Ashika Morasiewicz
Outdoor Adventurer from the North Shore, BC
All of the Trip Planning Links You Will Ever Need
Last updated: November 18, 2018
Trip Planning Resources
Please note: newly added links are in bold font below.
Everyone has their own method to the madness of trip planning – some plan extensively, some don’t see the value in planning, and some may not know how or where to start. There is an abundance of information available online to help you decide where to go, when to go, how to pack, and more. I can’t comment on the accuracy of the sites out there, but I do have several go-to sites I like to check out for local updates and area-specific conditions before heading out. Personally, Ryan & I have dozens of links and webcams we pull up when making plans – especially during periods when weather can be marginal. And this was pretty much how we came up with the idea of creating this post – instead of googling different things for different areas, we decided to create a one-stop shop of links and resources for various adventure needs.
About Trip Planning Links
Ryan and I have compiled two charts of informational links, weather forecasts, webcams, and more to help plan trips and stay safe in the outdoors all year round. This is the product of years of bookmarking and Ryan’s experience as a North Shore Rescue member. These links are for you if you:
- generally know your way around the outdoors (what to take, how to stay safe).
- understand FSR and trail conditions can be ever changing in some areas.
- are looking for up-to-date information on a particular area within the South Coast of BC.
- are experiencing a season change and need information on current conditions.
First, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of South Coast webcams and condition links to help you understand current weather conditions to help with trip planning. Next, we’ve compiled a second table of related outdoors links that you may find interesting and informative for your adventures, be it hiking, camping, backpacking, skiing, 4x4ing, kayaking, etc.
If you have an idea of where you want to go, or you’re trying to decide between regions, Chart 1 offers additional information on current trail conditions, snow/avalanche updates, and recent trip reports. It also provides a definitive list of South Coast webcams to enable you to check (very close to) real-time conditions at or near your destination of choice. This chart is based on regions in southwest BC. Once your regional planning is done, you may need more information on outdoors-related topics. You’ll find an abundance of information on Chart 2, including snow/avalanche conditions, general weather forecasts, Northern Lights forecast (and where to go for optimal viewing), club/forum links, and beyond. Chart 2 contains a comprehensive list for those in the Lower Mainland/South Coast of BC.
If we’ve missed any links or if you have any suggestions for improvement, please feel free to leave a comment below.
Chart 1: Webcams and Condition Updates
Chart 2: Snow, Avalanche, Weather, Water, Sky, FSRs, Wildfires
Online Trip Plan https://www.adventuresmart.ca/tripplan/tripplan.php
I always use OSM for a quick glace at popular trail maps. Go to somewhere you’re really familiar with and zoom in close. The labelling is quite nice.
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/50.1499/-123.0912
If the area is popular, then I also like to take a glance at Strava heat maps to gauge relative popularity of different trails:
http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#15/-123.11056/50.15986/blue/both
Nice list of links. I quite like
https://www.yr.no/forsida.aspx?spr=eng (if it comes up in Norwegian, there’s a place to select language in upper right).
Just type in (say) Vancouver and you will find a wealth of data. It seems to use different models from Environment Canada. I like that is gives wind speeds and directions.
The Tetrahedron Outdoor Club takes care of the cabins and trails in Tetrahedron Provincial Park on the Sunshine Coast.
http://www.tetoudoor.ca
Sorry, that should be tetoutdoor.ca
Nice table, and thanks for putting the effort into consolidating this info.
I quite like Arfi website (http://arfi.avalanche.ca/), which now has snowpack modelling as well.
Thanks for putting this together.
Here’s a bookmark I sometimes use when visiting the Sunshine Coast.
http://www.suncoastcentral.com/outdoor-reports.asp
Very comprehensive list, Ashika – I also always check for fire during summer months (http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status).