spring freshet, some water remains stored in ponds, saturated soil and groundwater.

That stored moisture can help sustain streamflow and wetland vegetation later in the summer, when rainfall is scarce and smaller waterways might otherwise shrink or disappear.

A 2022 global review examined 44 studies concerning beaver dams and water retention. Of those, 42 reported increased water storage behind the dams. Other research has found that the effects can extend beyond an individual pond as water spreads through side channels, wetlands and surrounding soils.

In a drought-prone landscape, that difference matters. A stream bordered by dry grass and shrubs can become a pathway for fire. A wider, saturated wetland filled with green vegetation is less receptive to burning.

Green Refuges Amid The Flames

In a widely cited 2020 study, researchers used satellite imagery to compare beaver-dammed stream corridors with similar waterways that had no beaver activity. The study covered five large wildfires in the western United States.

The beaver-influenced areas stayed greener during the fires, even when the surrounding landscape burned. Researchers concluded that beaver activity played a significant role in creating fire-resistant patches along stream corridors.

More recent research examined beaver-modified waterways during three megafires in the Rocky Mountain region. It similarly found lower burn severity in riverscapes with beaver dams than in comparable areas without them.

The benefit appears to extend beyond open water. A single colony may build several dams and dig canals through its territory, distributing water across a much larger area than the pond alone would suggest. Saturated soils and moisture-rich plants can create what researchers call a fire refugium – a place where the effects of fire are less severe and where wildlife may find temporary shelter.

Fish, amphibians, reptiles and small mammals can all benefit from these wet pockets. After the fire has passed, surviving vegetation may also provide a starting point for the wider ecosystem’s recovery.

The dams can continue helping after a fire. When rain falls on burned slopes, water can carry large quantities of ash, soil and debris into streams. Beaver ponds slow that flow and capture some of the sediment before it travels farther downstream.

Rebuilding Wetlands The Beaver Way

Restoration groups in BC are increasingly trying to reproduce these natural processes, sometimes before beavers themselves return.

The BC Wildlife Federation launched its 10,000 Wetlands Initiative in 2023. Working with First Nations, environmental organizations, government bodies and landowners, the initiative uses low-tech structures to slow water and reconnect streams with their floodplains.

One of its main tools is the Beaver Dam Analogue, commonly called a BDA. Built by hand from posts, branches, mud and other locally available materials, a BDA partially spans a small stream and functions much like a natural dam. Water slows, stream levels rise gently and moisture begins spreading into adjacent soils.

The goal is not simply to create a pond. It is to restart the processes that allow a wetland system to form and, where conditions are suitable, encourage beavers to eventually take over its maintenance.

The initiative exceeded its original target of 100 Beaver Dam Analogues in 2025 and has moved into a second, multi-year phase. At Voght Creek near Merritt, for example, the federation worked with the Nooaitch and Lower Nicola Indian bands to install nine BDAs in 2024. A year later, water was reconnecting with the floodplain, vegetation was returning and new wildlife habitat was forming.

Elsewhere, beavers have already accepted the invitation. When the project team revisited Earl Ranch one year after installing 10 analogues, it found peeled branches, fresh mud and pooled water – evidence that beavers had returned and begun adding their own work to the human-built structures.

Not Welcome Everywhere

The same abilities that make beavers valuable ecosystem engineers can bring them into direct conflict with people.

Beavers do not distinguish between a remote creek and a drainage channel beside a road. A dammed culvert can flood pavement, undermine a roadbed or back water onto agricultural land. Rising ponds can affect homes, wells and septic systems, while the loss of ornamental or valuable trees can frustrate property owners.

These are real concerns, particularly in developed valleys where roads, farms and communities occupy former floodplains.

Removing a dam may provide immediate relief, but it does not always solve the underlying problem. If the location still offers food, water and shelter, the beavers – or another colony – may rebuild. In some situations, repeated dam removal can become a costly cycle.

Coexistence tools offer an alternative where the site permits. Pond-levelling pipes can move water through a dam while maintaining an acceptable pond height. Fences placed around culvert entrances make the constricted opening harder for beavers to block, while allowing water to continue flowing. Wire mesh can protect individual trees without removing the animals responsible for maintaining the surrounding wetland.

