Find Yourself Among Giants: 7 Ways to Get Into the Heart of BC's Mountains

Join a trip with SKY Helicopters, based in Pitt Meadows, for a Coast Mountain Adventure tour. This 50-minute flight experience whisks guests over plunging waterfalls and the Coast Mountains before touching down for a 20-minute wilderness heli-landing in the backcountry. Take in the panoramic view of glaciated peaks, the Pacific Ocean, and Vancouver Island to put the magnitude of BC’s Coast Mountains Range into perspective.

On Vancouver Island, hop on a 45-minute Comox Glacier Tour with 49 North Helicopters to soar over the Vancouver Island Ranges towards the famous Comox Glacier. The pilot will gently land on top of a remote mountain for a chance to soak in the unique surroundings. 

In Northern BC, join a floatplane tour with Alpine Lakes Air from the outdoor adventure town of Smithers. The 3 Lakes Tour flies over the Telkwa Range and lands on Nanika Lake; relax while snow-capped peaks reflect in the perfectly calm, clear water before flying on to two more lakes, over the hanging glaciers of Atna Peak, and up to 2,740 metres (9,000 feet) for a tour of six more glaciers.

For flightseeing tours over the Bugaboo Range in the Purcell Mountains, book a Mt. Sir Donald and the Columbia Icefield tour with Kicking Horse Aviation. Soar over granite spires, majestic valleys, and vast glacial ice fields.

At Tweedsmuir Park Lodge, in Bella Coola, learn about the local geography and history of the original inhabitants of the valley, the Nuxalk First Nations’ people. Join the First Nations and Valley Tour to visit the Petroglyph Gardens, where 5,000 to 10,000-year-old rock carvings are left intact, and learn of their significance with an experienced Nuxalk guide. The tour includes a picnic lunch at Clayton Falls Recreation Site with views of the fjord and surrounding snow-capped mountains.

Nemiah Valley Lodge is an Indigenous-owned and -operated lodge on BC’s central coast, next to Tŝ’il?oŝ Provincial Park and one of the highest alpine lakes in North America. Join a local Xeni Gwet’in guide for a hike up Cardiff Mountain to see basalt and lava columns from ancient volcanic activity.

In Northern BC, book guided mountaineering and remote hiking experiences from Burnie Glacier Chalet, located deep in the Howson Mountain Range. Or opt for guiding hiking experiences through the Northern Rockies with Northern Rockies Fitness.

For more gentle, meandering day hikes or longer, backcountry treks, join a hiking tour in Whistler and choose between valley, alpine, or backcountry experiences that range from forest frolics to glacier treks.

For a more off-the-beaten-path adventure, plan a multi-day trek along the Sunshine Coast Trail to experience one of Canada’s longest hut-to-hut hiking routes. To make the trip a breeze, book a guided experience with Footprint Nature Explorations based out of Powell River (direct flights available from Vancouver).

MB Guiding on Vancouver Island offers trips to lesser-known mountain ranges and routes on the Island. Treks along the Bedwell Lakes Trail, Elk River Trail, Flower Ridge Trail, and more are led by experienced guides with Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) certifications.

Join Whistler Jet Boating to weave along the Green River to the base of Nairn Falls near Pemberton. Wildlife sightings (think: bears, eagles, and deer) are a common bonus to the adventure.

In the Thomson Okanagan, one of the best whitewater rivers in BC sits under the towering 3,959-m (12,970-foot) peak of Mount Robson. Book a tour with Mount Robson Whitewater for a three- or six-hour experience navigating Class 3 rapids.

Join a trip down the Kicking Horse River in Golden for one of the wildest and most intense whitewater trips in Canada. Navigate Class II and IV rapids with a guided experience along this rushing, glacial-fed river.

In Northern BC, book at trip with Frontier Experience for a jet boat or river float trip down the Bulkley River. Or join Wild River Adventure Tours for a jet boar tour of the impressive and spectacular Kinuseo Falls in Tumber Ridge.

In the Fraser Canyon, cruise down the mighty Fraser River flanked by thousands of feet of mountainous terrain on all-inclusive experience booked with REO Rafting Resort or Kumsheen Rafting Resort. Enjoy a riverside camping and glamping-style getaway and raft on the jade-green Nahatlatch or Thompson rivers.

In BC’s South Chilcotin Mountains, Tyax Adventures offers multi-day horseback trips and hut-to-hut experiences for intermediate to advanced riders. Grab the reins and explore mountain passes, sub-alpine meadows, and glacier-fed lakes in this spectacular backcountry on a three- or four-night trip.

For a farm stay where traditional Indigenous experiences are interwoven into ranch life, a trip to Big Bar Guest Ranch—owned by the tswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation and located on the traditional territory of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation—is a must. Join a one-hour, half-day, or full-day ride and spend the rest of the day canoeing, fishing, swimming, hiking, or on a cultural tour of the area.

Further east, between Banff and Glacier National Park near Cranbrook, Three Bars Ranch sits on more than 14,000 hectares and is home to over 120 horses. Overnight guests can join rides every morning and afternoon with a small group of guests, while in between you can enjoy fishing, hiking, ATVing, mountain biking, and more. Make it a road trip, or fly direct to Canadian Rockies International Airport, and make the 15-minute drive to the ranch.

In Northern BC, more vigorous travellers can join Muskwa-Kechika Adventures for a horseback expedition in some of BC’s most dramatic landscapes: the northern Rockies.