WINTER EXPLORING ON VANCOUVER ISLAND

Living in Victoria, we are blessed with mild winters. While we can get a cold snap and even some snow, it is rare. That doesn’t mean the weather is always good. We do get our fair share of rain, wind and a fog during the winter months. However, these weather conditions can also bring a unique opportunity to experience some of our wilderness areas in a unique light and it can be spectacular!

Fog

I love the fog. Sure, it can make things appear grey, dismal and bleak, but it can also add a surreal element to an outdoor adventure. I also love paddling in the fog. It certainly blocks the views, but there is something about it. Mysterious and almost magical. The same goes for hiking. Places you have been many times before are all of a sudden changed and it is like exploring some place brand new!

Kayaking in the fog on the north tip of Vancouver Island

Hiking in the fog in John Dean Provincial Park

Rain

Ok, I don’t like hiking or paddling in the rain. Paddling is a bit better as less of me is exposed to the weather and if I happen to be surfing or paddling a river I’m getting wet anyway. What the rain does though, particularly lots of it, is bring the water levels in our rivers up. On the west coast we sometimes get a weather phenomenon called an ‘atmospheric river’ where we truly get dumped on! The last one dumped between 15-20mm of rain on Victoria and places on Vancouver Island would expect between 50-150mm of rain by the end of the week! During these periods rivers and waterfalls can go from dreary trickles to truly spectacular torrents.

Pease Creek Waterfall, Gowlland Todd Provincial Park after an atmospheric river event – usually a uninspiring trickle

Streams like these are usually dry most of the year but come alive in heavy rains

Snow

I have already mentioned that snow in Victoria is rare. It is much more common place at higher elevations, so it you want snow you can certainly go find it. As with any place, when we do get snow it can be spectacular and for a day or so the island is magically transformed. Unfortunately, we don’t get out as much when it does snow as Victoria’s roads can become treacherous. Snow clearing can be slow as the city is not well equipped for the snow. Drivers here are also scary as they don’t get a lot of practice driving in slippery conditions. So are motto is, ‘better safe than sorry’! If we don’t have to go out, we don’t.

Hiking in the snow in Gowlland Todd Provincial Park

Wind

When the winds begin to howl it is time to consider some storm watching. If you can time a visit to the west coast during one of our Pacific storms it can be truly amazing! Check out our post on Storm Watching on Vancouver Island.

Storm watching at Amphitrite Point Lighthouse, Ucluelet

The moral of this story though, is not to let the bad weather keep you home. There is so much beauty out there to be explored and Victoria and Vancouver Island have so much to offer in the late fall and winter months!