Guidebooks provide a curated hiking experience: the author went out and hiked tons of trails, then chose only some of them to include in his or her book. And unlike some online sources, you can be sure that book authors have knowledge and credibility about their subject.

Read on for my list of the best Vancouver hiking books including:

• Vancouver hiking guidebooks
• hiking maps for the Vancouver area
• natural history books about Vancouver and British Columbia
• outdoor skills books for hikers

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support. -Taryn

Best Vancouver Hiking Books

105 Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia

Stephen Hui, Greystone Books, 2018

This book provides a selection of day hikes within a few hours’ drive of Vancouver, plus a few on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and Washington state. 105 Hikes is actually an update to the 103 Hikes series, which dates back to the 1970s. It has a great mix of hikes with a bunch of shorter and less difficult trails thrown in for those days when you have less time or energy.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo

READ NEXT: 103 Hikes and 105 Hikes: The History of Hiking Guidebooks in BC

Destination Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia

Stephen Hui, Greystone Books, 2021

Also by Stephen Hui, Destination Hikes is a companion book to 105 Hikes. It contains 55 new hikes to spectacular destinations including swimming holes, waterfalls, mountain peaks, and more. Each hike also includes a stop of interest nearby, such as viewpoints, historical sites, and nature reserves so that you can make a day of it. Like 105 Hikes, it’s a beautiful book with gorgeous photos and detailed maps.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo

Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia: The Essential Guide to Overnight Hiking Trips

Taryn Eyton, Greystone Books, 2021

Of course, I’m going to include my own book on a list of the best Vancouver hiking books! I wrote Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia to be the guidebook I wanted when I first started backpacking. It has details for 40 backpacking trips within a few hours of Vancouver including where to camp, how to Leave No Trace, and day hikes you can do from your backcountry campsite.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo

Get My Book…

Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia

A one-stop resource for backpackers in beautiful British Columbia.

• 40 backpacking trips within a few hours of Vancouver
• Info about permits, reservations, and campground facilities
• Detailed maps and photos
• Advice for extending your trip
• Points of cultural and natural history

Get the book

109 Walks in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland

John Halliday, Alice Purdey, Mary & David Macaree, Greystone Books, 2019

The 109 Walks series has been running since the 1970s as a complement to the 103/105 Hikes series. This latest edition has lots of short and easy hikes and nature-oriented neighbourhood walks from Squamish to Chilliwack. The hikes in this book are great for rainy days, shoulder season, and days when you don’t have time for a long hike.

Shop: Amazon

Squamish Hiking

Marc Bourdon, Quickdraw Publications, 2017

Squamish Hiking is the definitive guide to hiking the Sea to Sky corridor between Horseshoe Bay and Whistler. It includes 82 hikes along with stunning photos and easy-to-read maps. As a Squamish resident, this is the book that I pick up first if I want to try out a new local hike that might be a bit off-the-beaten-path.

Shop: MEC

The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Peak Bagger’s Guide

David Crerar, Harry Crerar, Bill Maurer, Rocky Mountain Books, 2018

Not exactly a hiking guidebook, The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore provides directions for summitting 67 popular and obscure peaks, some on well-worn trails, others on flagged scrambling routes, and a few via off-trail bushwhacks. It also provides everything you would ever want to know about the history, culture, and geography of the North Shore Mountains since it’s a whopping 503 pages long!

Shop: Amazon | Indigo

READ NEXT: The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Review

Best Vancouver Hiking Maps

Backroad Mapbooks Vancouver, Coast & Mountains BC

Backroad Mapbooks, 2019

Many Vancouver area hikes require challenging drives on logging roads to reach the trailhead. The Backroad Mapbooks series are great for finding your way through the maze of road branches. I also like using the books to discover new areas since the maps highlight trailheads, waterfalls, parks, and other areas of interest for hikers.

