Broke & Bougie
Wander the UBC Research Forest
Free colour-coded trails through 5,000 hectares of Douglas firs and old growth that predates Canada. UBC's lab, your date.
Malcolm Knapp Research Forest
More infoBroke & Bougie
Free colour-coded trails through 5,000 hectares of Douglas firs and old growth that predates Canada. UBC's lab, your date.
Malcolm Knapp Research Forest
More infoTechnically the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest is UBC's 5,000-hectare outdoor laboratory. Practically, it is a vast walk through towering Douglas firs and lush ferns that costs you nothing beyond the drive and a donation at the gate. Patches of old growth predate Canada, which puts productive pressure on your complaints about the week. The trails are colour-coded, so start with the easy red loop and breathe properly for once.
Check the forest is open before you drive out, it's a working research site that closes for active operations and high fire danger, and the gate hours run roughly 9am to 4pm, so this is strictly a daytime date. Park at the main lot off the gatehouse, drop a few dollars in the donation box, and grab a trail map: the colour-coded system runs red (easiest) to blue (longest/hardest), so the red loop is the relaxed hand-holding option and the green adds a bit more without wrecking your legs. Don't miss the stands of old-growth cedar and Douglas fir on the lower trails, some of these trees are over 400 years old and dwarf anything you'll see at a roadside park. Bring water and snacks; there's no concession, no cell signal, and that's the point. Timing trick: weekday mornings are near-empty, and the firs filter the light beautifully, so it's the rare free date that also photographs like a paid one.
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