Instagram has changed the way we travel. It provides epic travel inspiration, gives us a way to connect with other travellers, and – best of all – is the ultimate way to induce serious FOMO in your friends and family.
If you’re any kind of photographer, whether amateur or professional, and an Instagram lover, British Columbia is the spot for you. This Canadian province has some of the most famously photogenic spots of all time, from beautiful mountain ranges to lakes and beaches.
And while there’s a million to choose from, here are our favourite Instagram spots in British Columbia.
1. Big White’s snow ghosts
Big White Ski Resort is famous for its snow ghosts – trees that are covered in rime ice and bent into the most spectacular shapes. Take a ride up the Powder Chair or the Alpine T-Bar to find the best ones, and be sure to pose between them for a truly Instagram-worthy photo.
2. Grouse Mountain’s hidden magic
Adventuring through Grouse Mountain is fun throughout the winter. Thanks to its positioning, so close to Vancouver, you’ll catch spectacular views of the city while skiing and snowboarding. But over the holidays, you’ll also find special elements of holiday magic throughout the resort that are perfect for Instagram, such as hidden lit-up reindeer in the trees and this glorious light tunnel.
3. SilverStar’s village
SilverStar Mountain Resort is known for its fairytale village full of colourful buildings that make for a gorgeous backdrop to any Instagram shots, especially on a powder day – the colours just pop that much more against the white of the light, dry, fluffy snowfall. Once you’re done taking photos of the village, head to the backside of the mountain for more epic photos over the trees, with surrounding mountain ranges in the backdrop of your photo.
4. Revelstoke’s stoke levels
Revelstoke Mountain Resort is known for being epic, and the nature of the resort means that you’ll be able to get equally epic Instagram shots. Be ready for incredible powder, some of the steepest terrain in British Columbia, and enough vertical to get you well and truly above the clouds.
5. Whistler’s PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola
There are plenty of photogenic experiences to enjoy at Whistler Blackcomb, but the PEAK 2 PEAK is one of the best. Glass-bottomed gondolas with enormous windows offer 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains, and whether you’re taking photos of the outside or the inside, you’ve got an Instagram winner either way. Be sure to include a fun fact in your caption – the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola is a Guinness World Record-breaking gondola with the longest unsupported lift span for the highest lift of its kind in the world.
6. Fernie’s heated pools
Did you even go on a ski holiday if you didn’t get a photo in a hot tub, holding a plastic cup of wine? Take it one step further in the heated pools of Fernie Alpine Resort – you can watch the world go by on the slopes while enjoying your afternoon in the sunshine, or even in the snowfall. Hashtag ultimate relaxation.
7. The early mornings of Sun Peaks
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Want to see the hidden side of a ski resort? Get up an hour or two before the lifts start turning and take a stroll through the village as you bask in the beauty of the day getting ready to go. Pick up one of the first coffees made by baristas for the day, watch the groomers roll through the slopes, and admire the sunrise as it comes up over the surrounding mountains – Sun Peaks Resort is the perfect spot to do it all.
8. The snowstorms of Panorama
Forget blue skies and sunshine for your Instagram photo shoots – for truly winter-wonderland photos, you want fat flakes to be falling from the sky. Hang out at Panorama Mountain Resort and enjoy one of their winter snowstorms for the ultimate powder day photoshoot – gorgeous snowflakes, snow-loaded pine trees and, best of all, incredible skiing and snowboarding across 3000 acres of terrain.
9. RED’s cat skiing
Where else in the world can you go cat skiing for just $10/lap? While it’s one of British Columbia’s best-kept secrets, a few laps of cat skiing with RED Mountain’s Mt Kirkup Cat Skiing will be such a cool activity to show off to your followers – and the bright red cat looks excellent in pictures.
10. The plane window
It’s that simple. Whether you’re flying into Vancouver, heading to another province or territory in Canada, or flying within British Columbia – such as Kelowna, or Kamloops – just look out the plane window. You’ll be rewarded with some of the world’s most beautiful scenery, full of untouched peaks and mountain ranges, snow-capped year round.
For more information about the top Instagram spots in British Columbia – along with the road trips, the activities on offer and, of course, the skiing and snowboarding – click here.