Shop: Amazon | MEC

Clark Geomatics Maps

Jeff Clark makes beautiful and detailed trail maps through his company, Clark Geomatics. They are topographic maps with clear overlays for trails, campsites, ski routes, and logging roads. On the back, they have detailed trail descriptions and info about natural history and culture. Vancouver hikers should pick up the Callaghan Valley Area, Garibaldi Provincial Park, and Manning Park maps.

Shop: Amazon | MEC

Trail Ventures BC Maps

Burnaby-based Trail Ventures BC makes the best maps for most Vancouver-area trails. Their easy to read maps are made from tearproof and waterproof paper that even I haven’t been able to wreck (despite folding and refolding their North Shore Trail map on dozens of off-the-beaten-path hikes). They also have maps for Chilliwack, Port Moody/Port Coquitlam, and the Stein/Joffre area.

Shop: MEC

Best Vancouver Natural History Books

Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska

Jim Pojar and Andy Mackinnon, Lone Pine Publishing, 2016

This book has become my bible for plant identification. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast has detailed photos and descriptions of hundreds of species of trees, shrubs, mosses, flowers, and more. I got really into learning about plants during the pandemic – it was cool to discover what grows in different microclimates on our local trails depending upon elevation, sun exposure, soil conditions, etc.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo

Popular Wildflowers of Coastal British Columbia and Vancouver Island

Neil L. Jennings, Rocky Mountain Books, 2020

This thin book is my go-to resource for wildflower IDs. Popular Wildflowers is also light and small enough to carry on a hike. It sorts the flowers by colour and has great photos, which makes it easy and fast to find what I’m looking for.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo

All That the Rain Promises and More… A Hip Guide to Western Mushrooms

David Arora, Ten Speed Press, 1991

If you are interested in mushroom hunting, this is the best book for the Vancouver area. All that the Rain Promises and More… has great photos and descriptions of the mushrooms as well as notes on edibility. But the feature I like best is the flowcharts on the inside covers that help you narrow down what type of mushroom you are looking at.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo

British Columbia: A Natural History of Its Origins, Ecology, and Diversity

Richard Cannings and Sydney Cannings, Greystone Books, 2015

This beautiful book starts with a section on geology and then the remainder is divided into sections representing the different ecosystems of BC. British Columbia: A Natural History is illustrated with gorgeous photos, cute drawings, detailed maps, and informative charts. It’s the only book you need to learn about nature in BC.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo

Best Outdoor Skills Books for Hikers

Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills

The Mountaineers Books, 2017

Even if you never plan to get into climbing, Freedom of the Hills is a must-read for any hiker. It’s a how-to guide for pretty much everything in the outdoors. In addition to tips for rock climbing and mountaineering it includes info on wilderness navigation, emergency preparedness, Leave No Trace, first aid, snow science, and mountain weather.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo | MEC

The Avalanche Handbook

Peter Schaerer & David McClung, The Mountaineers Books, 2006

If you snowshoe in winter or hike on steep slopes with lingering snow in the spring and summer, you need avalanche training. While this book doesn’t replace a formal avalanche course, it’s a great reference since it’s used as a textbook in most courses. The Avalanche Handbook includes tons of info on avalanche formation, terrain, prediction, and self-rescue.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo

Wilderness Navigation: Finding Your Way Using Map, Compass, Altimeter & GPS

Bob Burns and Mike Burns, The Mountaineers Books, 2015

In the age of smartphone apps, map and compass navigation is a dying skill. And that’s a shame since it’s so important! Phones die or lose reception and apps aren’t always correct. Every hiker should understand how to read a topographic map and use a compass. Wilderness Navigation is a great book for teaching these skills in an accessible way.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo | MEC

Wilderness Medicine: Beyond First Aid

William W. Forgey M.D., Falcon Guides, 2017

A wilderness first aid course is a great investment for any hikers. You’ll learn how to treat common hiking injuries with a basic first aid kit and the gear you are already carrying. But it can be tough to remember everything you learn in a course. That’s where a book like Wilderness Medicine comes in. It’s great as a refresher for the course, or for general knowledge.