Not every conflict can be resolved this way, and any in-stream work may require professional guidance and regulatory approval. Restoration projects must also be carefully located. A beaver-inspired structure that helps re-wet a remote headwater stream could create unacceptable risks if placed near a road, building or productive field.

One Piece Of A Larger Response

Beaver wetlands are not a replacement for wildfire response, prescribed fire, forest management or work to make homes and communities more resistant to fire. Their influence is generally concentrated around waterways, and extreme fire can still burn through wet areas under severe conditions.

What they offer is another layer of resilience.

A healthy landscape does not depend on a single line of defence. It contains forests of different ages, functioning floodplains, intact wetlands and streams that retain water well into the dry season. Beavers help create that variety – one dam, channel and flooded meadow at a time.

As BC confronts longer droughts and increasingly destructive wildfires, allowing water to remain on the land may be one of the most important forms of preparation. In the right places, beavers have been doing exactly that for thousands of years.

The post Nature’s Firefighters appeared first on British Columbia Magazine.

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.

The Perseids are among the most popular meteor showers of the year. They arrive during warm summer weather, can be seen without special equipment and are known for producing fast, bright meteors – including occasional fireballs that may leave glowing trails behind them.

Under exceptionally dark, clear skies, observers could see dozens of meteors per hour during the peak. The exact number will depend on cloud cover, light pollution and viewing conditions.

What Causes The Perseids?

Although they are often called shooting stars, meteors are not stars at all.

The Perseid meteor shower occurs when Earth travels through a trail of dust and debris left behind by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. As those small particles enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, they heat up and disintegrate, producing the flashes of light visible from the ground.

Perseid meteors travel at approximately 59 kilometres per second, according to NASA. Many are no larger than a grain of sand.

The shower takes its name from the constellation Perseus. If their paths were traced backward across the sky, the meteors would appear to originate from a point near the constellation. This apparent point of origin is known as the radiant.

There is no need to find Perseus to enjoy the display, however. Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, and concentrating only on the radiant can mean missing some of the shower’s longest and most impressive trails.

Observations of the Perseids date back more than 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest recorded meteor showers.

When To Watch In BC

The shower will peak during the night of Wednesday, Aug. 12, and into the early hours of Thursday, Aug. 13.

Meteors may become visible once the sky is fully dark, but viewing generally improves later in the night as the radiant climbs higher. The hours after midnight and before dawn usually offer the greatest activity.

A new moon arrives Aug. 12, leaving the sky unusually dark during the shower’s peak. Unlike years when bright moonlight washes out fainter meteors, 2026 should offer favourable conditions – provided clouds and wildfire smoke do not obscure the view.

The Perseids are active for much longer than a single night. Meteors from the shower can be seen from mid-July through much of August, although activity drops away from the peak. Anyone who cannot get outside Aug. 12 may still see Perseids during the nights immediately before and after it.

Where To Watch

The best viewing location is not necessarily a famous lookout or remote mountaintop. Any safe, legally accessible place with a wide view of the sky and as little artificial light as possible can work.

Several BC locations are particularly well suited to stargazing.

Cattle Point, Oak Bay: Located along the waterfront near Victoria, Cattle Point is one of only two Urban Star Parks recognized by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Artificial lighting is carefully controlled, while neighbouring Uplands Park helps buffer the site from some of Greater Victoria’s light.

McDonald Park, Abbotsford: This small dark-sky site beside the Sumas River is protected from some surrounding light by Sumas Mountain. Light pollution from development and greenhouses has affected the site over time, but it remains a recognized stargazing location within reach of the Lower Mainland.

Johns Family Nature Conservancy Regional Park, Central Okanagan: Situated south of Kelowna, the park was designated a Nocturnal Preserve in 2023. The designation recognizes both the quality of its night sky and the ecological importance of protecting darkness for nocturnal wildlife. The Regional District of Central Okanagan’s summer programming includes a Perseid meteor shower watch.

Mount Kobau, South Okanagan: The summit of Mount Kobau, within the South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Area, is considered one of Canada’s premier astronomy locations. Its elevation and dark Interior skies have long attracted astronomers. The mountain is reached by a rough gravel road, so visitors should check current road, park and wildfire conditions and ensure their vehicle is suitable before travelling.

