Soaring to Adventure: The Magic of Flying In to Your Wilderness Hike

Imagine this: the hum of a floatplane or helicopter fills the air as you ascend above a pristine wilderness. Below, the terrain reveals itself in breathtaking detail—rugged peaks, sparkling lakes, winding rivers, untouched forests and striking beach and coastline, stretching to the horizon. Not only are you traveling to the trailhead of your wilderness hike, but you’re also getting an exclusive preview of the journey ahead.

Flying into a wilderness hike offers unparalleled advantages for adventurers. Let's take a look at just a few reasons why this experience is a game-changer.

Herring roe in the waters around Bligh Island

A Bird’s-Eye Preview

Flying over the trail gives you a unique perspective of the route you’ll hike. Spotting landmarks like ridges, valleys, waterfalls, lakes and lighthouses from above provides context to the landscape, helping you orient yourself once your boots hit the ground. This aerial perspective often deepens your appreciation of the scale and beauty of the wilderness you’re about to immerse yourself in.

Access to Remote Beauty

Floatplanes and helicopters make it possible to reach remote, off-the-beaten-path destinations that are otherwise inaccessible. These isolated trailheads often lead to some of the most pristine and untouched hiking routes, far from the crowds and into the heart of nature.

A Thrill Before the Trek

The flight itself is an adventure. Swooping over treetops, skimming along ridgelines, or landing on a glassy alpine lake is an exhilarating experience that sets the tone for your hike. It’s a memory that will forever be linked with the journey to come.

Effortless Efficiency

For adventurers with limited time, flying in allows you to maximize your wilderness experience by skipping long approaches or difficult access routes. This means more time spent exploring the trail and soaking in the scenery, and less time backtracking over previously covered ground.

A Story Like No Other

From takeoff to touchdown, a fly-in hike is a story you’ll share for years. It combines the thrill of aviation with the serenity of backcountry hiking, making for an unforgettable start to your adventure.

Whether you’re a seasoned explorer or a first-time wilderness hiker, consider adding an aerial leg to your journey. The unique vantage point, convenience, and sheer excitement of flying in to a hike promise an experience that will redefine your connection with nature.

Drop off at Escalante Point, Hesquiat

Tombstones, Nootka, Hesquiat, South Chilcotins Fly-ins

Sea to Sky Expeditions offers fly-in backcountry hiking tours to the Tombstone Mountains in the Yukon and the South Chilcotin Mountains in British Columbia to maximize the experience in the landscape. Through Coastal Bliss Adventures, we offer fly-in backcountry hiking tours on Nootka Island and the Hesquiat Peninsula on Vancouver Island's west coast. 

Ready to take your wilderness adventures to new heights? Let’s get you airborne!

What's Ahead for 2025?

Sea to Sky Expeditions is excited to announce its 2025 adventure season, offering a diverse array of guided tours across Western Canada's breathtaking landscapes. With over 35 years of experience, we continue to provide small group experiences led by certified guides, ensuring personalized and unforgettable journeys.

In the South Chilcotin Mountains

Hiking Adventures

• West Coast Trail: Traverse the "Graveyard of the Pacific" on this challenging 9-day trek along Vancouver Island's rugged coastline. Encounter sandy beaches, dense rainforests, and historic shipwreck sites. Tours are scheduled from May through September 2025.

• Chilkoot Trail: Follow the historic path of the Klondike Gold Rush on this 7-day hike through the Coast Mountains of British Columbia and Alaska. Experience varied terrains and rich history. Tours run during July and August 2025.

• South Chilcotin Mountains: Immerse yourself in alpine meadows and diverse wildlife on this 7-day backpacking tour. Two options are available: a fly-in/hike-out and a hike-in/out, with dates in July 2025.

• Tombstone Mountains Expedition: Explore Yukon's granite pinnacles and tundra landscapes on this 8-day adventure. Options include hike-in or fly-in expeditions, with departures in July and August 2025.



In the Tombstones

Canoeing Expeditions

• Bowron Lakes Canoeing: Embark on a quintessential Canadian experience with this 10-day, 116 km circuit through the Cariboo Mountains. Paddle across six major lakes connected by rivers and portages. Tours run from June to September 2025.

• Yukon River Canoeing: Journey through history on this 10-day trip along the Yukon River, following the route of Klondike gold rushers. Scheduled departures are in July and August 2025.

• Teslin River Canoeing: Navigate the Teslin River over 9 days, merging into the Yukon River, and experience the serene wilderness. Trips are planned for July and August 2025.

Bowron Lakes Canoe Circuit

Kayaking Tours

• Johnstone Strait Kayaking: Paddle alongside orcas in their natural habitat on this 6-day tour off Vancouver Island. Tours are available from July to September 2025.

• Broughton Archipelago Kayaking: Explore a labyrinth of islands rich in wildlife and history. Dates for 2025 are forthcoming.

Kayaking in Johnstone Strait

Base Camp Experiences

• Kluane National Park: Experience the splendor of the Kluane area with day hikes from a comfortable base camp. The itinerary for this tour is based on the abilities and fitness of each group, but always spectacular!