Shop: Amazon | Indigo

So there you have it – my picks for the best Vancouver hiking books. There are lots of other hiking books for Vancouver and British Columbia, but these are the only ones I truly recommend. What is your favourite Vancouver hiking book? Tell me in the comments.

READ NEXT:

• 103 Hikes and 105 Hikes: The History of Hiking Guidebooks in BC
• The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Review
• The Best Canadian Adventure Books
• 20+ Women’s Adventure Books That Will Inspire You

The post The Best Vancouver Hiking Books appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. Thanks for supporting my website! -Taryn

Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book. However, all opinions are my own.

Basic Stats:

Author: Roy Jantzen

Format: Paperback with lots of full colour photos and maps

Publication Date: 2015

Publisher: Rocky Mountain Books

List Price: Paperback $25CAD

Where to Buy: Amazon.ca (where it’s often on sale)

What’s in the Book?

One of the things that I liked best about the book is the fact that the majority of the activities are within Metro Vancouver. Too often books claim things are in Vancouver when in reality they are several hours drive away. It’s nice to be able to pick an activity, head out the door, and be outside in the fresh air quickly. There are also public transit directions so you aren’t tied to your car.

Another thing I really liked about Active Vancouver is that most of the activities are very beginner-friendly. As well, Jantzen included an index at the back of the book. It has specific recommendations for trips that are good for dogs, kids, teens, seniors, and out of town visitors. 

Active Vancouver is broken up into sections for a variety of active outdoor pursuits. There are sections for trail running, hiking, snowshoeing, cycling, paddling and picnicking. There’s also a bonus section at the back called “Other Adventures” that includes swimming, inline skating and rock climbing.  There are 48 adventures in all, with a handful in each section. Each adventure includes a map, directions and beautiful photos.

However, for me the best part of each adventure was the “Eco-Insight” section with interesting ecological info. I’ve done the Quarry Rock Hike in Deep Cover countless times. But I’ve never stopped to think about the close relationship between the tree roots I’m stepping over and fungus. The author is a professor of natural history at Capilano University and it’s obvious that he’s put a lot of thought into the ecological info in this book. After reading the Eco-Insight for Quarry Rock, I know next time I do that hike I’ll spend some more time looking carefully at the forest floor! (Psst: Did you know that Quarry Rock is one of the most Instagrammed hikes in Vancouver?)

Who Will Like This Book?

Active Vancouver includes adventures in all four seasons, so it’s something locals can use year round. I think this is a great book for any outdoor adventurer in Vancouver. It’s especially good for those new to town, new to the outdoors or new to getting outside with their growing family. Even if you’re a seasoned Vancouver outdoors-person, I think the Eco-Insights alone are reason enough to own a copy.

More Book Reviews:

• The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Review
• 103 Hikes and 105 Hikes: The History of Hiking Guidebooks in BC
• 20 Women’s Adventure Books That Will Inspire You
• The Best Canadian Adventure Books
• The Best Vancouver Hiking Books

More Vancouver-Area Outdoor Adventure Ideas:

• The 10 Best Hikes in Vancouver: A Local’s Guide
• Waterfalls Near Vancouver You Can Hike To
• 35 Vancouver Hikes You Can Get to on Transit
• 15 Unusual Hikes Near Vancouver
• 100+ Snow-Free Hikes in Vancouver: Trails You Can Hike Year Round
• The Ultimate Guide to Snowshoeing in Vancouver: 10 Places to Go
• 6 Easy Hikes in Vancouver for Beginners and Tourists

The post Active Vancouver: Book Review appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Basically, The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore provides directions for summiting 67 peaks on Vancouver’s North Shore – all without the use of rock climbing gear. Some of the routes are hikes, some are an easy walk, some are scrambles and some are hideous off-track, bushwhacking, route-finding missions. And the book doesn’t just have route descriptions in it. It also has probably the most detailed history of outdoor activity in the North Shore mountains ever printed. Oh and did I mention it’s a beast? This thing clocks in at 503 pages! I’ve been poring over this book since I got, so here’s my honest review.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. Thanks for supporting my website! -Taryn

I received a complimentary review copy of this book. However, all opinions are my own, and honestly I would have purchased this book with my own funds if I hadn’t been given a copy. 

