Photographing BC's Interior in the Fall

November 7, 2005 | Tips from Us > Clearwater, Sightseeing Tours

As an avid outdoor photographer I have discovered that BC’s interior is particularly attractive during the months of September and October. While North America’s eastern states and provinces receive a great deal of photographic attention during this time, BC has its own unique appeal: golden-yellow foliage juxtaposed against a landscape that has been described as vast, rugged, jagged, majestic… and the list goes on.

Aside from autumn aesthetics, there are other great advantages to photographers (actually, to any travelers for that matter) during these months… 1) Less highway traffic… BC’s highways are well maintained and pleasantly sparse after Labour Day. 2) Few to no bugs… Take your time composing your shots – the mosquitoes are on hiatus until next spring. 3) Plenty of vacancy… Finding a hotel room or a campsite is rarely an issue. Many provincial parks keep their campgrounds open into late October. 4) Unique wildlife viewing opportunities... For example, September and October are prime months to view spawning salmon on a number of BC’s rivers. Picture the crimson-reds of spawning Sockeye Salmon against a backdrop of yellow aspens.

Places to consider for next year:

Based on my recent journeys in the BC interior, here are a few locations that’ll give your shutter button a workout…

1) The Fraser and Thompson river canyons. Take Highway 1 from Hope to Cache Creek. Mid to late October seems to be ideal, providing an awesome contrast of autumn foliage against a rugged, desert-like backdrop. Spences Bridge and Cache Creek were particularly colourful during my visit (Oct 21-24).
2) Green Lake and Highway 24. The abundant aspen trees had already lost their leaves prior to my visit, but I’d guess that mid- to late-September would be ideal.
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