A one-stop resource for hiking backpackers in beautiful British Columbia. Planning your next backpacking adventure? This book covers all the essentials including: 40 overnight hiking trails: discover the many different routes that BC has to offer Packing tips: take only the most essential items with you (plus a few comforts) Permitting: find out what permits you’ll need, and where to get them Camp set-up: tips for where to pitch your tent and how to find water Environmental impact: learn how to Leave No Trace behind in the wilderness This book features backpacking routes from the North Shore up to Pemberton and Lytton and from the Sunshine Coast out to the Similkameen Valley. Beautiful photographs showcase what you’ll see along the way: mountain peaks, alpine meadows, waterfalls, old-growth forests, and more. Every backpacking route in the book includes bonus features: Trail maps and route descriptions Elevation, distance and time information Points of cultural and natural history Pre-planning hints about fees, permits, and reservations Suggested side trips and points of particular interest Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia also shares options for extending an overnight excursion to several nights or a week, and for selecting hikes that match your timeline/fitness level.

British Columbia is regularly described in superlatives both positive and negative - most spectacular scenery, strangest politics, greatest environmental sensitivity, richest Aboriginal cultures, most aggressive resource exploitation, closest ties to Asia. Jean Barman's The West beyond the West presents the history of the province in all its diversity and apparent contradictions. This critically acclaimed work is the premiere book on British Columbian history, with a narrative beginning at the point of contact between Native peoples and Europeans and continuing into the twenty-first century. Barman tells the story by focusing not only on the history made by leaders in government but also on the roles of women, immigrants, and Aboriginal peoples in the development of the province. She incorporates new perspectives and expands discussions on important topics such as the province's relationship to Canada as a nation, its involvement in the two world wars, the perspectives of non-mainstream British Columbians, and its participation in recreation and sports including Olympics. First published in 1991 and revised in 1996, this third edition of The West beyond the West has been supplemented by statistical tables incorporating the 2001 census, two more extensive illustration sections portraying British Columbia's history in images, and other new material bringing the book up to date. Barman's deft scholarship is readily apparent and the book demands to be on the shelf of anyone with an interest in British Columbian or Canadian history.

In this beautifully crafted collection of essays, Cole Harris reflects on the strategies of colonialism in British Columbia during the first 150 years after the arrival of European settlers. The pervasive displacement of indigenous people by the newcomers, the mechanisms by which it was accomplished, and the resulting effects on the landscape, social life, and history of Canada's western-most province are examined through the dual lenses of post-colonial theory and empirical data. By providing a compelling look at the colonial construction of the province, the book revises existing perceptions of the history and geography of British Columbia.

Living in pre-Civil War Philadelphia, young Black activist Mifflin Gibbs was feeling disheartened from fighting the overwhelming tide of White America’s legalized racism when abolitionist Julia Griffith encouraged him to “go do some great thing.” These words helped inspire him to become a successful merchant in San Francisco, and then to seek a more just society in the new colony of Vancouver Island, where he was to become a prominent citizen and elected official. Gibbs joined a movement of Black American emigrants fleeing the increasingly oppressive and anti-Black Californian legal system in 1858. They hoped to establish themselves in a new country where they would have full access to the rights of citizenship and would be free to seek success and stability. Some six hundred Black Californians made the trip to Victoria in the midst of the Fraser River Gold Rush, but their hopes of finding a welcoming new home were ultimately disappointed. They were to encounter social segregation, disenfranchisement, limited employment opportunities and rampant discrimination. But in spite of the opposition and racism they faced, these pioneers played a pivotal role in the emerging province, establishing an all-Black militia unit to protect against American invasion, casting deciding votes in the 1860 election and helping to build the province as teachers, miners, artisans, entrepreneurs and merchants. Crawford Kilian brings this vibrant period of British Columbia’s history to life, evoking the chaos and opportunity of Victoria’s gold rush boom and describing the fascinating lives of prominent Black pioneers and trailblazers, from Sylvia Stark and Saltspring Island’s notable Stark family to lifeguard and special constable Joe Fortes, who taught a generation of Vancouverites to swim. Since its original publication in 1978, Go Do Some Great Thing has remained foundational reading on the history of Black pioneers in BC. Updated and with a new foreword by Adam Rudder, the third edition of this under-told story describes the hardships and triumphs of BC’s first Black citizens and their legacy in the province today. Partial proceeds from each copy sold will be donated to the Hogan's Alley Society.

Your guide to 150+ provincial and national park campgrounds. The sixth edition of Camping British Columbia describes the location, amenities and recreational activities of every BC provincial and national park that offers vehicle-accessible camping. Camping with kids? Learn which campgrounds have interpretive programs, playgrounds and safe swimming beaches. Don't want to rough it too much? Pick out the provincial and national parks with flush toilets, hot showers and restaurants nearby. Exploring the province in an RV? Find out which campgrounds have sani-stations, hookups and pull-through sites. Presented alphabetically region by region, with maps and easy-to-follow driving directions, these campground listings provide all the information anyone could want and make it easy to compare parks.