Seniors Go Travel

British Columbia Destinations

BC’s forests are well worth visiting

By Cathryn Atkinson

British Columbia exists because of its forests. They brought the loggers and fruit growers who settled the interior, inspired the conservationists to fight to preserve entire regions of greenery, and became the setting for all the fun that can be had under them and among them. In all, the province's woodlands cover an area twice as big as all the New England states and New York state combined.

Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island is the place to see ancient giants shrouded in history and myth – great figures that tower 76 metres (250 feet) in the air. The grove is a 157-hectare (387-acre) portion of MacMillan Provincial Park, and is one of the most easily reached stands of giant Douglas fir trees on Vancouver Island.

The oldest trees here are links to the time before Columbus, and the fact that they are around the same age as Westminster Abbey in London (1065 AD) or Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (1163 AD) will spark visitors to marvel as they walk below their boughs.

Visitors of all ages and abilities can see these giants – the very young and the very old can stroll through a network of short trails under the shadow of their majestic living trunks and know that they remain almost untouched by the modern world. The grove is, for a wilderness area, surprisingly accessible for wheelchairs and strollers (a select few trails), so there is no reason why anyone cannot enjoy the park.

Signs are posted throughout the trails, explaining the science of the trees, the lives of the animals that exist there and other aspects that bring the forest further to life for city dwellers.

The grove is split by Highway 4, which runs between Qualicum Beach and Port Alberni. Heading west, it is only a few minutes past beautiful Cameron Lake with its railway trestles and small boats fishing for trout.

The park’s small size and accessibility has left it vulnerable to the impact of high visitor use. Visitors should stay on designated trails, where they will find ample opportunities to view and photograph this bit of history.

In Northern BC, ancient mosses and lichens hang from 300-year-old red cedars in the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Protected Area, located on the southern third of the Queen Charlotte Islands, an archipelago of more than 150 islands increasingly known by its local name Haida Gwaii, or Islands of the People.

Its untrammelled forests of western red cedar, BC’s provincial tree, make it a rarity in the world, a place without roads or paths. Twenty feet into the bush from your kayak and you may as well be a thousand miles away. The only way in or out of the park is by water or air.

It was named the top national park in North America in 2005 by National Geographic Traveler magazine, which cited the "high cultural integrity" between Parks Canada and the Haida people.

Uniquely, the 19-year-old federal park is also a First Nations reserve, and the Haida are equal partners in running it. All visitors to the park go through an orientation led by Haida representatives that describes everything from the history, to the ecology, to how tourists are expected to behave. And each summer a rotation of Haida “Watchmen” stay at key historical locations in the park. Aboriginal representatives come from as far away as Australia to see if they can adapt the model for their own countries.

The United Nations has designated the uninhabited Haida village of Skang Gwaay (sometimes known as Ninstints), at the southern edge of the park on Anthony Island, a World Heritage site. There are 26 mortuary totem poles at the site, each uniquely carved with animals and mythological figures from the surrounding trees. There is also the remains of a longhouse, giving an indication of how truly remarkable craftsmen the Haida were and remain.

Tourist access to Gwaii Haanas is heavily restricted, with no more than 300 people allowed in the park at any one time, up to 3,000 per summer season, so tour companies provide a simplified way of gaining access. Other options include day trips by float plane or independent travel for lucky boat owners who gain entry.

Sea-To-Sky country, north of Vancouver, offers a host of attractions and opportunities for tree and forest lovers. There are outstanding trails for hiking and cycling all along Highway 99.

Squamish, around an hour north of the big city, is a town steeped in the traditions and history of forestry. And while logging is seen by some to be an industry on the wane, its fascinating history and way of life are very much celebrated here every summer. This year sees the 50th anniversary of the Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival from August 2 to 6, 2007.

Lumberjacks are welcome, and arrive from as far away as Australia to participate in competitions for log rolling, tree climbing, axe throwing and at least six different ways to chop wood. It’s very much a family event, including music, a parade, a 10-kilometre run, and so much more that promises to amaze and thrill.

Further north, the ski resort of Whistler is full of world-famous attractions. One of the more unique is Ziptrek Ecotours, located between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. Participants fly through the tree canopy by gliding in harnesses along steel cables (ziplines) suspended high above the stunning white-water river that divides Whistler from the Blackcomb Mountains.

Ziptrek Ecotours provides a discovery of mountain ecology that combines adventure with environmental education. Guided tours include two choices of five zipline rides that gain progressively in height and length from 91 to 670 metres (300 to over 2,200 feet).

The ziplines are joined by a network of ground based boardwalks and trails, and by aerial stairways and bridges. It is an opportunity to gain access to ancient coastal temperate rainforest – and learn something about it at the same time.

Back in Vancouver, Stanley Park is a 404-hectare (1,000 acre) oasis in the middle of the city known around the world. While it lost around 3,000 of its half a million trees during the severe winter storms of November and December 2006, many have made donations to see its fallen greenery rise again. As well as the many rainforest trails that make you forget about the surrounding urban sprawl, there are several interesting stopping points for tree lovers.

In the genteel Shakespeare Garden at the park’s pavilion, trees that were mentioned throughout the great writer’s plays have been planted in his honour. Meanwhile, monument trees, which are the park's oldest inhabitants, can be discovered by trail walkers in three wilder areas: off Siwash Rock Trail, Third Beach Trail and north of Beaver Lake on Lake Trail.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge, a North Vancouver landmark, suffered hugely last winter during severe wind storms. But it has reopened to visitors and one of its great attractions is its Treetops Adventure.

For more on British Columbia’s destinations and travel information, call 1-800 HELLO BC (North America) or visit www.HelloBC.com.

Contacts:

Cathedral Grove
www.vancouverisland.travel/touring/parks/

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Protected Area:
www.pc.gc.ca/pn_np/bc/gwaiihaanas
or on the Islands in general visit:
www.haidagwaiitourism.ca

Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival
604-878-9274
www.squamishdays.org

Ziptrek Ecotours
www.ziptrek.com

Stanley Park
www.vancouver.ca/parks/index.htm

Capilano Suspension Bridge
www.capbridge.com