Basic Stats:

Authors: David Crerar, Harry Crerar and Bill Maurer

Format: Paperback with lots of full colour photos and maps . Also available as an eBook

Publication Date: 2018

Publisher: Rocky Mountain Books

List price: Paperback: $40CAD

Where to Buy: Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Indigo

More Info: BaggerBook.ca

READ NEXT: The Best Vancouver Hiking Books

What’s in the Book?

The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore includes info and route descriptions for 67 peaks. Most peaks include multiple route options. Each peak also includes a topo map, a brief section on name origins, First Nations history, geology, first ascents and other historical trivia. Many of the peaks will be familiar to casual hikers (e.g. Mount Seymour, Hollyburn), but others were new even to me (e.g. Zinc Peak, Mount Jarrett).

The peaks are separated into 7 mountain ranges or groups stretching from Howe Sound and Furry Creek in the West to the Fannin Range around Mount Seymour in the East. There are also some great suggestions for trips that combine multiple peaks. The section on the Howe Sound Crest Trail is particularly detailed. I actually carried photocopies of some of that section on my trip on the HSCT this August and found them really helpful.

At the end of the book there are a staggering 24 separate appendices covering all manner of interesting topics including:

• Various rankings of peaks from easiest to hardest, etc. and connoisseur’s lists of best peaks for rainy days, camping, mushrooms, etc.
• A glossary of terms (Find out what “waterbag” and “veggie belay” mean.)
• History of local mountain clubs, aboriginal peoples, and the people and events some of the peaks are named after
• Info on flora and fauna, geology, creeks and other natural features
• A list of local peaks with hidden whiskey caches. A friend and I actually went on a mission to find one these recently… and were so excited to find it. Nevermind that we both hate the taste of whiskey, we drank some anyway!

What is the “Bagger Challenge”?

Vancouver’s trail runners and hikers have been forging their own routes to the North Shore peaks for years. In 2009 David Crerar organized the first formal “Bagger Challenge” – an annual contest to summit as many North Shore Peaks as possible in a calendar year. Since then, the Bagger Challenge has grown from a small group of friends to a Facebook group with hundreds of members. Each challenger reports their peaks bagged on the honour system and at the end of the year trophies are awarded for the champions of each gender, a kids division, a canine division and a spirit award. I haven’t formally participated in the Bagger Challenge yet, but I have been keeping up with the fun discussion in the FB group. (And I’ve also privately noted my own peaks bagged. I’m at 22 in my lifetime and 10 in 2018. Curiously, the book doesn’t have a tick list page where readers can keep track of all the peaks they’ve bagged.) Maybe next year you’ll see my name on the official baggers list though?

Who Will Like This Book?

You don’t have to be a dedicated member of the Bagger Challenge to enjoy the book. (Although, like me you might be planning some future peak bagging trips based on the books instructions!) I think the following types of people will love this book: those that like off-the-beaten-path hikes, people interested in local history, hikers looking to make the jump to scrambling, and anyone who wants to take their North Shore hikes to the next level but isn’t ready to learn roped climbing. This book is sure to spark some trip-planning ideas for many Vancouver-area hikers! I’m already dreaming of an overnight trip deep into the Fannin range behind Mount Seymour next year!

Have you got your copy yet? Which peak from the book is now on your must-hike list? Tell me in the comments.

