As the second largest and one of the top-rated ski resorts in British Columbia, Sun Peaks Resort has long been known as one of the best winter destinations in the province. But all that skiable terrain also makes the area a premier hiking destination - only a four-hour drive from Vancouver. There are more than 18 hiking trails, from easy to challenging, and some of the most abundant wildflower blooms anywhere in B.C., making Sun Peaks a hiker’s paradise.

Decades ago, vegans, vegetarians or plant-based groupies were rare, unless you found yourself in the groovy hippie mecca of San Fran, or health-obsessed SoCal. Now, they are everywhere, and according to the food giants around the world like Nestle, this trend is here to stay.

When a town is named after the main attraction, you know it's a place you don't want to miss. The Fort, which is located in Fort Macleod, is home to the museum of the Northwest Mounted Police and First Nations Interpretive Centre. I decided it was time to check it out. For all the history buffs out there, this is one place to add to your bucket list.

Mainstreet marquees, heritage buildings, boutique shops, craft stores, cafes and good restaurants anchor downtown, the Camrose County Nature Conservation Centre and Miquelon Lake Provincial Park give reign to the wilds just beyond town limits.

One pedal stroke after another, we work our mountain bikes to the top of Old Baldy Trail in Elkwater, Cypress Hills Provincial Park. The climb is less than a kilometre but we are rewarded with stunning views of Elkwater Lake below, shimmering in the late-afternoon light and embraced by thick forests around it.

“That used to be my hotspot over there,” said Captain Mike Halvorsen, pointing across the Alberni Inlet to a cove where Douglas Firs covered a mountainside and stood branch-to-branch at the edge of a pebble-covered beach.

#OkanaganExploring Ogopogo is B.C.’s very own Loch Ness Monster, turned friendly water creature, the legend hunters have been trying to capture on film for the past half century. It’s seemingly a part of our heritage, until you find out the true meaning behind the serpent-turned-cartoon-statue and you become, as the kids say, woke - with a sudden understanding of the spirit of Ogopogo truly means.

#ExplorePortAlberni “That’s a MacGillivray's warbler,” said our intrepid guide Sandy McRuer, pausing mid-sentence, looking up into the trees.

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