UnionJack Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Anyone have any BC in winter vacation ideas (preferably within about 5-6 hours of Seattle)? We love(!!) Whistler but are looking for something different. Someone today was telling me about the Parksville area, which sounds great, but I can't figure out online whether it'd be any fun in the winter. We don't necessarily need snow activities in B.C., but would like for wherever we find not to be totally shut down in the winter! We love restaurants, coffee shops, shopping, walking, any sorts of activities but activities aren't totally necessary! Thanks for any suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 have you looked at places on vancouver island? I think nanaimo area is somewhat sheltered from the weather. and there's always vancouver - lots to do there year round. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Do you want to ski or snowboard? There are many excellent skiing places in BC. If you want to move away from the coast, try closer to the Rockies. Cranbrook and area (Fernie) is supposed to be good, and the city of Cranbrook is nice. Or you could move even further east in BC and into Alberta. Fly into Calgary and ski near Banff. Sunshine and Lake Louise are awesome. There are hot springs in Banff, too, which is a treat in the winter. Banff has a ton of coffee shops and restaurants. it's almost too commercial for my tastes, as I remember when it was a small town. Jasper, Alberta is still a small, beautiful village, and the skiing is amazing, too. It's just a lot further to get to. Victoria is gorgeous, though I'm not sure what weather expectations you have for the winter. It will have beautiful cafes and shopping, but won't be warm or necessarily pleasant for lots of walking. It can get snowy and chilly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 On the coast nothing really shuts down for the winter...well maybe except the canoe, kayak and SUP rentals. Trails, parks etc will all still be accessible unless you're talking about really technical trails which sometimes get very difficult in the rain.... It really doesn't snow much on the island. Even in The lower mainland we've not had much the last few years, except on the north shore mountains. If you haven't been to Victoria, it's worth a day or two. There's a mammoth at the museum; Craigdarroch castle is nice too.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 I'm not a huge fan of snow, so I'd easily choose Victoria. Minimal chance of snow interrupting any plans (average annual snowfall is just 13"). I don't know what I'd do there, but you'd certainly have the options of places to walk and shop. Alternatively, if you're not committed to B.C., perhaps Leavenworth, WA, a perfect winter destination, although the snow average is considerably (haha) higher (94"). Lots of fun winter activities though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionJack Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 have you looked at places on vancouver island? I think nanaimo area is somewhat sheltered from the weather. and there's always vancouver - lots to do there year round. Thank you! Parksville is on Vancouver Island and is a thought--Nanaimo/that area in general sounds great (esp if it's a bit sheltered from the weather!). We love Vancouver!! Especially when it is dinner time :-) So much good food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionJack Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 Do you want to ski or snowboard? There are many excellent skiing places in BC. If you want to move away from the coast, try closer to the Rockies. Cranbrook and area (Fernie) is supposed to be good, and the city of Cranbrook is nice. Or you could move even further east in BC and into Alberta. Fly into Calgary and ski near Banff. Sunshine and Lake Louise are awesome. There are hot springs in Banff, too, which is a treat in the winter. Banff has a ton of coffee shops and restaurants. it's almost too commercial for my tastes, as I remember when it was a small town. Jasper, Alberta is still a small, beautiful village, and the skiing is amazing, too. It's just a lot further to get to. Victoria is gorgeous, though I'm not sure what weather expectations you have for the winter. It will have beautiful cafes and shopping, but won't be warm or necessarily pleasant for lots of walking. It can get snowy and chilly. Thanks--I love these ideas! I hadn't heard of Cranbrook or Fernie and will definitely check them out more. Victoria is a fun idea as well...quite a bit closer, which would be a plus...I haven't been there in about ten years! do you know of any towns nearby that would be nice to split time between? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionJack Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 Do you want to ski or snowboard? There are many excellent skiing places in BC. If you want to move away from the coast, try closer to the Rockies. Cranbrook and area (Fernie) is supposed to be good, and the city of Cranbrook is nice. Or you could move even further east in BC and into Alberta. Fly into Calgary and ski near Banff. Sunshine and Lake Louise are awesome. There are hot springs in Banff, too, which is a treat in the winter. Banff has a ton of coffee shops and restaurants. it's almost too commercial for my tastes, as I remember when it was a small town. Jasper, Alberta is still a small, beautiful village, and the skiing is amazing, too. It's just a lot further to get to. Victoria is gorgeous, though I'm not sure what weather expectations you have for the winter. It will have beautiful cafes and shopping, but won't be warm or necessarily pleasant for lots of walking. It can get snowy and chilly. Just looked up Jasper and Banff (am familiar with Banff but hadn't seen pictures).... beautiful!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionJack Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) On the coast nothing really shuts down for the winter...well maybe except the canoe, kayak and SUP rentals. Trails, parks etc will all still be accessible unless you're talking about really technical trails which sometimes get very difficult in the rain.... It really doesn't snow much on the island. Even in The lower mainland we've not had much the last few years, except on the north shore mountains. If you haven't been to Victoria, it's worth a day or two. There's a mammoth at the museum; Craigdarroch castle is nice too.... Thank you! I'm leaning towards Victoria now... Our children haven't been there and it'd make it simple/maximize our stay to stay relatively close to home. I haven't been to Craigdarroch--that will go on my list! Do you know of any nearby small towns that are also cute/would be fun to check out? Oh, also, good to know things don't shut down. We went to Sunriver a few years ago right after the summer touristy season ended and it was like a ghost town! Edited August 14, 2016 by UnionJack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionJack Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 I'm not a huge fan of snow, so I'd easily choose Victoria. Minimal chance of snow interrupting any plans (average annual snowfall is just 13"). I don't know what I'd do there, but you'd certainly have the options of places to walk and shop. Alternatively, if you're not committed to B.C., perhaps Leavenworth, WA, a perfect winter destination, although the snow average is considerably (haha) higher (94"). Lots of fun winter activities though. Leavenworth is also a fun idea... We haven't been there for a few years and I doubt our children remember it! Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) Sooke is beautiful. A further drive up island is Cathedral Grove in MacMillan park. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/macmillan/ " Cathedral Grove, located in MacMillan Provincial Park, is one of the most accessible stands of giant Douglas fir trees on Vancouver Island. Here visitors can stroll through a network of trails under the shadow of towering ancient Douglas-fir trees, majestic pillars untouched by the modern world – some more than 800 years old." Edited August 14, 2016 by hornblower 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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