Field & Forest

Dispatches from the road: A little journal of adventure and discovery

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BIKING THE KETTLE VALLEY RAIL TRAIL

The Kettle Valley Rail Trail is maybe the best known bicycle route in Canada. Traversing some 650km (400 miles) from the Cascade Mtns to the deserts and pine forests and verdant valleys of the interior, the trail passes through an almost shocking variety of scenery for such a short distance. Easily divisible into shorter trips (many people will be familiar with the popular Othello Tunnels and Myra Canyon), rarely exceeding an effortless 2% grade, and with a nice blend of remote wilderness and resupply and bail-out points, it's a perfect introduction to off-road bike touring.

More info and photos from the trip on fieldandforest.co

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BIKING BC’s COASTAL CIRCLE ROUTE

Seven days, six ferries, two islands, eight cute coastal towns, too many treats to count, and some of the year's best made memories. This is a trip we keep coming back to.

The Coastal Circle Route is a classic 500km loop up the Sunshine Coast to Savary, then over to Vancouver Island and down through Comox and Qualicum to Nanaimo and finally back to Horseshoe Bay and Vancouver. A highly customizable trip, you can choose road rides or detours onto gravel and single track, with plenty of options for camping or for packing light and staying at bed and breakfasts.

Both times we've ridden this route we started on the Sunshine Coast, but you can of course loop it in either direction. The Sunshine Coast is best explored leisurely — for the most part the highway is in the forest with few ocean views, so to experience it fully we recommend taking all the side trips you can: Gibsons, the quiet alternate to Roberts Creek, out along Redrooffs Road to Sargeant Bay, Pender Harbour, or heading to the hills on the Lower Sunshine Coast bikepacking route, which strings together a combo of single track with ATV and FSR roads. No matter which way you choose it will be hilly, so plan for lots of scenic snack stops and ocean swims. One of the joys of bicycle touring vs road tripping is that the fuel is tasty treats — the money you would normally spend on gasoline is instead funnelled into cookies and extra sandwiches. It's a pretty good deal. And for hilly routes like the Sunshine Coast here you best be laying out for plenty snacks.

Read the full post on fieldandforest.co

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HIKING THE ROCKWALL TRAIL

The Rockwall Trail is stunning a 55km (34 mile) trek through BC's Rocky Mountains. You'll hike through flower-filled meadows and larch forests, down into deep craggy creek valleys, past hanging glaciers, and beneath the jagged mountain peaks of Kootenay National Park. It's a beautiful hike, easily one of the prettiest in all of Canada, and the views seem almost unceasing.

More photos on the Field & Forest blog

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VICTORIA BY BIKE

Victoria is a bicyclist's paradise. With year-round mild weather, compact vibrant neighbourhoods, and a forward-thinking network of regional connectors and downtown bike lanes, it's our favourite city in Canada to explore by bike. And residents agree: a whopping 17% of people either walk or bike to work, the highest percentage in the country by far.

Visiting from Vancouver could hardly be any easier — simply ride off the ferry and hop onto the verdant Lochside Trail, biking past picturesque farms and markets as you're whisked towards the city far away from the noisy highway. From there you have a selection of dedicated bike corridors that'll take you just about anywhere you wish to go, and, believe us, with plenty of pretty places you just might find yourself wanting to go all over.

On our most recent trip we stopped in for tastings at Sea Cider and Spinnaker’s Brewpub, and took guided rides up the Saanich Peninsula and on the mountain bike trails on Mt Work. But many of our favourite moments were just idly pedalling around the laid-back and picturesque city — whether perusing the shops and cafes downtown or out along Dallas Road for bracing ocean views. Already planning our next bike trip out there...

For more photos and trip ideas check the blog post at fieldandforest.co

_____ Big thanks to Destination Greater Victoria for helping make this trip possible

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A WEEKEND IN KELOWNA

Kelowna and the surrounding Okanagan Valley continue to entice. From lush vineyards to golden highlands, sprawling lakes and scenic rocky perches, a fascinating mix of urban and rural, the ever-growing city holds rewards for every type of traveller, and each visit brings a new discovery.