BC’s provincial and national park campgrounds: Campers in places such as Manning Park, Kokanee Creek Provincial Park and the mountain parks of southeastern BC may also find excellent dark skies away from large communities. Staying overnight avoids the risks associated with driving long distances immediately after several hours of late-night viewing.

Away from southern BC, rural areas of the Cariboo, Chilcotin, Kootenays and northern BC offer some of the province’s darkest skies. A quiet lake, campground or open rural property may provide a better view than a busy, well-known lookout.

Before heading out, confirm that the chosen site permits nighttime access. Day-use areas may close at night, and vehicles left after closing can be ticketed or towed.

How To Get The Best View

No telescope or binoculars are required. In fact, both restrict the field of vision and can make meteors harder to spot.

Find an open area away from streetlights, vehicle headlights and illuminated buildings. Lie back in a reclining chair or on a blanket and take in as much of the sky as possible. Looking roughly northeast may help earlier in the evening as Perseus rises, but meteors can travel across any part of the sky.

Allow at least 20 to 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Avoid checking a bright phone screen during that time. If light is needed, a red flashlight or headlamp will interfere less with night vision.

Bring warm layers, even if the day has been hot. Temperatures can drop significantly overnight, particularly at higher elevations. A blanket, chair, hot drink and insect repellent can make a long viewing session much more comfortable.

Meteor showers are unpredictable. Several meteors may appear within minutes, followed by a quiet stretch. Plan to remain outside for at least an hour rather than expecting a continuous display.

August is also wildfire season in BC. Check current evacuation notices, road conditions, park advisories, fire restrictions and air-quality information before travelling. Never park on dry vegetation or block a roadway, and do not enter closed or restricted areas in search of a darker view.

Then turn off the lights, settle in and wait. On a clear night, the reward may be a bright piece of comet dust tracing its final path across the BC sky.

The post The Perseid Meteor Shower Returns To BC Skies appeared first on British Columbia Magazine.

Successful foraging, however, involves much more than finding something colourful enough to eat. Pickers need to identify plants with certainty, understand where harvesting is permitted and remember that berries are an important food source for wildlife.

When Is Berry Season In BC?

BC’s wild-berry season generally begins in late spring or early summer and continues into early fall. Exact timing varies considerably according to latitude, elevation, weather and local growing conditions.

A coastal salmonberry may be ripe in June, while a high-elevation huckleberry patch in the Interior might not reach its peak until August or September. Warm, exposed sites usually produce fruit earlier than shaded forests and mountain slopes.

Rather than relying exclusively on a calendar, look for berries that have reached their mature colour, detach easily and appear plump and undamaged. A berry that resists being picked may need more time.

Wild Berries To Look For

British Columbia supports many native berry-producing plants. The following are some of the more recognizable edible species, but written descriptions should never replace a reputable field guide or instruction from an experienced local forager.

Salmonberry

One of the earliest berries to ripen along the coast, salmonberry grows in moist forests, streamside areas and other damp places. Its raspberry-like fruit ranges from yellow and orange to deep red.

The flavour varies from plant to plant. Some berries are juicy and sweet, while others are mild or slightly tart. The shrub can grow several metres tall and has three-part leaves, pink spring flowers and stems with small prickles and papery bark. Sierra Club BC’s EcoMap provides additional identifying information.

Thimbleberry

Thimbleberries are soft, bright-red fruits shaped somewhat like shallow raspberries. Their large, maple-like leaves and broad white flowers can help distinguish the plant.

Because the ripe fruit is exceptionally delicate, it often collapses into the picker’s hand. Thimbleberries are best eaten immediately or collected carefully in a shallow container. They grow in many parts of BC, particularly in forest openings, along trails and on disturbed ground.

Wild Raspberries & Blackcaps

Several members of the Rubus genus grow in BC, including wild red raspberries and blackcap raspberries. Like their cultivated relatives, the aggregate fruits are made up of many small sections and separate from the plant’s central core when picked.

Wild raspberries favour openings, roadsides, clearings and the edges of forests. Blackcaps mature to a dark purple-black and may have a pale bloom on their surface.

Huckleberries

“Huckleberry” is a common name applied to several related species in BC. Depending on the species and location, the fruit may be red, blue, purple or nearly black.

