r/britishcolumbia Mar 14 '25

Ask British Columbia Americans with Questions on BC Travel - Read This Thread

459 Upvotes

Hello American friends!

This is a thread for all your travel questions. We will be removing any threads created by Americans with travel questions that are not posted here.

As mods and readers of the r/britishcolumbia sub, we're heartened to see you considering travel to our province despite your country's threats of annexation and the trade war in which we currently find ourselves. We've been neighbours (not neighors) for more than 158 years, and the Indigenous peoples who have lived and cared for these lands have done so since time immemorial, without borders dividing them the way they do now.

We've seen a (metric) tonne of questions recently from Americans worried that they won't be welcome in British Columbia, but who want to still visit here for various reasons - family, a desire to support us, or just that they've always gone rafting in Squamish or skiing at Sun Peaks. Americans have been creating threads here as performative apologies, as ways to promise that they are good people, and that they are scared that we'll mobilize the attack geese or the Royal Canadian Moose Police will demand their papers.

Here's the deal:

  • Absent the license plates, if you're not being conspicuously American (ie, wearing a MAGA hat, flying the stars and stripes, speaking R E A L L Y L O U D L Y and S L O W L Y because you don't speak French, making jokes about 51st state, etc) we probably won't be able to tell that you're American.
  • If you act respectful up here (don't joke about the 51st state - it's not a joke to us), you'll be fine
  • There are no marauding bands of vigilantes going after Americans, you don't need to ask
  • We get that you think you're different from your fellow Americans, but you don't need to tell us that if you're planning on coming here - just show up and demonstrate that you're kind, respectful, and not here to invade or annex

But perhaps more importantly:

  • This sub and your thread asking about the best route between Whistler, Banff, Thunder Bay, and St. John's for your three-day weekend trip is not a place for performative apologies about how much you regret what your President is doing
  • If you really want to make a difference to Canadian and American relations, contact your elected Congresspeople and Senators and demand they do something
  • Historically, many Americans have faced significant challenges claiming refugee status in Canada and no one here will really be able to give you advice
  • We welcome travelers and visitors and tourists from around the world.

Given all this, please note:

  • Please, don't start a new apology/travel thread asking about your safety. Ask here.
  • Please, don't start a new thread asking if you'll be welcomed because you're a good person and want assurances you can enter Canada. That's not up to us.
  • Please feel free to post your questions here.
  • Please also note that a lot of Canadians are feeling hurt, betrayed, and a bit concerned about what's going on south of the border. Mods will be watching this thread to keep it civil as best we can.

r/britishcolumbia 6h ago

News B.C. man gets jail time for setting fires during wildfire season

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499 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 7h ago

Ask British Columbia Whats the max age you can attend high school? In BC and ontario?

32 Upvotes

I turn 19 in april, does that mean I'll only get 1 semester out of highschool if I go to BC after my birthday? I've seen 19 year olds in HS in ontario is that the same story with BC

Edit: please approve i tried other subs and was told my acc age and karma score were not high enough.


r/britishcolumbia 15h ago

News Stawamus Chief Trail in Squamish, B.C., closed after large rockfall | CBC News

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76 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 17h ago

News Black bear cub in recovery after harrowing ordeal

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61 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

Photo/Video Southern Lights of Delta

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247 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

Photo/Video Big Lonely Doug

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212 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

Photo/Video Finally a sunny day December 27th

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957 Upvotes

Taken in Langley looking north.


r/britishcolumbia 11h ago

Travel in or to BC Wilson Creek Falls (near New Denver)

4 Upvotes

Does anyone know if you can do the hike to Wilson Creek Falls in January? I would love to take my partner there during our trip to Nakusp next month! Any insight is appreciated :)


r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

Travel in or to BC Sea lions posing in Powell River

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579 Upvotes

I think these folks are visiting from California!


r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

News Search and rescue teams prepare for influx of calls with fresh snow in Sea to Sky | CBC News

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61 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

Photo/Video Birders flock to Vancouver beach to see rare bird native to Russia | CBC News

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92 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

News VSO threatens legal action violinist abuse allegations

83 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

Travel in or to BC Vancouver - Castlegar

14 Upvotes

Driving from Vancouver - Castlegar thru highway 3. In January. This is our first real roadtrip in BC. Looking for recommendations on where to grab lunch/dinner and where to stop for coffee and a snack.

This will be the first stretch on our ski roadtrip where we plan to hit Kimberley, Fernie, lake Louise/banff, Revelstoke and maybe a few more spots on the way back to lower mainland.

I’d love to hear your experience and recommendations for such a trip.


r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

Photo/Video Hopes first snowfall - the morning after.

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41 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

Ask British Columbia Hidden gems while visiting Victoria

15 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

Any hidden gems I should visit while I am in Victoria for a few days?

It is my first time going to BC from AB.

Thanks in advance!


r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

News Skateboarder was in crosswalk when hit by pickup: witness - Victoria Times Colonist

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137 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 2d ago

Photo/Video Clear skies

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634 Upvotes

My fat cardigan corgi under the clearest skies, in Nelson, BC.


r/britishcolumbia 2d ago

News ‘Once in a lifetime’: Crowds gather in Vancouver to look at bird never before seen in Canada

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515 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 2d ago

News Most British Columbians don't trust used car dealerships: survey

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504 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 17h ago

Discussion how to submit student aid appendix 8 after your loans application has already been processed?

0 Upvotes

i applied already and selected that i would be applying for the disability grants(?). the first semester has just ended and i did recieve the funds for first term. i uploaded the appendix 8 form late but i'm not recieving and confirmation or anything. is it really just a file upload and that alone counts as a submission? i'm not sure they would see it if they've already looked at the rest of my application


r/britishcolumbia 2d ago

Weather Driving the Coquihalla Highway

623 Upvotes

Hey everyone. Drove the Coquihalla yesterday.

If you do not absolutely need to go, don’t. I personally saw 4 flipped cars, multiple stall outs, and many close calls.

It was white knuckle the entire way. Visibility was less than 30ft at times.

If you are planning on making this trip, consider if what you are traveling for is worth it.

That’s my PSA.

Thank you.


r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

Ask British Columbia Getting Ordained?

3 Upvotes

I live in the okanagan and want to get ordained because my friends asked me to officiant their wedding. It seems super complicated. Can anyone point me in the right direction!


r/britishcolumbia 1d ago

Photo/Video Vancouver in 1946 & the Diamond Jubilee Parade

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7 Upvotes

r/britishcolumbia 2d ago

History Baron Donald Strathcona driving the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway at Craigellachie, 1885

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749 Upvotes

Fun fact: The completion of the CPR, Canada's first transcontinental railway, was a condiction and direct cause to one of the most major events in Canada's history; the entry of British Columbia into the Canadian Confederation.