We returned to Kelowna again this past September, exploring the burgeoning craft brewery scene in the city's North End, biking the new Okanagan Rail Trail along the always stunning Kalamalka Lake, hiking the grassy flanks of Mt Boucherie, and enjoying a morning horseback ride through Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park. It’s hard not to find the landscapes surrounding the city incredibly evocative and inspiring, the dry pine forests and aromatic deserts and golden light filtered through orchards and vineyards. Each time we visit it feels like we uncover a whole new set of places to save and savour for next time.

For more photos and trip ideas, check the blog post on fieldandforest.co

_____ Big thanks to Tourism Kelowna for helping make this trip possible

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SOUTHWEST ROADTRIP

The American Southwest feels like the spiritual home of the roadtrip. Our culture is steeped in these landscapes from our movies to our very foundational myths, and your first visit will likely feel like a homecoming. Whether it's the vast sagebrush highlands of Nevada, the stunning sculpted red rocks of Utah, or the sprawling canyons of Arizona, the landscapes and sun-bleached colours evoke an awesome sense of desolation and possibility. It's a trip everyone should take at least once in their life, and with the great variety of sights and stops you can fully customize it to your time and interests. 

This was our first trip to the area, and with just over a week we admittedly bit off more than we could chew. We wanted to see it all! From Zion to Arches to Monument Valley to the Alabama Hills, it was a whirlwind trip of beautiful locations, but next time I’d prefer longer stays in fewer spots. And pretty dang sure there’ll be a next time, yes yes

See more on the blog: Journey thru the American Southwest

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DEEP WINTER IN THE GRAND CANYON

By Jake Myhre

I awoke to the first drops of rain bouncing off my eyelids. How long would it last? I was two weeks away from any house, laundromat or anywhere to dry my sleeping bags. Better pitch the tent. We’d been rafting for two weeks already. We’d maxed out the time on our Grand Canyon permit at 27 days. It was wonderful. But at this particular moment, laying on my raft trying to decide if I should trust my synthetic sleeping bag’s warmth retention, it was cold. I grabbed a tarp out my dry sack, stuck a paddle in between me and a cooler, and pulled the tarp over. It wasn’t much, but I was able to stay dry on my raft and doze for another hour.

It was the trip of a lifetime. Floating down the Grand Canyon we drifted past almost countless layers of history, ancient eons of sandstone and limestone and granite. Great Blue Herons would chase our rafts downstream. Crashing against waves we would laugh our way through rapids. Every night we’d pull out onto a makeshift beach and set up camp. It wasn’t much — just a four burner stove, the blaster, and the dish station. After dinner everyone would wander off to find a place to pitch their tents among the rocks and small patches of sand. There was sixteen of us and aside from the novelty it was usually easier for me to stay on my raft.

So I’d sleep there, on my raft. Almost every night. Drifting idly back and forth in the current, watching the stars as they slowly rotated above me. Looking up, up toward the top of the canyon, up toward civilization, to the first hints of a coming storm.

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Jake Myhre is a nomadic photographer, and you can usually find him biking, hiking, camping, rafting, climbing, skiing or doing just about anything outside. Or find him online at jakemyhre.net and on Instagram @jake.myhre

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THE KLONDIKE HWY

The discovery of gold in the Klondike changed North America forever. The news spread around the world like wildfire and over 100,00 people began the journey north, establishing roads and infrastructure in the once illimitable wilderness, and even spurring the very creation of the Yukon itself. The gold rush only lasted a couple short years, but the epic saga shaped our very idea of the North, and inspired a body of literature that continues to spark a romantic fascination to this day.

It was a long and arduous journey for the first prospectors, travelling up from the coastal ports of Alaska through the rugged mountains of BC and deep into the wilds of the untamed Yukon. Today the official Klondike Highway links the little Alaskan town of Skagway to the distant Dawson City, roughly following the most famous route used by prospectors. And even though it’s a far easier trip today, it's still an incredible journey — travelling through 709 km (440 miles) of almost unimaginably vast wilderness, through treeless barrens and boreal forests as far as the eye can see, past picturesque lakes, and punctuated only occasionally by little far-flung towns.

The route is a long way from anywhere, so if you have the time we highly recommend adding a few extensions to make the most of your journey. We started our trip in Kluane, heading down to Haines and on to Skagway, adding side trips first to Atlin and then into the Tombstone section of the famed Dempster Hwy. 