Red huckleberries are characteristic of moist coastal forests and are often seen growing on or near decaying wood. Black huckleberries are especially prized in the Interior and mountain regions. Their intensely flavoured fruit is excellent fresh and can also be used in baking, preserves and sauces.

Huckleberries are particularly important food for bears. Research in southeastern BC has identified them as a major grizzly bear food, making restraint and wildlife awareness essential in productive patches. The province has also imposed localized restrictions on commercial-scale huckleberry harvesting in parts of the Kootenay Boundary Region to protect important grizzly habitat. Pickers should check current regional orders before heading out.

Saskatoon Berries

Common in dry, open forests, slopes and grassland environments, Saskatoon shrubs produce purple to almost black fruit resembling small blueberries. The berries have a sweet, slightly nutty flavour, although their texture and sweetness vary.

Saskatoons are particularly associated with the Interior, but their range extends through much of the province. They can be eaten fresh or used in pies, jams and other preserves.

Salal Berries

Anyone who has walked through a coastal BC forest has probably encountered salal. This sturdy evergreen shrub has leathery leaves and dark blue-purple berries that grow in clusters.

Ripe salal berries are sweet but can have a dense or slightly fuzzy texture. They work well in jam and fruit leather, and their natural pectin makes them useful when combined with juicier fruit. Salal has long been an important food for Indigenous Peoples on the coast, where berries have traditionally been eaten fresh, dried or prepared in berry cakes.

Oregon Grape

Despite its name, Oregon grape is not a true grape. Its evergreen, holly-like leaves, yellow flowers and dusty blue berries make it fairly distinctive.

The berries are edible but very tart. They are generally more enjoyable cooked with sugar or combined with sweeter fruit in jelly or preserves. Different Oregon grape species occur in coastal and Interior environments.

Soapberries

Soapberry, also called soopolallie or buffaloberry, grows in many parts of the Interior. The translucent red or orange-red berries are bitter and contain natural compounds that allow them to be whipped into a foam.

The plant and its fruit hold deep cultural importance for numerous Indigenous communities. Traditional preparation methods and harvesting knowledge belong to distinct cultures and should be learned from appropriate Indigenous sources rather than treated as a novelty or generalized “wilderness” technique.

Never Eat A Berry You Cannot Positively Identify

Colour alone does not indicate whether a fruit is safe. BC is home to poisonous berry-producing plants, and some can grow close to edible species.

Devil’s club, for example, produces conspicuous clusters of red berries that are poisonous to humans. Queen’s cup produces an attractive single blue berry that is also poisonous.

Other plants of concern include baneberry and some honeysuckles. Even familiar-sounding plants require caution: elderberries, for instance, should not be treated as universally safe to eat raw because species, ripeness and preparation matter.

Use a current regional field guide and examine the entire plant, including its leaves, stems, growth pattern and habitat. Smartphone identification apps can offer clues, but they are not reliable enough to determine whether something should be eaten. If any doubt remains, leave the berry on the plant.

Know Where Picking Is Permitted

Finding an edible plant does not automatically give someone the right to harvest it.

In BC provincial parks, removing natural objects – including berries – is generally illegal. Harvesting is reserved for First Nations exercising recognized rights and people with specific authorization.

Rules can also apply in national parks, ecological reserves, conservation lands, regional parks and locally protected areas. On private property, permission from the landowner is required. Some Crown land may be open to personal harvesting, but access restrictions, Indigenous cultural values and localized closures must still be respected.

Check the rules for the precise location rather than assuming that all public land is open for foraging.

Pick Lightly & Leave Plenty Behind

A productive berry patch is not an outdoor supermarket. Its fruit feeds birds, bears and numerous other animals, while the plants themselves form part of a larger ecological community.

Responsible pickers should:

• Take only a small amount for personal use.
• Spread picking across several plants instead of stripping one shrub.
• Leave underripe and overripe fruit in place.
• Pick by hand and avoid damaging branches, leaves or roots.
• Avoid trampling surrounding vegetation.
• Never use rakes or mechanical devices that can damage plants.
• Leave especially small or sparse patches untouched.
• Respect areas of cultural importance to Indigenous communities.
• Avoid publicizing the exact location of sensitive or heavily used patches.

