SOUTH BY WEST
Linda Barnard
Feeling like you’ve got to fly away but haven’t settled on a staycation? suggests we take wing and explore B.C.
snowbirds feeling stranded by
COVID-19 should reset their GPSs and head west to take the chill off. You’ll still need to wear layers, but save room in your bag for sunscreen. Although
Vancouver Island is a perennial favourite, campsites are reporting robust winter bookings, and many RV parks now have waitlists. With 2,200 annual hours of sunshine on average, Victoria has the mildest climate in Canada, with year-round golf, outdoor activities and gardens that start to bloom in late January. You can visit nearby farms and vineyards of the Saanich Peninsula on a variety of self-guided Flavour Trails tours.
But let’s leave the tried-and-true behind for two of our favourite under-the-radar British Columbia spots for a different kind of winter escape.
OLIVER & OSOYOOS
CRAVINGATRUE change of scenery? Get some winter sunshine in Canada’s only desert, about a five-hour drive from Vancouver in the heart of British Columbia wine country.
Oliver, dubbed the wine capital of Canada, and neighbouring lakefront town Osoyoos boast big skies and dramatic landscapes dotted with sagebrush. Vineyards rise up the hills on either side of a valley framed by the Okanagan mountain range. About half of the 44 wineries in the Oliver/Osoyoos area stay open or will open by appointment during winter. Follow the two-lane highway for 20 kilometres between Oliver and Osoyoos to get to know some of Canada’s top wineries, from larger makers to boutique vintners whose wines may not be available outside the region.
Due to COVID-19, wineries are asking visitors to book 15-minute tastings in advance. They’re done at individual standing stations or sit-down style at tables spaced two metres apart.
Billed as one of the warmest regions in Canada, with an average temperature of 17 C and 2,000 hours of sunshine annually, the South Okanagan has a dry winter climate. Although the mean temperature in the winter months hovers around zero, last year Environment Canada recorded highs of 9 C on a couple of January days; by mid-March, the highs started approaching 20 C.
The spacious wine and arts shop and tasting room at Nk’Mip Cellars, North America’s first Indigenous estate winery, is open all winter. The nearby Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, open weekdays, has self-guided indoor and outdoor desert nature exhibits.
See what local artists are creating at the Okanagan Art Gallery on Main Street in Osoyoos and check out a model train buff’s mini-yet-mighty passion project at the impressive indoor Osoyoos Desert Model Railway. Craving some serious snow? Baldy Mountain Resort is about an hour away.
Many hotels and resorts offer snowbird long-stay rates, including the Watermark Beach Resort in Osoyoos, which fronts Osoyoos Lake. It has a restaurant with a patio, and all suites have kitchens, laundry facilities; some are pet-friendly.
PARKSVILLE
THERE ARE NO flip-flops or shorts on the beach at Parksville and neighbouring Qualicum Beach in winter. Yet visitors can’t resist taking long walks here – and with good reason. During the dramatic low tide, the sand seems to stretch forever, heading as much as a kilometre into the Strait of Georgia. What makes it different from other Canadian big-tide spots is this view is framed by the Coast Mountains in the distance on the B.C. mainland.
Located on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Parksville is a two-hour drive from Victoria
International Airport or 45 minutes by car from the Vancouver-to-Nanaimo ferry.
There’s a relaxed small-town vibe and many ways to connect with nature. Wander the trails in the lush oldgrowth sanctuary of the 20-hectare Qualicum Beach Heritage Forest. The downtown community park has a wide, half-kilometre-long beachfront boardwalk, and the city is on the new self-guided BC Bird Trail, with excellent bird-watching opportunities along its estuaries.
A number of public golf courses are open all winter, except for really soggy or frosty days, meaning you should still pack a parka. Winter daytime temperatures are typically 5 C to 8 C with little snow and plenty of sun. Naturalist Ronda Murdock of Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours leads customized ParksvilleQualicum Amazing Places tours with her husband,
Gary. Choose to visit off-the-beaten-path forests and beaches or tidal pools and waterfalls.
Parksville is about 2½ hours or a 150-kilometre drive to the West Coast, where you can check out the rainforest in Pacific Rim National Park Preserve, Ucluelet and the beaches of the neighbouring storm-watch capital, Tofino.
Where to stay? Situated on nine hectares of forest, the Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort has a mix of cabins and low-rise condos suites, all with kitchen facilities, some overlooking Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park. The downtown Beach Club Resort fronts onto the beach and boardwalk. Some rooms and suites have kitchens.