As always, read the full post on the blog

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WINTER IN THE SHUSWAP

What makes an ideal winter day? Snow-draped vistas, some skiing or snowshoeing, a hearty meal, maybe relaxing in a sauna, or warming up by a crackling fireplace? This March we experienced all this and more on a weekend getaway to the BC’s Shuswap. Long a popular summer destination, it was nice to take a few days and savour the area's cozy winter comforts.

From delicious meals at Quaaout Lodge to skiing in the Larch Hills, and from the Tin Poppy cabins to exploring the magnificent and frozen Foreshore Trail, it was a relaxing mini-vacation and a perfect winter getaway.

More info on places and itinerary on the blog: Winter in the Shuswap

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THE BEATEN PATH

Located in southern Montana just above the eastern edge of Yellowstone National Park, the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness encompasses nearly a million miles of pristine backcountry. Featuring two distinct mountain ranges there are dozens of superlative treks and trails to explore, but there’s probably no better introduction to this area than the Beaten Path.

Capping out at 3000m (~10,000ft), the Beaten Path is a 26-mile high-elevation  trail of towering granite cliffs, sparkling trout-filled alpine lakes, crashing cascades, and lush meadows through some of the tallest mountains in Montana. It’s a shuttle hike, so the two trailheads are several hours’ drive apart, and the logistics add a little bit of extra adventure. We hiked it over three days last August following our trip to Big Sky, and highly recommend it.

For more info (and photos), check out the full post on the blog

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A SEASON AT THE SUNDANCE RANCH

By Tegan Arnold

Back when I was in New Zealand and unhappy in my job I used to spend a lot of time on the website ‘Workaway’ dreaming about all of the things I could be doing in other parts of the world. It was on one of these nights of endless scrolling through work exchange hosts that I came across a posting for a guest ranch in BC. I made up my mind to move to Canada.

The sprawling Sundance Ranch is located in the hills of Ashcroft BC and home to over 100 horses and can accommodate around 50 guests at a time. The landscape is referred to as the Canadian desert, and almost reminds me of Central Otago, but on a huge scale. There’s an extensive network of trails to explore, and the sweeping vistas of the Thompson River valley from aptly named trails such as Skyride, Top of the World and Twin Pine have kept guests returning to Sundance for 40 years now.

The riding was second to none and the horses were amazing. I was a little nervous on my first ride, but after a few gallops the western saddle felt like home. Nothing can compare to the feeling of cantering through the grass on the top of Deadhorse run, or winding through the trees of Extended Pagewire, or drinking in the view from Twin Pine as your horse rests. One of the most memorable (and freezing cold) rides was through an early season snowstorm. 

For someone who has been on the road for almost 5 months, I was surprised to see how quickly Sundance has become home for me. When you’re living like a hermit its so easy to become attached to places that you stay in for longer for 5 minutes. The people, the animals, and the ranch have quickly become my home, and as I trundle down that dusty road for the last time I know it’s going to be like leaving New Zealand all over again.

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Tegan is a lover of adventure, dog enthusiast, and tree hugger from little old New Zealand. When she’s not adventuring through the rugged beaches and alpine of her homeland, she’s exploring the mountains of British Columbia with camera in hand. You can find her over at commongroundnz.com or on instagram @commongroundnz

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HIKING TO THE MUELLER HUT

By Ragnhild Utne

At 1800m, the Mueller Hut is one of New Zealand’s highest-elevation huts that can be reached by a non-mountaineer, and while on holiday to NZ last month I decided to make it happen. 

I read heaps about it beforehand, but admittedly thought that hiking in New Zealand — or “tramping” as the locals say — probably couldn’t be any more dramatic than anything in my home country of Norway, not to mention Svalbard. But I was just excited to be out hiking in a polar bear-free area.

The hike is incredibly steep and my legs were constantly put to the test. It’s only 5.2km to the hut but the trail gains a whopping 1050m. I’m not going to hide the fact that it was very difficult walking up, and carrying an overnight backpack didn’t make it any easier. But the trail was incredibly rewarding. With views over Hooker Valley and the towering Mount Cook, I immediately felt it was worth all the suffering. Also, meeting some rare kea birds outside the hut the next morning was an extra reward after hiking up to the snow.

