Google Trekker and Destination BC partnered to share the best of BC backcountry through Google Maps Treks. Their first stop? McGillivray Pass Trail.
Google Maps Treks takes internet-users on virtual, off-road journeys through some of the world’s most stunning wild landscapes. Recently, Destination BC partnered with Google Trekker to document trails throughout BC. With specific criteria in mind, Destination BC and Google Trekker began their quest to identify suitable trails for their collaboration.
BC has no shortage of trails, which made the selection and prioritization of a single trail for each region a challenging process. Destination BC and Google Trekker were seeking an established, designated trail that would provide a good representation of the local area. Additionally, the trail had to satisfy four key requirements: safe conditions along the trail, minimal impact to the environment, limited user conflicts, and sanctioning by First Nations. Once these conditions were met, Google Trekker focused on BC trails that were deeply connected to the local community and possessed significant historical value.
Destination BC and Google Trekker chose McGillivray Pass Trail as one of the select BC trails they would share with people across the globe. McGillivray Pass was initially used by First Nations as a trading route through the Bridge River Valley. At the start of Bralorne’s gold rush in 1850, miners also began frequenting the trail. The McGillivray Pass was crucial to the miners as it provided a link from the most productive gold mine in Canada’s history to the rest of the world.
Today, the McGillivray Pass is a high mountain valley, blanketed with wildflowers and vibrant green meadows that seem to stretch to the sky. Grizzly bears, moose, mule deer, and mountain goats inhabit the alpine and subalpine regions along this trail.
Ready to share the unique qualities of this backcountry trail with the rest of the world, the Google Trekker team and their wilderness guides began their journey at 6 AM. Following a one-and-a-half hour drive to the trail-head, one of the Google Trekker team members strapped on the mobile camera equipment. This tailored backpack contained a sturdy camera-mount, along with a space-age camera that could capture 360 degree views with its 12 lenses. The entire pack weighed 42 pounds and was 1 meter high.
As local wilderness guides led the Google Trekker crew, high mountain fog rolled in and out, creating anticipation for the spectacular mountain views that lay just beyond the fog. As the mist cleared, the crew continued their hike through rolling alpine meadows and along towering ridge tops, capturing dramatic 360 degree views of the Coast Ranges Mountains. Over 13 hours, the guides and Google Trekker team captured the stunning vistas and nuanced beauty of the McGillivray Pass Trail. It was a full day, but the Google Trekker team saw the mission through to completion, running on adrenaline and excitement.
As the Google Trekker crew captured the visual splendours of McGillivray Pass, a second team was documenting the history of the trail through film interviews. A First Nation Elder and a pioneer miner both shared the rich history of McGillivray Pass, along with the meaningful role this trail had played in their lives and in the lives of many others throughout the Bridge River Valley.
Join us for a rich journey through time on our McGillivray Pass Horse Pack Trip. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today.
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