Field Trips
Nature Vancouver offers a variety of field trips almost every weekend. Trips include birding, botany, marine biology or general nature walks; day hikes or short backpacking and snowshoe hikes. These trips are much appreciated by the membership. Non-members are welcome to join field trips as a way to review the activities of the Society but are asked to limit their participation to a maximum of three events.
We are looking for more members to volunteer to lead field trips, specially birding trips.
You don’t need any special nature knowledge to lead a trip – just an idea and enthusiasm for a trip to a particular area that you are familiar with, and a willingness to learn and share. Experienced trip leaders will be happy to co-lead trips with you and provide mentorship. Please contact, Bill Kinkaid, Field Trips Co-ordinator, if you are interested.
Members of Nature Vancouver also conduct monthly bird surveys at UBC Farm and UBC Botanical Gardens. MORE INFORMATION
Other organizations host regular walks and surveys that might be of interest to members of Nature Vancouver. More informations is available on Ongoing Nature Walks and Surveys.
Field Trip Schedule
Nature Vancouver field trips are scheduled on most weekends and some week days. The complete schedule is available at EVENTS CALENDAR.
Birding Port Coquitlam’s Pitt River Dyke will take place at DeBoville Slough on 21/Mar/2020 at 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Half-day Birding Field Trip to Iona Regional Park will take place at Iona Regional Park on 25/Apr/2020 at 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
Geology of Lynn Canyon Park will take place at Lynn Canyon Park on 25/Jun/2020 at 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Field Trip Leaders' Workshop
A workshop will held on Mar 14, 2020, to provide basic information to new and potential field trip leaders. Click below for complete details.
Trip Difficulty Rating System
Nature Vancouver uses a field trip classification system by rating the level of difficulty and adding an estimate of the time to be spent on the trail. The trip leader is responsible for deciding on the appropriate classification in conjunction with the Field Trip Coordinator. If this will be your first field trip with Nature Vancouver, please review Guidelines for trip participants .
The difficulty rating system is as follows:
- Easy: easy path or road with minimal elevation change and minimal hazards. Examples: Lost Lagoon, Reifel Bird Sanctuary.
- Moderate: trail with possible rocks, roots or other hazards. Moderate grade, occasional steep but short sections. Up to 200m elevation change. Examples: Norvan Falls, Pacific Spirit Park.
- Strenuous: moderately steep gradient. 100 m to 500 m elevation change. Examples: Hollyburn Peak, Mount Galiano.
- Very strenuous: constant steep gradient. 500m to 1,000 m elevation change. Examples: Elk Mountain, Rainbow Lake.
The expected duration of the field trip is added to the letter category to obtain a combined letter/figure rating. Example: A C6 hike will be a C hike, as described above, with an estimated time on the trail of 6 hours. The estimated time spent during a field trip does not include driving or other travel times.. I
Field Trip Documents
Please review the documents below as they contain important information about trip preparation, carpooling and transportation, associated costs, and more.
Liability Waiver
Please read the release of liability waiver. Anyone participating in a Nature Vancouver field day trip or overnight trip must complete and sign a waiver form.