I'm planning to backpack from the Seattle area to BC next year, most likley on the Pacific Crest Trail. I want to hear from some Canadian Nexians about what I should see and do once I'm over the boreder. I want to hear about the beautiful sight seeing locations, best whale watching and other outdoor wonders in the Vancouverish area. Also where can an adult can go for some illicit fun in this neck of the woods? Help guys!

Also... Has anyone out there been to the Shambhala Music Festival? Would it be worth my time? Do you have any other sugestions for a dedicated festie?

This year will be my first Shambhala experience... Everyone I have talked to that went last year says it was spectacular... I think it might be getting close to selling out soon... Also the drive out to Salmo is beautiful...

The Entheos Summer solstice festival should be good too... I'm going to try and do both this year. I already have a ticket for Shamb

I hope you're not asking the forum where you can find drugs...

Wish you lots of fun on your travels!

Come to my house and we'll party in hyperspace
Nah in all seriousness, great B.C festivals: Entheos, Diversity, Shambhala, & many small vancouver and inland rave/parties.

Well, for starters your going to want to make your way to Vancouver Island.. Everything moves at a slower pace here. On the island the best places to whale watch are up north in Tofino(grey,blue,humpback,transient orcas) and for just regular killer whales go to Victoria. While in Tofino you can camp, hike, surf waves of 3'-35' depending on the season. You can do whale watching tours that stop at the hot springs on the side of the ocean, boat access only. If you want to do a major hike, look into the West Coast Trail, it takes about 6-8 days depending on your pace but you have to book in advance, there are trail nazi's that will not let you enter the trail heads without papers and sufficient supplies. A more mellow hike is the Juan De Fuca trail, it takes 3 days and honestly has more to look at and better places to camp. I'm talking camping on the beach on the pacific ocean and waking up to an unreal sunrise and a pod of killer whales swimming by chasing seals. You don't need any papers or reservations to hike the JDF. There are some pretty amazing caves here as well. If your looking to hang out with some hippies and share in some hippy type behavior(socalled illicit behavior lol) go to the gulf islands, more specifically Saltspring or Galiano. Up north on the island there are a few more nice islands like, Hornby, Denman and Texada. I've never been to shamballa but family of mine has been, they said it was pretty much a big drug rave for a week where your not aloud any alchohol whatsoever, and will be kicked out and banned if caught making a drunken scene. We also have the largest wooden train trestle converted walking bridge in North America that was just refurbished last summer as part of the trans Canada trail network. Bungee jumping in Nanaimo that is 100% safe and worth going to see or do if youv'e got the cajones. If you want to see the largest trees in Canada they are here as well, both in Cathedral Grove(touristy trap type spot of only about 20 acres on the side of a highway, or Carmannah Walbran(at the end of the west coast trail. Walbran is incredible, I drive over 3 hours many times in the summer and fall to pick Chanterelles there. Lots of black bears in that area as well as cougars(puma, mountain lion etc) so don't hike alone. I know there's more but I'm not remembering all of it right now. Hope that gives you a few things to look into.

C_S

top two for my next trip west!

"Also where can an adult can go for some illicit fun in this neck of the woods?"

Well when you hit Vancouver make sure you hit wreck beach on a really sunny day..there really is no other place like it I have ever encountered.. Very trip friendly. Noone will even concider it out of place for you to just be sitting in the sand tripping out of your mind. It is clothing optional but dont worry about that..really wreck beach is just a place people come here and fall in love with.

BC is just freaking huge man..I mean HUGE..just so much endeveloped rainforest, beaches, mountains..there is even desert here..

I would go to the island for sure though..Vancouver Island is a gem. You just have to go there to understand. Go to Tofino.

I wish I had money this year for entheos..seriously makes me sad

Shadowman-X, Costal_Shaman, and of course sir Jamie thanks for the replies. I'll be looking in to all of those things.

Any one with some nice BC pictures should chime in, any time now. I want to see what you saw in this beautiful place. I went to Vancouver once when I was fifteen or so. I learned to rock climb and kayak in Canada, in Squamish in fact. I was easily one of the top experiences of my life!

Noooo... Im just trying to find my family

Awesome idea man, there are many amazing places to check out in Vancouver and the area. There's a town called White Rock with some unbelievably peaceful and hidden beaches if you know where to go, like Jamie said Wreck beach is fantastic, the sea to sky highway is intensely gorgeous and really easy to hitch hike on, tofino is awesome - camping out on the beaches at night is perfect. I don't think you'll have a hard time finding weed and there's a shop called the urban shaman that sells some legal entheogens like amanita, HBWR, morning glory seeds, blue lotus etc. Not really worth it because you'll be able to find mushrooms quite easily, especially if you go to wreck beach. There's also a beautifully tall tree on Cambie and King Edward with some nets and swings up high in it if you want to climb up, revealing a perfect view of downtown and the mountains.
I host couchsurfers somewhat frequently, if you shoot me a message around the time you head up I could probably hook you up with a place to crash and take you to some great places. Enjoy the most beautiful city in the world.

White rock is a freaking wonderfly beautiful place...and as it turns out, I live about a 10-15 minute drive from the main beach ..I love that beach to death and spend most of the summer on the beaches surrounding the area skimboarding..nice place out of the city and super laid back compared to downtown..crescent beach is just around the corner and also a nice little gem..both can get very touristy in the summer though..

Doubt I will ever live anywhere else uneless we end up on the island at some point..I lived in white rock just after I was born and grew up 15 minutes away from the place...living back out here after spending time living in the middle of downtown vancouver is like heaven!

Lynn canyon is a great place to go hike as well if you have time..the whole north shore is really amazing..super old growth forests, mountains, beaches..

Haha, that's awesome! The park I referenced in my ibogaine experience as the child-hood location where the young man told me "Socrates said you don't go to the land of the dead, the land of the dead comes to you!" is Semiahmoo park, I was sitting on the band-stand with him. I also grew up in White Rock, a block up the street from the sandpiper pub. Would it be weird to ask you to hang out some time?

I can vouch for White Rock. I don't live far from there, and I love going there from time to time. Great place.