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Chilliwack – The town of Chilliwack, filled with
early 1900s architecture, is about an hour east of Vancouver on Highway
1 and is the heart of farming country, with almost 1,000 farms. Plan on
a stop to pick up fresh fruit and vegetables, especially corn. It's
also famous for Holsteins and Brahman cattle. Check out the Farmer's
Market in down town Chilliwack on Wednesdays and Saturdays or
ask about farms that offer tours or fresh produce and dairy for sale. |
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 River
Rafting on the Chilliwack River – For
more adventurous (and bigger kids). Check in town for guides and conditions,
depending on the time of year, this may be more than small children can
handle. |
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The
area around Chilliwack is home to the Stó:lõ Nation and you can tour
the Shxwt'a:selhawtxw House of Long Ago and Today Interpretive
Centre. Stó:lõ story tellers may tell you about the time long ago when
animals and people spoke the same language, and be sure to check ahead for
scheduled activities, when kids can learn Stó:lõ crafts of weaving and carving. |
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Cultus Lake Provincial Park is about 20 minutes from
Chilliwack. The lake is clear and warm during the summer months. Go
swimming, rent a boat or water skiis. There are also miles and miles
of hiking trails all around the lake. |
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Cultus
Water Park is a big water slide park open during the warmer months – a great place to let the kids loose whether they're 5 or 15.
There are "white water" rides and both big and small slides, etc.
Directly across from the Water Park is a miniature golf and game center:
Adventure Golf Course. Little kids can try their hand with ponies, and
bigger kids can go on horseback trail rides at the Cultus Lake Riding
Stables. A nice extra is the petting zoo at the stables. |
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Bridal Falls – |
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Bridal
Falls Provincial Park sits at the foot of Mount Cheam, just east
of the Trans-Canada. The big nature draw here is Bridal Veil Falls, the
6th highest known waterfall in Canada. |
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If
you're ready for a real hike, follow the creek at the base of the Falls
to the Cheam Lake Wetlands, a regional nature park, a big draw for
birders. |
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Little
kids may prefer a visit to Dinotown, a 12 acre theme park with paddle
boats, a train ride, and stage shows, just off the Trans-Canada. |
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Minter Gardens – Minter Gardens is a beautiful
stop along the Trans-Canada. Whether you love gardens or just need a break
from the road, this is a great place to stretch your legs and wander: over
27 acres of gardens, including a dozen "theme" gardens (rose,
tulip, Japanese, etc.) Ahead of time, ask about festivals, including annual
wine, vintage car, and art shows. On warm month Sundays, the Gardens host
concerts as well. You may want to plan the stop for brunch, lunch
or dinner time – there are three places to eat here, from buffet
to cafeteria to snack bar, all over looking the gardens. |
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Harrison Hot Springs – Just what you'd expect from the name: a spa resort.
This is a little off the beaten path heading west on the Trans Canada highway
down the Number 9 highway. It was originally a stop on the gold miners'
route from the Fraser River to the goldfields. Today, the lake side town
is a BC locals favorite for weekend get-aways. Stroll lazily around town,
picnic by the lake, walk along the promenade, get an ice cream cone or stop
in the Harrison Hot Springs Resort for afternoon tea. |
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Soak
in the hot springs – One of the
big draws in town, about thirty years ago a "Health Pavilion"
was built around the hot springs. You can relax in a 100+ degree sitting
pool, swim in the warm indoor pool, have a shiatsu massage or even try a
little aromatherapy. |
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The
Sasquatch Provincial Park, about five minutes from town,
has four beautiful lakes set in a forest circled by mountains. This is a
great place to spend at least an afternoon. |
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On
Harrison Lake you can swim, rent canoes and skim around the
lake, fish for trout, have a picnic or pitch a tent in several
campgrounds here. The park has both hiking trails and an interpretive
trail that even little kids can manage. |
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Head
for the Green Point picnic area on Harrison Lake and tell the kids to keep
a sharp eye out for "Sasquatch" (the BC version of Big Foot).
Truth is, you're more likely to see mountain goats. |
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Hope – This town is on the Fraser River, in the Cascade Mountains. Rock hounds can
go gold panning – or just looking for interesting minerals.
If you don't know how to fish, ask about the "reel" fishing
school here and learn all about fly-fishing for steelhead, salmon and
sturgeon. If you'll be here in August, check out the annual Fraser River
Barrel Race for a real taste of the area. |
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Hell's Gate – The big attraction here
is to take the very dramatic ride in the gondola (they're big: built
to hold about two dozen people) which goes soaring incredibly high above
Fraser Canyon. Far below you'll see one of the main salmon spawning grounds:
the fisheries display includes several documentaries about the area
fishing and gold mining history. If it's near meal time, have some fresh
salmon at the restaurant or tour the fudge factory and then walk
it off in the gardens. |
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Manning Provincial Park – Over 66,000 hectares in the Cascade Mountains, beautiful rugged mountains
covered in fir, cedar and pine, filled with alpine meadows, lakes and rivers.
Manning Park is home to mule deer, coyote, squirrels, marmot, chipmunks
and beavers. If you really want a challenge, take a hike and follow
the old settlers and gold miners footsteps on the Dewdney, Whatcom
and Hope Pass trails. You can also go camping
or have a picnic at one of the four campgrounds in the park. You'll
find wood for campfires, toilets, and picnic areas. |
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Go fishing for trout in the Strike and Lightning Lakes or along
the Similkameen and Sumallo Rivers. Of course, just following the water
makes for a beautiful hike or rent a canoe and pretend you're an 18th
century explorer in The Great North on the rivers. (Definitely a big-kid
adventure...) |
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In
wintertime, try some Cascade Mountain cross-country skiing on
the 50 miles of trails – or take on the downhill skiing
slopes here. There's a local ski school that will set you up with equipment
and a guide. |
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The Manning Park Resort itself is worth a stop any season of the year.
The Resort is about 50 years old, (although most of it was built in
the last 30 years). Besides skiing and hiking, the resort hosts several
summer events such as an annual bird count in June, a Canada Day (July 1)
celebration, mid-July Parks Day festival with special guided hikes, and
in early August there's a lights festival when you can learn to build your
own floating lantern (then set it adrift with hundreds of others at sunset
on Spruce Bay). |
