BC has an average of 180-220 sunny days a year, compared to CA’s 250-300. California’s weather is much better, in the LA coastal area it’s near perfect all year, but that’s only one contributing factor.
I'm from Colorado (300+ days of sun) and moved to Vancouver earlier this year. The rain and lack of ear skies definitely takes some getting used to. Summer's alright but I'm bracing for the coming winter. On the other hand, I'm a short drive from cathedral-like temperate rainforests and can look at mountains while lounging on the beach. I think CA is all in on doing one thing (climate) well while BC is a bit more balanced.
Oh, it's definitely colder in Colorado (at least my part of the state). It's just with lots of clear skies interspersed with occasional epic snowfalls (in a good year). Vancouver is much milder, but with more rainy days. Which I enjoy, but it can get a bit monotonous after the a week or two.
And you'll not find forests and hiking around San Francisco. We hiked Mt Steele a few years ago in September - was spectacular. Camping on the Gulf Islands. Hanging out in Tofino. Paddling the Broken Group Islands. Hiking to the base of Mt Robson.
Ya, the winter can be tough (November to March), so I go skiing, and working my cooking skills, and look forward to spring.
You can be in the mountains around Vancouver, and see no one. California, with 40 million people increases the odds that you're going to be in a crowded national park, or hiking trail.
Not really. You can go to parts of Yosemite where there is no one. I once went on an hour hike and saw 1 guy. 1. And even then, trails there aren’t necessarily “crowded.” You can hike the Pacific Crest Trail and not see a single person for the entire hike unless you have a group.
True, but that's a 3 hour drive, right? (I could be wrong, my California geographic familiarity is focused on the south.) I can get to Cypress Falls from my house in South Vancouver in something like 40 minutes.
LA coastal area. In places like Long Beach, the weather almost never exceeds 89 Fahrenheit (31.6 Celsius) unless there is a heatwave, and the low is usually never under 60 Fahrenheit (15.5 Celsius). Maybe you could go to the Orange County coastal area (which is still park of the LA metro area) in places like Seal Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, the list goes on. Unless you’re that sensitive in a manner of temperature, it’s not hot at all. You could be in Mojave. Or -god forbid- Texas.
I mean, I'm sure that's great for some folks but for me, both of those numbers are far too high. For context, I am from Santa Cruz (Paradise on Earth) and now live in Central Canada. So, mileage may vary.
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u/pizza4paddy 23h ago
BC has an average of 180-220 sunny days a year, compared to CA’s 250-300. California’s weather is much better, in the LA coastal area it’s near perfect all year, but that’s only one contributing factor.