I socialised with other visitors who were from different corners of the world before started my descent. Those steps weren’t any easier walking down. My legs felt like they were made out of jelly towards the end of the hike. _____

Ragnhild Utne is a photographer, graphic designer, and guide who currently resides in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. She moved to the northernmost settlement in the world about one year ago to be able to enjoy the outdoors to the fullest. You can see more of her work on her portfolio or find her on Instagram @utne 

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THROUGH THE FOG-FILLED FOREST

This summer we hiked Vancouver Island's Juan de Fuca Trail. Just south of the famous West Coast Trail, the JDF offers a similar experience in a slightly more approachable package. Following the stunningly rugged coastline, you'll see waterfall-carved canyons, grottos and gullies and groves of giant trees, wave-swept beaches, and — if you're lucky — plenty of iconic BC wildlife.

At 47km long, it can be hiked in as little as 2 days but we recommend 4 or even 5 days if you can spare them. There are some long and muddy sections, and despite starting and ending each day near sea level you can still experience substantial elevation gain. Besides, it's just nice to savour wild trails like these, to give yourself ample time to explore and enjoy the area.

More photos and info about the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail on our website

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KAMLOOPS

Leaving the Shuswap, we turned west to follow the scenic South Thompson River down towards the city of Kamloops. Surrounded by dazzlingly barren hills, Kamloops has some of our favourite landscapes in all of BC: craggy hoodoos rising above lush vineyards, sparkling blue lakes nestled in golden rolling rangeland, sweeping vistas of ponderosa pine and sagebrush steppe. 

We explored a couple trails in the city’s Kenna Cartwright Regional Park, then headed over to hike Battle Bluffs in the Lac du Bois Grasslands. We popped into two local wineries, delicious restaurants, and the farmer’s market. And then we visited an abandoned and crumbling sanatorium for a tour...

Read the full post on Field & Forest

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THE SALMON RETURN

Leaving the Okanagan, we continued our way north to the broad forested valleys and sprawling lakes of the Shuswap. At the foot of the Monashee Mountains, it's a beautiful country of sweeping meadows, soaring peaks, and seemingly endless expanses of water. It's also home to one of BC's most spectacular natural wonders: the Adams River Salmon Run.

After spending most of their lives in the ocean salmon return to freshwater to spawn, usually travelling back to within metres of where they were born. Each river can present its own unique set of challenges, but it's hard to imagine a more perilous and improbable journey than the one to Adams River. These salmon travel upwards of 4000km, slowly making their way out to the ocean and to Alaska and then back again, ignoring thousands of other rivers along the rainy coast to hone in on the faint smell of the river they came from. They then swim another 500km deep into the interior of BC, up the swift-flowing Fraser and Thompson Rivers, passing raging rapids, cascades, canyons, mountain ranges, and countless predators, again navigating the web of tributaries to find the very gravel beds from which they came. It's astonishing. And even more astounding is how many salmon make it: tens of millions of salmon can make the journey successfully, and some years the river seems like it’s almost entirely made of fish. This is North America's largest Sockeye run.

Read the full post on Field & Forest

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SUSTAINABLE VERNON

Continuing north on our roadtrip up BC’s Route 97, we visited the city of Vernon in the North Okanagan. Surrounded by rolling sage-swept hills, aromatic pine forests, and huge many-hued lakes we spent a few days exploring the area’s trails, orchards, and attractions. From Tesla rentals to wild-harvested forest teas, alpaca farms, and small-batch apple cideries Vernon is a happening place.

Read our newest roadtrip post on the Field & Forest blog! 

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SUSTAINABLE KELOWNA

With sun-drenched hills, verdant valleys, and sparkling sprawling lakes, it's easy to see why the Okanagan is one of Canada's best-loved destinations. It’s the kind of place that fosters awe and appreciation, a pride of place that makes people want to help protect it. 

Nestled on the shores of Okanagan Lake and surrounded by scenic benchlands, Kelowna is the biggest city in BC's wine country, warmed by a friendly culture of good local food and delicious drink. This past September we spent a few days getting to know some of its sustainable businesses, from organic orchards to indigenous wineries. 

Read our newest road trip post on the Field & Forest blog!