103 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia

Allen Soroka is assistant law librarian at the University of British
Columbia Law Library.

Mary and David Macaree have been writing hiking and walking guides to
British Columbia trails since 1973, when the first edition of 103 Hikes
was published. In this fourth edition, several new hikes have been added
to the revisions of some older trail descriptions.

A good, if roughly drawn, map at the front of the book sets out the
locations of the numbered hikes in southwestern B.C. Each hike
description includes a map, the best approach by vehicle, some
interesting background and historical notes, an interesting photograph,
and a preview of what a hiker can expect on the trail. Thumbnail
summaries at the beginning of each description set out in bold print the
round-trip distance in miles and kilometres, the elevation gain,
estimated time to complete the hike, and topographical map references.
Where the trailheads are reachable by public transportation, the number
of the bus to travel by is listed. The authors also thoughtfully provide
a list of other B.C. hiking and trail guides in their introductory note.
This is praiseworthy, meticulous research.

Reading 103 Hikes is an essential first step to exploring British
Columbia’s southwestern region.