When is the Best Time to Hike in British Columbia?
Contents
British Columbia is undoubtedly a stunning region and one of the top hiking destinations on the planet, drawing people in from far and wide to its incredibly varied and breathtaking scenery. With that said though, hiking here can be a challenge due to constantly changing and unpredictable weather, with endless rain some months, and searing heat in others. Timing your hikes can be important as the window for certain hikes can often be entirely dependent on having the perfect conditions.
Rain, heat and snow aren’t all that affects hiking conditions though, other factors like mosquitoes, bears, avalanches, daylight, crowds and forest fires play an important role as well, and should be taken into consideration anytime you plan to go on a hike.
With that said this is going to be a rough guide for when is the best time to go hiking in BC and when you might want to put away the hiking boots.
Maintaining this website requires a significant investment of both time and money, if you find this website a useful resource, please consider making a donation using this button.
Spring Hiking in British Columbia (Late March to Late June)
Spring is a transitory season for hiking in British Columbia, with temperatures starting off low and climbing gradually as you approach June. Similarly, precipitation starts off high in March and April but reduces rapidly the closer you get to June. Daylight also increases throughout spring, providing longer days for getting out on the mountains.
Snow levels in the mountains remain high throughout spring, but the accumulation of new snow drops rapidly as temperatures rise and snow gives way to rain. As spring progresses the snowline rises due to melting snow. Even moderately high summits will typically remain snow covered for the entirety of spring, but due to the cessation of fresh snowfall the avalanche risk tends to fall throughout spring as the freeze/thaw cycle creates a well bonded snow pack. Cornices become more of a concern in the spring as the melting snow creates weaknesses on summits and ridgelines, so travel beneath overhead hazards should be avoided where possible. The risk of traveling on glaciers increases as the spring advances, with a thinner snowpack covering crevasses, creating unstable conditions with hidden hazards. One benefit of the receding snowline is the ability to access more Forest Service Roads (FSR’s), which opens up significantly more hikes higher in the alpine than you can access in winter.
In late spring, as the snow melts more and more, mosquitoes become a major irritant on many hikes, especially those around any body of standing water. For those bothered by mosquitoes, the late spring and early summer is one of the worst times to go hiking as mosquitoes can be so relentless that you are unable to stop moving without being eaten alive by bugs. Furthermore, spring is when bears generally start becoming more active, waking from their hibernation and hungry to find food, so carrying the appropriate bear deterrents is essential.
Overall spring is a moderately popular time for hiking in BC, with warming weather, reducing rainfall, increasing daylight, improving accessibility to FSR’s, smooth/snowy travel at higher elevations and reduced avalanche risk compared to winter. For many people this is the ideal time to go for a hike, but trails will generally remain less busy than summer, especially if you intend to hike high into the alpine. The biggest issues for spring hiking is the weather can be hit and miss and also bugs, which can be relentless in the late spring especially.
Summer Hiking in British Columbia (Late June to Late September)
Summer is by far the most popular time for people to be hiking in British Columbia, and for good reason, but there are also a few drawbacks to hiking in summer that you might want to consider.
Summer brings the best weather to British Columbia, with warmer days and significantly reduced precipitation. The long daytime hours also lend well to hiking, allowing an earlier start and a later finish. There are far more sunny/clear days in the summer, so finding the right conditions to get out on a hike is significantly easier.
Along with the warm weather the snowline recedes higher and higher as the summer progresses. In the early summer the highest peaks will continue to have snow on them, but as summer progresses the snowline continues to recede, with most peaks snow free by August. Avalanche risk at this time of year is mostly (but not entirely) gone, and most cornices will have already broken off. Glacier travel can be easier than in spring as crevasses open up, with hazards becoming more obvious and easier to avoid for those prepared.
The snowline will now be so high that accessing hikes will no longer be hindered by snow, with all FSR’s becoming accessible to those with appropriate vehicles. Many more hikes will be available in summer, though some hikes do actually require a snowpack, so these will now be more challenging, sometimes even impossible.
In the early summer the mosquito/bug situation remains relentless, but improves as the summer progresses. By mid-August the bugs will generally have gone for the year. Bears will remain a concern throughout the summer, so bear encounter preparedness is necessary wherever you are hiking.