Read Next:

• The Best Vancouver Hiking Books
• 20 Women’s Adventure Books That Will Inspire You
• The Best Canadian Adventure Books
• Active Vancouver: Book Review
• 103 Hikes and 105 Hikes: The History of Hiking Guidebooks in BC

The post The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Review appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. Thanks for supporting my website! -Taryn

History of 103 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia

When I got into hiking in my university days, a friend recommended I get a copy of 103 Hikes. The 5th edition was on the shelves at the time, so I bought it and started working my way through the hikes. My boyfriend (who is now my husband) and I would put our initials next to each hike in the index as we completed them. When the 6th edition of 103 Hikes came out I rushed to MEC to buy it, then sat down to pore over it and see what was different.

A few months later I spotted the 2nd edition of 103 Hikes at a used book store. Leafing through it, I was struck by the awesome vintage black and white photos (HUGE external frame packs anyone?) and the descriptions of old routes that have now fallen into obscurity or been obliterated by road building and development. Over the next few years I tracked down the other editions of 103 Hikes. Eventually I had the complete set, editions one through six.

This week when 105 Hikes came in the mail, I sat down to read it cover to cover, just as I did back in 2008 when the 6th edition of 103 Hikes was released. And then I walked over to the bookshelf and grabbed all my editions of 103 Hikes to take a tour through BC hiking history. I’ve put together some highlights for you in case you don’t have a complete 103 Hikes collection of your own. (I’m probably one of the only weirdos who collects things like this.)

1st Edition (1973)

In 1973 The Mountaineers Books and the British Columbia Mountaineering Club (BCMC) published the first edition of 103 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia. The introduction explains that a committee of BCMC members laboured over the book starting in 1967. But the author credit went to Mary and David Macaree, Scottish immigrants and long-time members of the BCMC. They went on to co-author every other edition of 103 Hikes (as well as it’s more sedate little brother, 109 Walks in Southwestern British Columbia).

The 1st edition of the book had hand-drawn maps (done by Mary Macaree), black and white photos and gave distances and elevation in miles and feet. It focused on trails in the Lower Mainland but also included many on Vancouver Island.

It’s interesting to read between the lines of the trail descriptions to get an idea of what trails were like at the time: There was no downhill ski resort at Cypress yet, and no road up there either. The current Elfin Lakes hut didn’t exist – instead there was a private lodge and you could pay to be driven up in a jeep or snowcat. And there were no hikes listed past Pemberton because highway 99 didn’t extend any further.

In today’s Instagram age I was shocked to read that even in the 70s the authors were worried about trails getting over used:

“A question often asked is why a group of outdoor types should produce a work such as this at all, given the very real danger that exposure of wilderness country to a wider public may well lead to its abuse, or even, in areas of heavy usage, to its complete despoilation…”

It’s crazy to find so many parallels to things we read about sharing info on hiking trails today! There are also numerous pleas throughout the book to pick up garbage, use camp stoves to reduce reliance on fires in fragile areas and to camp in designated campsites rather than trampling vegetation. The book never uses the words “Leave No Trace” but it’s clear that those ethics were important to its authors from the start.

2nd edition (1980)

The 2nd edition of 103 Hikes came out in 1980. The content of this book is much the same as the first edition except for the odd hike swapped in. The most noticeable difference is in the physical size of the book. While the first edition was nearly square, the second edition came in the now familiar rectangular format.

The 2nd edition also saw the introduction of the metric system to 103 Hikes. Despite Canada going metric in the 1970s, the first edition didn’t embrace it. By 1980 hikers still weren’t sure about metric so the 2nd edition uses BOTH feet and inches as well as kilometers and meters.

3rd edition (1987)

By 1987 the Macarees were able to find 103 hikes on the Mainland, so they removed the Vancouver Island hikes that had been in previous editions.  New hiking areas were opening up to BC hikers at this time: The Coquihalla highway had been built and trails were starting to be cut in that area. The formerly closed watershed areas of Lynn Headwaters and Buntzen Lake areas had also opened up and lots of trail building was happening. In particular, long-time BCMC member Halvor Lunden built many trails around Buntzen Lake that appear in the book for the first time. These include the Diez Vistas, Lindsay Lake, Swan Falls, Mount Beautiful, and Dilly Dally trails. And apparently hikers were finally ok with the metric system since the 3rd edition drops miles and feet entirely.

