Canoe tour at the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area. (Photo courtesy of the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area)

The Creston Valley Wildlife Management Centre provides an up-close opportunity to observe wildlife in a marsh habitat. Bring your binoculars and a good pair of walking shoes or hiking boots. The trails aren’t strenuous by any means, but you’ll want to stay awhile. There are 32 km of dyke trails and two viewing towers. Located 11 km west of Creston, the centre is open from May to October. From May to August, naturalists are available to provide walking or canoeing tours. Trails are open year round. Admission is a bargain:
Adult (12 and up): $4
Child (11 and under): $3
Family: $12
Tours:
Canoe:
Adult: $12
Child: $7
Walking:
Adult: $7
Child: $5
http://www.crestonwildlife.ca/

Author Nancy Anderson will present her new book, The Pathfinder: A.C. Anderson’s Journeys in the West in Hope this month.

The presentation, sponsored by the Hope Mountain Centre for Outdoor Learning, takes place on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Blue Moose Coffee House, 322 Wallace St., Hope.

A.C. Anderson was a Hudson’s Bay Company employee who worked closely with First Nations in the 1840′s to build fur-trading relationships and locate potential trails to carry furs and supplies across the rugged mountains of BC.

Anderson’s journeys helped to locate and map key valleys and mountain passes that would later become the template for the trails, wagon roads, and modern highways that followed.  Communities such as Fort Hope and Fort Yale were created because of his travels, and without his contribution, BC may never have become part of the Dominion of Canada.

Nancy Anderson will bring BC’s early history to life with historic maps and photos, and copies of her new book will be on sale.

Campers at the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve has camping at Green Point Campground in
the Long Beach Unit located between the villages of Ucluelet and Tofino.
Green Point Campground fills up during the peak season, so be sure to make
reservations if you’re using the drive-in sites. There are also walk-in
sites available with flush toilets and cold running water. The campground
is open from mid-March to mid-October. Prices are $17.60 or $23.50.
Back-country wilderness camping is available in the Broken Group Islands
Unit and along the West Coast Trail Unit.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/visit/visit4c.aspx

The Empress of Japan figurehead replica in Stanley Park.

A visit to Stanley Park is essential during your stay in Vancouver. Although there are attractions in Stanley Park that will cost you money (restaurants, the Vancouver Aquarium), a budget traveller can easily have an enjoyable afternoon without spending a penny.

Pack a lunch and start off walking or biking on the pathway from Coal Harbour, which is located just behind the Vancouver Convention Centre. Bikers must approach the park in a counter-clockwise direction from Coal Harbour.

If you disembark at the first rest stop, it’s a short walk to the Rose Garden and the Painter’s Circle where artists sell their wares during the summer. Keep going and you’ll see the lighthouse at Brockton Point, the Empress of Japan Statue, the Bathing Girl and finally the totem poles.

Stop for some refreshment at Prospect Point, you’re more than half way through your journey. Continue on and you’ll find two beaches: the first (Third Beach) will be less crowded than the second (Second Beach). However, Second Beach has a large outdoor pool which you can enjoy if you find the ocean too rough or cold for your taste.

You’ll exit at English Bay. Either browse the West End shops or keep following the path which will take you to Downtown Vancouver.

The festival runs from Jan. 20 to Feb. 5. For reservations, visit tourismvancouver.com.

Skaters take advantage of free skating at Robson Square on New Year's Day.

Ski outdoors at Robson Square. It’s free! No skates, no problem. Rentals are $4 for skates; $2 for helmets and ice cleats. The rink is open from Dec. 1 to Feb. 29

Arriving in a metropolitan city can be overwhelming. For a bird’s eye view, make the Vancouver Lookout one of your first stops. You’ll get a sense of where you are in relation to the mountains, the sea, the downtown core and the distant suburbs. After your visit, you’ll be able to orient yourself, just by glancing up at the mountains. With one admission you’ll be able to return on the same day. For the best value, schedule one visit for early in the day and one to catch the sunset. You won’t be disappointed. Tickets are $15 (adult); $12 (senior); $10 (student or youth); $7 (child 6-12); and free for children under six.
http://www.vancouverlookout.com/