Be Bear Aware

Humans are not the only animals watching for ripe fruit. Bears often feed in berry patches during late summer and fall, sometimes becoming so focused on eating that they are less aware of approaching people.

Make noise when approaching dense vegetation or entering a patch, travel in a group when possible, keep children close and watch for fresh scat, tracks and recently disturbed plants. Keep dogs leashed.

Carry bear spray where it can be reached immediately – not buried in a backpack – and know how to use it. If you encounter fresh bear signs or see a bear using the patch, leave the area. Never crowd or displace a feeding animal. Parks Canada advises people to make their presence known around berry bushes and to back away rather than run during a bear encounter.

From Patch To Kitchen

Collect berries in clean, food-safe containers. Shallow, rigid containers are preferable for delicate fruit because deep buckets can crush the bottom layers.

Discard mouldy, damaged or contaminated berries. Avoid harvesting close to busy roads, industrial sites, old mine workings or areas that may have been sprayed with herbicide. Berries at a comfortable picking height are also less likely to have been contaminated by animals than fruit growing close to the ground.

Wash your hands and rinse berries under cool running water shortly before eating or preparing them. Fresh produce can carry harmful microorganisms through contact with soil, water, wildlife or handling.

Refrigerate fresh berries promptly. For longer storage, arrange dry berries in a single layer on a tray, freeze them and then transfer them to freezer-safe containers. This prevents them from freezing into one solid mass.

Wild berries can turn an ordinary walk into a closer encounter with BC’s landscapes – but the best foraging trips are measured by more than the contents of a basket. Careful identification, light harvesting and respect for wildlife ensure the patch remains productive long after the picker has gone home.

The post A Taste Of The Wild appeared first on British Columbia Magazine.

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. Mountain weather, wildfire activity, wildlife encounters and large areas without cellular coverage add to the uncertainty.

That does not mean every hiker needs to carry an expedition-sized pack. It does mean that anyone heading onto a trail should be prepared to remain outside longer than planned.

The Essentials That Belong On Every Hike

AdventureSmart recommends carrying 10 basic survival items on any outdoor excursion, whether it lasts a few hours or several days. The quantities and equipment can be adjusted for the trail, season and expected conditions, but the fundamental categories remain the same.

Navigation and communication aids: Carry a map and compass – and know how to use them. A phone or handheld GPS can provide additional navigational help, but electronics should not be the only option available. On remote or more demanding trips, consider carrying a satellite communication device or personal locator beacon.

A flashlight or headlamp: Darkness can arrive before an injured, delayed or disoriented hiker reaches the trailhead. A headlamp keeps both hands free and is generally more useful than a phone flashlight. Pack spare batteries or ensure the light is fully charged.

A fire-making kit: Waterproof matches, a lighter and an appropriate fire starter can provide heat in a genuine survival emergency. However, hikers must follow all fire prohibitions and exercise extreme caution, particularly during BC’s wildfire season. A fire should never be treated as a substitute for proper clothing and shelter.

A signalling device: A whistle carries farther than a human voice and requires less energy. Three blasts are commonly used as a distress signal. A signal mirror can also attract attention in open terrain.

Extra food and water: Bring more than the hike should require. High-energy foods that do not need cooking – such as trail mix, energy bars or dried fruit – are practical emergency supplies. For longer routes, carry a water filter or another reliable treatment method rather than assuming backcountry water is safe to drink.

Extra clothing: Pack for the conditions hikers may encounter, not simply those present at the trailhead. A lightweight insulating layer and waterproof shell can make an enormous difference if temperatures fall or rain begins. In cooler conditions, include a toque and gloves. Clothing made from wool or synthetic materials will generally insulate better when damp than cotton.

A first aid kit: The kit should be appropriate for the size of the group and length of the trip. At minimum, it should contain supplies for cleaning and covering wounds, managing blisters and supporting a minor injury. Personal medications – including an epinephrine auto-injector, when prescribed – should be readily accessible.

An emergency shelter: A reflective emergency blanket, bivy sack or lightweight tarp can reduce exposure to wind and rain. These items weigh very little but can become critical when an injury prevents someone from continuing.