4th edition (1994)

There aren’t any glaring changes between the 3rd and 4th editions of 103 Hikes. The bulk of the hikes are the same. The stand out for me is Mount Cheam. The old route to Mount Cheam had been in the previous three editions. It started beside highway 1 outside of Chilliwack and gained over 2000m of elevation over the 30km round trip. It took most groups 2 days. By 1994 the logging roads had pushed far enough up the flanks of Cheam from the Chilliwack Valley side so that the current trail could be built. It gains 655m over 9.5km. If you think Cheam is a steep hike now, you should have tried it back in the 80s!

5th edition (2001)

This was the first copy of 103 Hikes that I owned. For the 5th edition Jack Bryceland joined Mary and David Macaree as a co-author. David Macaree actually passed away in 1998 (and Mary in 2008), so Bryceland mostly updated the non-trail description portions and added descriptions for new hikes. The existing hikes remained the way the Macarees wrote them.

While the Macaree’s hike descriptions were very matter of fact, Jack Bryceland’s descriptions have a more distinct voice. Bryceland editorializes a bit more and has a clear conservationist agenda. Many of the new hikes he introduced in the 5th edition were Western Canada Wilderness Committee trails that were built to try to prove the recreation potential of areas threatened by logging or development. Many of these trails have long and difficult logging road approaches. Despite being in beautiful areas, most of them were rough trails to begin with and still saw infrequent use after the book was released.

Along with a new author, the 5th edition also got a new map style. Single colour shaded maps with typed labels replaced Mary Macaree’s black and white hand-drawn maps of previous editions.

6th edition (2008)

At first glance, the 6th edition of 103 hikes doesn’t look that different from the 5th edition and it contains a lot of the same hikes. However, it was written and researched during the pre-Olympic construction on the Sea to Sky Highway, which closed many trailheads. Therefore, the book has few Sea to Sky trails.  The 6th edition was also the first for current publisher Greystone Books.

105 Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia, 1st edition (2018)

When I heard that Stephen Hui would be writing the successor book to 103 Hikes, I thought that the publisher couldn’t have picked a better author. Stephen wrote a long-running hiking column in the Georgia Straight for years and knows a lot about hiking in this area. (Full disclosure: I know Stephen personally and we’ve hiked together.)

Now called 105 Hikes in and Around Southwestern British Columbia, the new book makes some excellent improvements over the previous version. To start with, it has beautiful full colour maps that are much easier to read. Plus they have contour lines – so important in BC’s steep terrain! The book also has colour photos throughout, which I love.

Stephen has also completely cleaned house as far as the table of contents goes: there are tons of new trails! He has also removed some of the hikes that were in previous versions but had difficult access or just weren’t that scenic.  You might also get a bit of a hint as to another change from the title: 105 Hikes in and Around Southwestern British Columbia. That’s right, not just “in” but “around”. Hikes 80 to 105 are in Howe Sound, the Sunshine Coast, Victoria and Washington State.

Another important addition is the indigenous context. Stephen has evidently done a lot of research to include information about traditional indigenous place names and territories for each hike. It’s so important to remember that the land we hike isn’t just desolate wilderness. It is traditional territory for indigenous peoples and they have been here since time immemorial.

If you hike in Southwestern BC, you’re going to want to pick up a copy of this book. It’s available in stores now and you can order it on Amazon. It has a great mix of hikes with a bunch of hikes that are shorter and a bit less difficult thrown in for those days when you have less time. And if you’re a completionist you can join Stephen’s 105 Hikes Challenge Facebook group to trade notes with other hikes who are trying to finish all 105 hikes.

READ NEXT:

• The Best Vancouver Hiking Books
• 20 Women’s Adventure Books That Will Inspire You
• The Best Canadian Adventure Books
• Active Vancouver: Book Review
• The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Review

The post 103 Hikes and 105 Hikes: The History of Hiking Guidebooks in BC appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.