St. John’s is a lot of things: the oldest city in North America, the capital of Newfoundland, and the easternmost point in Canada. It’s also a vibrant and friendly city that I love so much I’ve visited twice. From seafood to Signal Hill, here are the best things to do in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Even though a quarter of Newfoundlanders live in St. John’s, it’s not a huge city. It has a population of just 113,000. But thanks to its history as a British colony (it didn’t join Canada until 1949) and its geographic isolation from Canada, Newfoundland has a unique culture that really shines throug ..read more

Bowen Island is one of my favourite getaways from Vancouver. It’s a small, forested island with a rugged coastline and a close-knit community of about 4,200 people. There are so many things to do on Bowen Island: It has a thriving arts community and lots of opportunities to connect with nature. I like going to Bowen because it’s a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of Vancouver without travelling too far: It’s just a 20-minute ferry ride away, but since it’s an island, it feels like so much further. Bowen Island is also part of the Átl’ka7tsem / Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region, recog ..read more

We’ve all heard this advice: “Make sure you are prepared. Check trail conditions online before you go.” But how do you actually find trail conditions? How do you find out if the trail is muddy, snowy, unmaintained, full of bugs, or closed? I wish I had one easy answer for you. Wouldn’t it be great to say, “Oh, you just check this magic website called…”. I’m sorry, it doesn’t exist. Instead, you have to check in a bunch of places. I’ve got tips for where to find trail conditions for hikes all over Canada and the United States. I’ve also got some general tips on how to prepare for a hike. In thi ..read more

I got my first sun hoodie a few years ago. Initially, I was skeptical, but now it’s all I want to wear for hiking and backpacking. In this post, I’ve got everything you need to know about sun hoodies for hiking. If you haven’t heard of them, sun hoodies are lightweight, breathable, hooded long-sleeved t-shirts designed to protect your skin from the sun. Unlike traditional button-up sunshirts that use woven fabric, they use knit fabric that is more open and breathes better. And of course, they also have a hood. They come in all kinds of fabrics and cuts that aren’t created equal. Some offer muc ..read more

I’ve been to Newfoundland twice, and the main reason for both of my trips has been hiking. It’s such a gorgeous place with so many incredible trails, most with beautiful coastal views. In this post, I’ve got my picks for the 16 best hikes in Newfoundland. I’ve hiked all over the province. While I haven’t been everywhere in Newfoundland (yet!), I have been to most places. And on my most recent trip, I hiked every day for 2.5 weeks, sometimes on two or three different trails a day! (Honesty check: I didn’t hike a few of the days I was attending a conference in St. John’s, but that was out of my ..read more

With Arches and Canyonlands National Parks nearby and tons of gorgeous BLM land, there are tons of trails in Moab, Utah. But if you’re a beginner, hiking with kids, or just short on time, you need to know about the best easy hikes in Moab. I recently spent a week in Moab and did a ton of hiking. As a long-time hiker and guidebook author, I’m used to tackling long and difficult hikes. But on this trip I was recovering from an injury so I focused on short and easy trails that would be kind to my body. I was worried that the easier hikes wouldn’t be as good… but I was so wrong! We saw incredible ..read more

I go backpacking a lot (I’ve actually written two backpacking guidebooks), so that means I eat a lot of backpacking food. Over the years I’ve tried lots of meals, but one that I keep returning to is my recipe for dehydrated mushroom risotto. It’s a pretty simple recipe, but it’s got tons of flavour thanks to the mushrooms. I also like to add chicken for protein. And of course, I sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top! This dehydrated mushroom risotto recipe dispatches most of the cooking at home so you don’t have to fuss at the campsite. And it makes four servings so you can prep multiple backcountry ..read more

When I started backpacking during university, I didn’t have much money and was appalled at how much packaged backpacking meals cost. So I decided to learn how to make them myself. In this post, I’ll teach everything I know about dehydrating food for backpacking. I’ve backpacked a lot over the last two decades (and I’ve even written two backpacking guidebooks), so I‘ve made countless home-dehydrated backpacking meals. I’ve had some great successes, some spectacular failures, and a few that were just ok. (Although everything tastes better after a long day on the trail!) I know that dehydrating y ..read more

With incredible panoramic views of the waters of Howe Sound dotted with small islands, the St. Mark’s Summit trail is one of Vancouver’s best hikes. I also love the gorgeous forest on the way to the peak. I’ve hiked this trail countless times and the view at the end always amazes me. While the first half of the trail is fairly straightforward, the second half is rough and if you aren’t paying attention, you might get off track. Since I’ve hiked this trail so many times (and it’s in my book, Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia), I can help you plan the best route to St. Mark’s Summit a ..read more

The High Falls Creek Trail is a great mini-adventure of a hike. It has gorgeous waterfalls in a steep canyon, mountain views, and the exhilaration of scrambling up some fixed ropes. While the scrambling sections make the trail a bit of an adventure, it’s doable for most hikers. And since this is a loop hike, you don’t have to go back down the scary scramble sections. Instead, you’ll walk down a logging road that could be boring but actually has great views most of the way. High Falls Creek is one of my favourite hikes in Squamish – I try to hike every year or two. In this guide, I’ve got every ..read more