A pocketknife or multi-tool: A small cutting tool can assist with equipment repairs, first aid and shelter preparation.

Sun protection: Sunglasses, sunscreen and a brimmed hat are valuable even when the day begins cloudy. Sun exposure can be particularly intense at elevation and when reflected from snow.

BC Parks includes these supplies among the items worth carrying on any park visit and cautions hikers not to rely exclusively on a cellphone because many areas lack reception. BC Parks and AdventureSmart provide detailed outdoor-safety guidance.

Add Equipment For The Route & Conditions

The essentials are a starting point, not a complete packing list for every trail. Appropriate footwear, wool or synthetic socks, insect repellent and blister treatment can make even an easy outing safer and more comfortable. Trekking poles may help on steep or uneven ground.

In bear country, carry bear spray, know how to use it and keep it immediately accessible – not buried at the bottom of a backpack. Hikers should also learn the recommended response to encounters with bears, cougars and other wildlife before entering their habitat. BC Parks’ wildlife guidance recommends carrying bear spray where it can be reached quickly.

Long, remote or technically difficult routes require additional preparation. Depending on the season and terrain, that may include traction devices, avalanche equipment and training, a larger first aid kit, more substantial shelter, additional water treatment, repair supplies and a satellite communication device. Group equipment should be distributed so one lost pack does not leave everyone without essential gear.

Your Phone’s GPS May Still Work Without Cell Service

A common misconception is that a smartphone cannot determine its location once it loses cellular service. In fact, the GPS receiver in a phone can receive signals directly from navigation satellites. It does not need a cell tower to calculate the phone’s position.

Cellular and Wi-Fi connections can help a phone establish its location faster, but they are not the same thing as GPS. In many cases, a phone can continue showing the user’s location while it is in airplane mode or outside cellular coverage.

There is an important catch: GPS location and map data are separate.

Your phone may know exactly where it is, but the mapping app may be unable to display the surrounding roads, trails or topographic details if those files normally come from the internet. Before leaving home, download an offline map that covers the entire route and a generous area around it. Open the map while offline and confirm that the trail, terrain and location marker appear properly. Apple, for example, allows compatible devices to download map areas for offline use, while several dedicated outdoor-navigation apps offer downloadable topographic maps.

Save the route, trailhead and important waypoints in advance. A screenshot can preserve basic information, but it cannot show a changing location or provide the detail of a proper offline map.

Phone batteries also drain more quickly in cold weather and when the device is continually searching for a cellular connection. Begin with a full charge, carry a power bank and charging cable, reduce screen use and consider using airplane mode when appropriate. Keep the phone warm and protected from moisture.

Tree cover, cliffs and narrow valleys may reduce GPS accuracy or make it take longer to establish a position. A phone is an excellent navigational aid, but it is not infallible – and it cannot usually call or message for help without cellular, Wi-Fi or compatible satellite service.

Leave A Trip Plan Before Leaving Home

Equipment is only part of hiking safely. Before setting out, check the weather, trail conditions, park advisories, wildfire activity and expected daylight. Choose a route suitable for the group’s fitness, skills and experience.

Tell a reliable person where you are going, which route you intend to take, who is with you, what vehicle you are using and when you expect to return. Establish a specific time at which that person should seek help if you have not checked in. AdventureSmart’s trip-planning guidance explains the information rescuers may use to locate an overdue group.

If an emergency occurs and communication is available, call 911. Do not delay seeking help because of concern about the cost of rescue. Provide your location as precisely as possible, describe the problem and follow the dispatcher’s instructions.

The contents of a hiking pack should change with the distance, season and difficulty of the route. The need to carry basic survival equipment should not. A few carefully chosen items can turn an uncomfortable delay into a manageable one – and give search-and-rescue personnel a much better opportunity to bring everyone home safely.

The post Hiking Must Haves appeared first on British Columbia Magazine.

British Columbia’s varied geology, glaciers, forests and climate create an especially broad palette. Although weather and light affect how a lake looks from shore, much of its colour is determined by what the water absorbs, what it reflects and what is floating or dissolved within it.

Deep Water, Deep Blue

Clear, deep water naturally appears blue because water absorbs different wavelengths of light at different rates. Longer wavelengths, including red light, are absorbed relatively quickly, while shorter blue wavelengths travel farther through the water and are more likely to return to our eyes. The effect is most noticeable in deep water with relatively little sediment, algae or dissolved organic material.