• Arctic Circle Drive & Hike: Explore Dawson City and the Dempster Highway up to the Arctic Circle, with optional heli-tours over the Tombstone and Ogilvie Mountains. Scheduled for September 5-12, 2025.

Slim's River (Ä’äy Chù) East in Kluane National Park

Sea to Sky Expeditions remains committed to providing nutritious meals, knowledgeable guides, and intimate group sizes to enhance your wilderness adventure. For detailed itineraries, pricing, and booking information, please visit the Sea to Sky Expeditions website.

Embark on the adventure of a lifetime with Sea to Sky Expeditions in 2025!

Happy holidays and Happy New Year from Sea to Sky Expeditions!

Happy New Year!

As the year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to reflect on the past year and express our gratitude to our customers, partners, and team members.

2022 continued to have its challenges as Covid has become more endemic. We are grateful for the continued support and understanding of our customers as we navigated the complexities of operating during a pandemic. We are grateful for the cooperation and understanding of our team members as we shifted and changed and navigated multiple uncertainties.

Despite the challenges, we were fortunate to be able to offer a range of outdoor adventures this year in both BC and the Yukon. We are especially grateful for the stunning natural beauty of the places we visit and work in, which has provided a sense of solace and connection to nature for so many of our guests.

As we look ahead to 2023, we are hopeful for the continued return to normal operations and that all the areas we normally visit are open. We are excited to continue offering a range of outdoor adventures and look forward to welcoming you on a trip with us in the coming year.

Thank you to our guests that have already booked trips for 2023. For January, we are offering some specials. We want to encourage you to consider a group of hiking trips we do at Sea to Sky, and we'll give you 10% if you book before January 15th. You can use discount code NEWYEARHIKING10 for the following trips by the end of January 15th.

Nootka Island Trail

• June 6-11, 2023
• July 1-6, 2023
• July 21-26, 2023
• August 24-29, 2023

South Chilcotins Trail

• July 3-9, 2023
• August 1-7, 2023

Tombstones Mountains Hiking *tentative dates-to be confirmed Jan. 11th

• July 13 – 20*, 2023
• July 24 – 31*, 2023
• Aug 4 – 11*, 2023
• Aug 17 – 24*, 2023
• Aug 28 – Sept 4*, 2023

From all of us at Sea to Sky Expeditions, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. Thank you for choosing us for your outdoor adventures, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Big Changes at Sea to Sky Expeditions!

 Sea to Sky now has new directors!

Georgia Newsome and Gary Ward are the new directors and owners of Sea to Sky Expeditions, as of November 10, 2022. Georgia and Gary also own Coastal Bliss Adventures, Cowichan Bay Kayaking and Kilimanjaro Bliss Expeditions and Safaris.

We want to thank Mark Waldbillig, previous owner of Sea to Sky, for his years of running the company and his devotion to the industry. Mark has chosen to walk a different trail for his life now. Mark has been a competitor and a good friend for years. We will miss him as a competitor, but also wish him great success and happiness on the new path, and will remain friends for years to come!

Gary and Georgia will keep the great trips that have been a mainstay for Sea to Sky for years. In fact, Georgia guided for Sea to Sky for 13 years and helped develop a number of the trips. We look forward to leading new and returning guests on the amazing experiences that have been Sea to Sky Expeditions.

Amazing West Coast Trail Hike, Even Better Cause!

         Every once and a while we are lucky enough to combine our passion (introducing people to beautiful wilderness spaces) with an opportunity to raise awareness and support for a great cause.

         Our friend Rob Hill, who lives (and lives to the fullest!) with Crohn's disease has been an amazing ambassador for everyone who lives with some form of Intestinal disease. Working through IDEAS (Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society) and his own adventure stream IBD adventures, Rob climbed the 7 highest peaks around the world including Mount Everest proving that just about any obstacle to your goals and dreams can be over come.

       As a BC local, Rob wanted to include some wilderness adventures in his own back yard that folks could join him on to support this cause. Our inaugural WCT trip in 2011 was a great success and so we've decided to do it again!

Sea to Sky Expeditions and IBD adventures are proud to offer another West Coast Trail adventure, September 12-20, 2015.

Participants on this tour will be asked to try and raise support on a per km basis, starting at $10/km for a total minimum donation of $750. (donations sent to IDEAS directly)  Your efforts will be going almost exclusively towards a number of tangible projects (only 3% of revenue at IDEAS goes towards administration). Specifically, funds raised this time will be put towards a scholarship set up for nurses looking to specialize in this field and towards funding for a new research lab in Kelowna, BC. You will receive tax receipts for the total of all funds raised.
Sea to Sky is happy to be donating 15% percent of each spot sold towards this worthy cause. We hope you can join us on this beautiful trail in support of a great cause.

 

Top 10 Reasons we LOVE the Bowron Lakes

Here are the top 10 reasons why we love the Bowron Lakes.

