British Columbia's Top Five

Five Amazing Summer Adventures in British Columbia

1) Hello, Sunshine!

Hike BC’s Sunshine Coast Trail, Canada’s longest hut-to-hut trail system—and the only free one! Hikers from around the world come to do this 111-mile journey along the coast, through old-growth forests and up to panoramic mountaintop views, all with the comforts of a hut system.

2) Some Like It Hot

The Hot Springs Circle Route in the Kootenay Rockies will have you soaking in a natural oasis surrounded by wilderness. Lounge in cave hot springs, camp overlooking a lake, sink into one of Canada’s largest hot spring mineral pools, or spot bighorn sheep on surrounding red cliffs. Just a few of the many sights and hot springs on this route.

3) Are You for Wheel?

Rail trails are a near-perfect way to explore BC’s wild spaces and wine country. In all, the Kettle Valley Rail Trail is 400 miles of decommissioned tracks to be explored by bicycle, or on foot. Join a tour (wine or brewery tours pair nicely!), or rent a bike to set out on your own.

Wine touring by bike along the Kettle Valley Railway

4) Ready, Set, Salmon!

You haven’t experienced rush hour like this. Don a snorkel and swim alongside thousands of salmon fighting their way upstream. Campbell River on Vancouver Island is the “Salmon Capital of the World” and the best (and perhaps only) place to swim with the salmon!

5) Sea-to-Sky Road Trip

If you like your road trips to be more than just driving, then the Sea-to-Sky Highway should be on your short list. This 100-mile route from Vancouver to Whistler has stunning mountain, forest, and ocean views. It can be done in one to three days and is packed with adventure: stop for a hike, morning yoga with a view of Howe Sound at the Sea to Sky Gondola, or check out one of the many mountain biking trails in North Vancouver, Squamish, and Whistler.

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  2. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

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  3. Easiest Best Hike in the World

    Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road

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  4. Hiker in the forest at Mount Sutro in San Francisco

    San Francisco's Middle Earth

    No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.

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  1. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

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  2. Underground Garden

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  3. Volcanic Activity

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  4. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

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