One of the many drawbacks of hiking in summer is just how busy the trails can get. The good weather brings out the crowds, and with a finite number of places to hike, all trails become popular, and the provincial parks in particular are extremely busy. Park passes may be necessary for particularly busy parks such as Garibaldi and Golden Ears. These passes can be challenging to obtain if you intend to hike on a sunny weekend. Furthermore, due to long spells of dry weather and little rain, forest fires are common in the summer, and it’s quite possible that forest fire smoke will impede hiking. If it’s a particularly bad year it’s possible for forest fire smoke to prolong for large portions of the summer, reducing visibility to practically nothing, and for all intents and purposes ruining any hike to the point of it not being worthwhile for most. Another concern is the heat, with some areas of BC becoming exceedingly hot in the months of July and August especially. Sometimes temperatures can be so high that hiking is difficult, with water management and sufficient sun protection essential. Infrequently it can be so hot that some hikes are simply too demanding to be safe.
Overall summer is by far the most popular time to hike in British Columbia, with the best weather and the most favorable conditions of the year. All hikes become more accessible and much safer. If you don’t mind busy trails, and if the forest fire smoke stays away, this is the ideal time for hiking in BC for most.
Autumn Hiking in British Columbia (Late September to Late December)
Autumn is essentially the opposite to spring for hiking in British Columbia. Rainfall starts off fairly mellow in September and early October, but by late October it jumps significantly, with November the wettest month of the year and December not much better. Even when it’s not raining, cloud coverage tends to be a constant theme, with just a handful of sunny days each month to get out.
Along with increased rain comes falling temperatures, and snow will start to reappear on higher summits as early as late September. Winter kicks into gear in the mountains around mid October and as the autumn progresses the snowline drops further and further. Combined with constantly reducing daylight, the opportunities to hike tend to be few and far between, unless you enjoy hiking in rain that is.
As the autumn continues the snowline drops, reducing your ability to access some hikes. Hiking on fresh snow is challenging so most hikers tend to stick to popular trails at lower elevations if they head out at all. Avalanche risk in the autumn starts off low but increases throughout the season as the snowpack increases. Cornices don’t tend to be a big concern this early as they haven’t had a lot of chance to form, but glacier travel isn’t recommended with a thin snowpack covering hidden hazards.
The good news is bugs are nonexistent in the autumn, but bears remain a concern as they prepare for hibernation. Some regions, such as Rainbow Lake in Whistler, even close their trails to allow bears the chance to harvest without being disturbed by recreationalists. Forest fires should also now be finished due to the return of the rains, and the trails gradually become less and less busy the deeper into autumn you get.
Overall the early autumn is a great time to hike, with cooler weather, no bugs, no snow, no forest fire smoke, little rain and still accessible trails. For this reason September and early October are actually some of the best hiking periods of the year. Once you reach mid-October or early November though, the rains set in and most people tend to put away their hiking gear for the year.
Winter Hiking in British Columbia (Late December to Late March)
Winter is unsurprisingly the coldest period of the year, with December and January the coldest months, and temperatures gradually rise in February and March, though remain low. Rainfall improves somewhat from the November highs, but generally remains quite high throughout winter, however thankfully the number of sunny days does improve, though not by a marked amount. Daylight hours are very short in the early winter but improve throughout the season.
By winter the snowline has generally stabilized and will remain low throughout the whole winter, making access to forest service roads challenging if not impossible. Many hikes will simply not be possible in the winter as you cannot get to the trailhead, but other hikes will now be ideal as a thick layer of snow now covers the otherwise rugged terrain. Avalanche concerns are at their peak in the winter and careful attention needs to be paid towards avalanche risk when hiking in the alpine. Cornices will also have formed by winter and will be a concern throughout the season, though colder temperatures make them less risky than in spring. Many glaciers will be covered in a thick layer of snow in winter, making glacier travel much easier and safer, though of course due safety always needs to be paid. Overall hikers need to be a lot more knowledgeable about the terrain they are hiking in during the winter in order to remain safe, and if they don’t have that knowledge they should generally stick to low elevation, low risk terrain.
A lot more preparation and planning is required for hiking in winter due to the increased risk, particularly in the alpine, with hikers needing to pack significantly more gear. Travel is usually a lot more tiring and a lot slower than in the summer, so hiking trips are generally kept much shorter. That being said, some people prefer hiking in winter as there are no bears, no bugs, no forest fire smoke, quiet trails (unless you go to the limited provincial park trails) and the general winter scenery can make otherwise average hikes far more scenic.
Overall while the winter is a challenging time for hiking with cold temperatures, a lack of daylight, challenging accessibility and significantly more demanding conditions, for those prepared and experienced enough to hike safely this can be a wonderful time of year for hiking in British Columbia if you can find one of those rare sunny winter days.