Find your way to the nature neverland of BC rural islands
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6 Sunny Places for a Solar Recharge in Western Canada
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As winter settles in, our minds and bodies begin to crave Vitamin D—the sunshine supplement—to get us through Canada’s longest season. The happiness-inducing nutrient has been proven to stave off the winter blues and boost your mood.
If one of your wellness goals this year is to get off your screen and get outside more, then here are six sunny places in Alberta (home to the country’s largest solar farm) and British Columbia that will give you the solar recharge your body is craving.
Six sunny places for a solar recharge
If sun is what you're seeking, then Alberta is a great place to do it. It may not be as warm as coastal BC but the province gets lots of clear sunny days year round that soak into the very fibre of your being.
Grande Prairie
Northern Alberta gets its fair share of sunny (albeit short) days in winter, and there is no shortage of things to do that will bring a smile to your face, indoors and out in Grande Prairie. Half the remedy to keeping the fun in winter is staying active.
Grande Prairie has some terrific cross-country ski trails at the Wapiti Nordic Ski Club or you can get a perma-grin with some tubing thrills or skiing at Nitehawk Ski Area.
Cross-country skiing at Wapiti Nordic Centre in Grande Prairie, AB.
Of course, a little art therapy always helps boost your mood. Be sure to check out the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, one of the larger galleries in Western Canada—and it’s free admission.
Medicine Hat
This southern Alberta city also basks in winter and year-round sunshine—by some reports as much sun as Calgary. Medicine Hat, however, has a whole different vibe than the big city.
You could take a self-guided tour of the heritage buildings in this laid-back city, take in its many murals and sample its robust coffee culture and craft brewery scene any day of the year.
Get more travel tips to warm your soul with ZenSeekers enews.
Edmonton
You’ll find Edmontonians flocking to get a front seat at the city’s more than 15 #YEGWinterPatios, like Culina by the Lake in Hawrelak Park, or at Café Bicyclette. Both have fires to warm you as the sun wanes into the evening.
Make the most of a winter day here and take advantage of the excellent winter trail network in the North Saskatchewan River Valley. You'll find groomed cross-country trails throughout the valley, as well as a network of trails for fatbiking.
Here’s some inspiration to build your own winter patio crawl in Edmonton.
Snowshoeing around Hawrelak Park, Edmonton AB.
With its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, Canada’s most westerly province isn’t known for its sunny days in the winter and early spring seasons. To understand why, check out this story about what’s behind Alberta and BC’s weather conditions.
But take heart! The weather gurus identify these areas as the sunniest spots in BC.
Victoria
BC’s capital city on Vancouver Island is the sunniest spot in the province. It is blessed with oceanfront beaches and a stunning inner harbour, and the sea-side location is ideal for kayaking, picnics and beachcombing. On some balmy days you can even go golfing. Many golf venues offer heated stalls where you can practise your swing.
If you really want to feel like spring is in the air, head to beautiful Butchart Gardens in winter, a time of year when the glorious plant life outnumbers the humans.
A view of the mountains from Cranbrook, BC.
Cranbrook
Known as the gateway to the Powder Highway in the Kootenay Rockies, Cranbrook gets just a bit less sunshine than Victoria, but equally mild temperatures. On the doorstep of seven ski resorts in less than two hours for some amazing skiing, plus several heli-skiing operations. It’s the perfect place for the fair-weather winter lover.
There are around 70 kms of trails at the Cranbrook Community Forest and South Star Recreation Area in town for fat biking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
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Sunshine Coast
OK, we might be making a bit of a reach here. BC’s Sunshine Coast – which doesn’t necessarily mean, well, you know, that it’s sunny here between November and April – does have mild temperatures, ranging from 2 to 10 C. We’ll take it! Grab a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to explore the region.
Although it is teeming with people in summer, you’ll pretty much have it to yourself in the off season.
P.S. You might be wondering how the Sunshine Coast got its name. Chalk it up to a marketing campaign from the early 1900s. A pioneer family who was trying to lure tourists for the summer holidays, painted the moniker “The Sunshine Belt” on the wharf at Roberts Creek. The label stuck around more than the sun.
You can find a warm respite from winter on the Sunshine Coast.
Vitamin D is the happiness drug served up best from the sky. Wherever you are, getting out and enjoying winter activity is a great formula for soaking in nature's therapeutic benefits, including sunshine.
These locations in Alberta and BC can help you get the sunny fix you need to thrive through until summer, and all while experiencing great outdoor activities, too.
More winter wellness tips
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