Steph Kov Adventures

North Vancouver Island is a whole different vibe and I'm so excited to be heading back up there real soon for some more explorations.

New places plus maybe a visit to some spots I went to last year. We'll see, keeping the plans pretty open while I'm up there this time.

Pictured here is:
*San Josef Bay
*Ronnings Garden
*Holberg
*Port Hardy
*Cluxewe Resort

Recommendations welcomed. I am planning to for sure explore around Port Alice this time! :)

Easy backpacking trails on Vancouver Island:

There's a few good options but the easiest ones are

*San Josef Bay: this is a short flat 2.5km walk in to the beach. (My friend and I decided to pull a wagon in so we could bring my big tent & some extra water). To camp here you just need to purchase a backcountry permit either by cash at the trailhead or online

*Lake Helen Mackenzie: this is probably the only easy hike in for backpacking in Stratchcona park. A few km in with just over 100m elevation gain gets you to this beautiful lake. From there you have many day hike options!

You could also hike in further to Kwai Lake, or Circlet Lake for a bit more of a challenge. (Book backcountry permits online or at the trail & tent pads are FCFS)

*Juan de fuca beaches (Mystic, Sombrio, China, etc): the nice thing about the Juan de fuca trail is you can actually choose your own adventure by making it as hard or as easy as you want. The easiest is just parking at each beaches parking lot and doing a short hike in. Same with the other two, you just need to book a permit and then camp wherever you can find a spot.

Make the trip harder by doing part of the trail and hike between a couple of the beaches or of course do the whole trail!

Another idea for a bit more challenging of a trip (but still nothing too crazy)

*Landslide lake via Elk River trail (the 2 campsites before the lake are more gradual hikes in so although it is still a moderate level hike it's not too technical or long depending on your hiking level)

*Save this for future trip planning*

Oh Baker, how I missed you.

Felt good to get back here last week and cross off another hike in the area: Ptarmagin Ridge which gets you right to the base of Mt. Baker. 😍

Plus enjoyed the wildflowers that were poppin around and the other surrounding mountain peaks.

19km return, 750m elevation gain.

Have you hiked in Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest? Whats your fave hike (if you have)?

Some places leave their mark on you. This is one of them.

📍Lake O'Hara, Lake Oesa, Yoho National Park

One year ago i was hiking part of the Alpine Circuit at Lake O'Hara. We had walked the road in because we couldn't get shuttle passes (we did luck out in getting a pass on the way out though!) But this is why we only did one part of the Alpine Circuit (up Wiwaxy Gap).

I'll be back one day for more hiking! Miss you Lake O'Hara.

We hiked around 20km with over 1000m elevation gain this day (including the 11km to walk the road in).

Have you been to this magical place?