1. The circuit is made up of thirteen beautiful, unique lakes, rivers and connecting waterways which form a 116km rectangle shape that brings the you right back to where you started, a rare occurrence in the paddling world!

2. On the Eastern and Southern portions of the circuit you paddle  at 1000m surrounded by the Cariboo Mountains many reaching over 2200m. It is stunning mountain scenery enjoyed from the seat of your canoe. Mount Ishpa (the "Father") is the tallest peak in the area at 2537m (8323ft).
The rest of the circuit is through the Quesnel highlands, a land of rounded hills and grassy estuaries perfect for...

3. Spotting amazing North American wildlife! Moose are almost a guaranteed sighting, best to be up early though! Grizzly and black bear, beavers, otters, bald eagles and the most elusive but rewarding sighting, the Mountain Caribou, an at risk species for whom the mountain ranges are named.

4. If your going to be spending all that time in a boat you'd better bring your Fishing rod along! The lakes are full of bull trout, kokanee, rainbow trout and lake trout. Try your luck where the many side streams bring fresh oxygen into the lakes or troll along behind the canoe while paddling the larger lakes.

5. This park encompasses an area full of both First Nations and mining history. The Cariboo goldrush reached this area in 1861 and left the land rich with character's whose stories are almost too good to be true;)

6. The final estuary which winds its way slowly into Bowron Lake (the final lake in the circuit) is a birder's paradise with a wide variety of species to see and hear.

7. There are two powerful, beautiful waterfalls to see along the circuit. Isaac falls is 11m high and is a rolling bouncing cascade. Cariboo falls (a great side hike highlight) thunders away as it falls 26m straight down. Don't miss the turn-off to avoid this waterfall, we suspect your canoe won't survive the journey!

8. The amazing array of scenery including mountain vistas, beautiful wildlife and excellent lighting off of the water makes the Bowron Lakes an amazing place to practice your wilderness photography.

9. The bad news is there are 10.8km's of portage trails on the circuit, the good news is the trails are designed so that you can drag your boat along on a set of wheels! BC Parks allows you to put 60lbs in the boats, the rest of your personal gear has to be carried on your back. It is certainly easier than carrying that canoe on your head!

10. Maybe the best thing about paddling the Bowron Lakes in a canoe is that it forces you to slow down and appreciate a different rhythm of life in the wilderness. Take the opportunity to unplug from your busy daily routine and reconnect with nature, yourself and hopefully some new friends along the way.

Pre-Season Training - Getting ready for Backpacking

                 Spring creeps up rather quickly every year....suddenly we are 2 - 3 months out from our first expeditions and are feeling the crunch to get things organized. We also need to get the winter body ready for the shock of carrying that "Pack" again all summer.

There are many ways to continue to improve one's fitness and health: Whether it's the latest craze of cross-fit, martial arts, daily walks, the gym, yoga or a personal trainer, no matter what you already do or choose to start doing these will obviously all help build a healthier, stronger you.

Unfortunately what is usually missing from all of these other options is the one thing that could be on your mind your whole trip and will definitely be on your back the whole trip and that is your pack!

We field lots of calls asking us "How should I train for my trip?" On one level the answer is very easy, start wearing your pack - lots, Basically the more you can get your body used to the exact pack you will wear on your hike the better. The key of course is the weight you should be training with in your pack. Start LOW - If you rarely carry any weight on your walks or hikes then start with 10lbs in your pack and work your way up SLOWLY to the amount or even MORE than the amount you think you'll be carrying on your trip. This way when you do your trip you won't have to spend too much time worrying about your pack.

This raises the question of how much weight will I be carrying typically in my pack. There are of course lots of variables to the packing/weight question depending on the type of trip, budget, size of person etc. Luckily your lovely guides are kind enough to be carrying all of the group equipment meaning that what we are going to hand you is a HEAVY food bag (hey we've got to eat right!?) and either half of a shared tent or a small single tent for your to use - call that anywhere from 10-15 lbs. The rest is up to you. Many of our guests average a pack that is 30-35lbs.

It is important that you try and start planning a walk/hike once every 2 weeks or every week that is longer in duration in addition to your more regular local routine.  Most of the time backpacking is an endurance workout not a cardio workout. Being out for a full day-hike with a loaded 65-75 Liter backpack is what will get your body ready for what it is going to experience on the trail.

The key here is to have the pack sitting ready to go with some weight already packed in it (be creative with things for weight - bags of rice, lots of really good food on a longer hike!, the actual stuff you are going to carry on your trip). Every time you go for a walk, put the pack on. It's time to be that crazy neighbor who everyone notices because of their pack - our guess is you'll probably start up some good conversations along the way. Some of our guides have been known to wear their packs around the house while doing daily chores like vacuuming, whatever it takes when time is short, in order to get a little more pack time! Many of our packs have developed nicknames  such as "The Black Hole", "Big Red", "Mutt" - after you've spent enough time with your own pack and completed your wilderness adventure, you'll be ready to give your pack it's true name as well!

                                                     Happy Training!!