Published by Greystone Books, Destination Hikes describes 55 hikes near Vancouver, Canada. It spans 272 pages and covers the North Shore, Sea to Sky, Fraser Valley, Coquihalla, Manning Park, Sunshine Coast, Gulf Islands, Nanaimo, Bellingham, Mount Baker, and other regions.
While reservations for Berg Lake and the West Coast Trail are hot tickets for hikers in British Columbia, a backpacking permit for the Enchantment Lakes is one of the most-coveted prizes in Washington.
Found in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, near the Bavarian-themed tourist trap known as Leavenworth, the Enchantments are a constellation of stunning alpine tarns situated in the Central Cascades. Every year, the U.S. Forest Service holds a preseason lottery (February 15 to March 1) to allocate the majority of overnight permits for the peak and (snowy) shoulder seasons (May 15 to October 31).
Day hikers require a permit too, but it’s free and available at the trailheads — no reservation necessary. Both out-and-back and crossover hikes are possible; a privately operated shuttle service helps with the latter.