That is why a lake may look pale or transparent along a shallow shoreline but become increasingly dark blue farther from land. Depth is not the only factor, however. Once particles or dissolved substances enter the water, they change how light is absorbed and scattered – and the lake begins to take on a different colour.

Turquoise Made From Stone

Some of BC’s most photographed lakes owe their brilliant turquoise colour to glaciers.

As a glacier moves, rocks embedded in the ice grind against the bedrock below, producing an extremely fine powder known as glacial flour or rock flour. Meltwater carries those particles into streams and lakes. Because the grains are so small, they can remain suspended rather than immediately sinking to the bottom.

When sunlight enters the lake, the suspended particles scatter light, producing the milky blue-green colour associated with glacier-fed water. The exact shade depends partly on the amount and type of sediment present, as well as the lake’s depth and surrounding light conditions.

At Joffre Lakes Park, for example, BC Parks attributes the saturated turquoise-blue water of the three lakes to glacial silt suspended in the water.

The amount of rock flour entering a lake can also change during the year. Warmer weather may increase glacial melt and the flow of sediment-bearing water, while some particles gradually settle during quieter periods. A glacier-fed lake’s colour is therefore not necessarily fixed.

Kalamalka’s Changing Colours

Not every turquoise lake is coloured by a glacier. Kalamalka Lake, near Vernon, is a rare and striking example of a marl lake.

Its water contains dissolved calcium carbonate associated with limestone deposits left in the region after the retreat of the Fraser Glacier. As the lake warms, tiny calcium carbonate crystals called marl form in the water. Sunlight reflecting from these pale particles can shift the lake from dark blue-green to vivid turquoise or aquamarine.

The display changes as the season progresses. Marl forms more quickly in warmer water, but the crystals eventually sink into deeper water and stop reflecting as much light near the surface. That helps explain why Kalamalka can appear to change colour between visits – or even display different shades across the lake at the same time.

When A Lake Turns Green

Green water can have several explanations. Mineral particles may produce a green or blue-green cast, while shallow water can pick up colour from aquatic plants or the lake bottom. In other cases, microscopic algae and phytoplankton are responsible.

Algae are a natural and essential part of freshwater ecosystems, but under favourable combinations of nutrients, warmth, light and calm conditions, some species can multiply rapidly and form a visible bloom. BC’s blooms occur most often in late summer and early fall, although they can develop at other times of year.

A bloom may look green, blue-green, yellowish, brown or even red, depending on the organisms present. Colour alone cannot determine whether it is harmless. Harmful cyanobacteria can resemble ordinary green algae, and definitive identification requires microscopic analysis.

Tea-Coloured – But Not Necessarily Dirty

In forested and wetland landscapes, lakes and ponds sometimes appear amber, reddish-brown or almost black. This colour often comes from dissolved organic matter released as leaves, roots, peat and other plant material break down.

The effect is similar to steeping tea. Unlike suspended mud, which may eventually settle or be filtered out, these naturally dissolved compounds can continue colouring the water even when it is otherwise clear.

Dark water is therefore not automatically polluted or unhealthy. In some places, it is simply a reflection of the surrounding soils and vegetation. Suspended clay, silt and soil runoff can also produce brown, grey, yellow or reddish water, particularly after heavy rain or where waves disturb a shallow lake bottom.

A Landscape Written In Water

A lake’s colour is not merely decorative. It can reveal the presence of glaciers, limestone, forest soils, microscopic life or recently disturbed sediment. It can also change as snow melts, glaciers release more water, summer temperatures rise, algae multiply or suspended particles settle.

Sometimes that transformation is part of a healthy natural cycle. At other times, a sudden surface scum, paint-like streak or dense green bloom warrants caution. The province advises people and pets to avoid water containing a suspected cyanobacteria bloom: when in doubt, stay out.

The next time a BC lake appears impossibly blue, unexpectedly green or as dark as steeped tea, look beyond the surface. Its colour may be telling the story of everything from moving ice and ancient limestone to the forest growing along its shore.

The post Lakes Of Many Colours appeared first on British Columbia Magazine.