6 unbelievable West Coast destinations that you need to have on your 2025 bucket list
Time to explore!
BC destinations. Right: Salt Spring Island.
Many British Columbians can relate to having a constantly growing list of destinations to visit, from waterfalls tucked away in the mountains and glacial lakes to long stretches of white sand beach. It's a province full of beauty, and you can spend years exploring within and still want to see more. There's many places that could make this list, but if you're like me and have a hard time narrowing down your bucket list, here are seven spots you should check out in 2025.
It's going to be the new year before you know it, so get those plans in order.
Manning Park
Just two hours from Vancouver, this park is the quintessential B.C. experience. Head here in the spring and watch the fields of wildflowers bloom, with the backdrop of the mountain range top off the picturesque setting.
Campsites here are along sparkling lakes and nestled among towering trees, immersing you in some of the most beautiful nature in the country. Lightning Lake is a popular camping spot here, with mountains enclosing it and a beach area to sit out on in the summer.
Don't miss Three Falls Trail here, which will lead you past three unbelievable waterfalls cascading down cliffs into the lush forest.
Yoho Natioanl Park
A trip to Western Canada has to include the Rocky Mountains, and this national park within the region will have that classic outdoorsy experience you're probably looking for.
There are lakes to dive into in the summer, hikes that take you up to the rocky peaks of the mountain ranges, waterfalls, and world-famous fossils. The Burgess Shale fossils are here and you can take a guided hike up and see the amazingly clear and well-preserved lifeforms from five hundred million years ago.
Takakkaw Falls is also here — which is Canada's second tallest waterfall — adding to the unbelievable beauty of this place.
Salt Spring Island
The Gulf Islands as a whole should be on your bucketlist, but this one is a popular summer destination that's worth the praise it gets. It's a 30-minute ferry ride from Vancouver Island and the kind of place that you can't help but leave with a smile on your face at the end of the day.
The winding streets around the island are peppered with roadside farm stands, idyllic farms, and local businesses. Take your time exploring the island — which is tiny enough to get around in a day — stopping in at the wineries, and lavender farms, and loading up on the local goodies.
Haida Gwaii
Haida Gwaii is one of the most unique places in the world, dubbed the 'Galapagos of the North' thanks to its diverse nature and range of plants and animals. A visit here is full of beauty, history, and unique experiences.
The archipelago consists of over 200 islands, with everything from flourishing forests to stretches of sand and rocky coastlines. Throughout the communities on the islands are accommodations, tours, local businesses, and restaurants.
The Haida Nation website has a Haida Gwaii Visitor Orientation that you should do before making the trip, so you can learn about the islands and the Haida Nation. You can also sign the Haida Gwaii Pledge and contribute to the Stewardship Fund. It's recommended that visitors "donate 1% of their total travel costs to support stewardship activities on Haida Gwaii related to tourism," according to the website.
San Josef Bay
This world-renowned beach on Vancouver Island is a journey to get to, but once you arrive you'll be rewarded with a slice of untouched beauty. Vancouver Island has its fair share of stunning scenery and bucket-list-worthy spots to see, but the soft shores and clear water of this beach are hard to beach.
Rock formations are scattered along the shoreline here, adding to the otherworldliness of the setting. To get here you have to go to Cape Scott Provincial Park, and it's a 2.5-kilometre hike through to reach the sparkling shoreline. While the hike itself isn't too long the park is on the northwestern tip of the island and about a 7-hour drive from Victoria.
The rugged beauty of this place reflects a lot of the island and is what helps make it one of the most special places in the world.
Osoyoos
This spot is truly one of a kind, as the home to Canada's only desert. Brimming with wineries, the surrounding area of this town is a landscape unique to the rest of the country.
About four and a half hours from Vancouver, this is a popular getaway spot in the summertime. It also has Canada's warmest fresh-water lake, so summers here are spent soaking up the sun and diving into the warm waters. Then you can explore the Osoyoos Desert Centre, with guided tours through the desert landscape. You'll see cacti and other vegetation in the dry setting.
The town itself is cute, perfect to stroll around on a little vacation. If you want to soak up the warm weather after winter then this is the ideal getaway spit.
There's a lot of explore within the borders of B.C., and while this list only puts a small dent in some of the most spectacular places around, you won't be disappointed with a visit to these destinations.