A fan of the popular Mount Finlayson climb, it’s no surprise the semi-technical climb in Goldstream Provincial Park appears among the South Island hikes outlined in Stephen Hui’s guide.
“If they’ve done one hike in Victoria it’s probably Finlayson,” the Vancouver writer says of Island outdoor enthusiasts. “It’s a big hit for a reason, it’s a lot of fun.”
His updated second edition of 105 Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia – released in May, seven years after the first edition – encourages readers to tread lightly on the land and discover the mountains, lakes, forests and coast with curiosity and respect.
The guide includes trails from Victoria to Manning Park and north of Pemberton to Mount Baker, Wash., with hikes for every season and all ages and skill levels.
Hui enjoys Greater Victoria’s “Island feel” with grey rocky outcrops, grassy rows and arbutus trees.
“I really love the hikes in Saanich, Peninsula and Sooke areas, they’re a lot different than the Lower Mainland,” Hui told Black Press Media. “A favourite would be Jocelyn Hill in Gowlland Tod Provincial Park.”
A walk along the Range Trail provides stunning views of the Saanich Inlet, and Garry oak and arbutus trees abound. Mount Braden in Metchosin offers similar yet vastly different vistas of the Salish Sea.
“The ridge at the top is just a beautiful spot to enjoy the view of the Juan de Fuca Strait, and then you get to go to the Sugarloaf on the way for another cool viewpoint,” he said. “There are some beautiful circuits you can do in these parks.”
Updates include a new foreword by Sto:lo historian Si:yemiya Albert (Sonny) McHalsie and guest chapters on safety and the environment.
It includes retrospective updates to routing, new hikes, new images and added history.
“It’s been seven years, so of course, access has changed. Roads have been washed out and trails have been rerouted,” he said of the updates and revisions.
The 36 new hikes, in some cases, replace shorter hikes with more rewarding ones, and a more diverse selection, including more in the Victoria area. “It felt like doing a new book almost. It was more work than I anticipated.”
Hui has been hiking, backpacking, and scrambling the mountains of B.C. for more than 30 years. A fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, he also has two other guidebooks to his name — Destination Hikes and Best Hikes and Nature Walks With Kids.
He’s been out meeting with folks since the launch in May and is pleased about the passion folks bring to book signings.
“It’s neat how with a hiking guide book, people have strong opinions about which hikes you put in, which you don’t, what you rated a hike, and they tell you. It’s nice people care enough to tell you what they think is good or bad,” he said.
“It’s neat, it’s a special thing.”
Learn more at 105hikes.com.
