These 10 B.C. hikes required the most rescues last year

Hikers begin to climb the Grouse Grind - file

While British Columbia is full of scenic hiking trails, several in particular attract the most attention from search and rescue (SAR) crews in the province.

Out of the 504 hiking-related search and rescue calls that crews respond to last year, these 10 generate the most by volume.

The list, released by the BC Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA) on Thursday, can be found below, with the number one spot representing the highest call volume:

BCSARA has created safety videos for six of the trails included on the list.

The videos are intended to inform hikers about what to expect on the following trails: Black Tusk trail, Howe Sound Crest trail, Juan de Fuca marine trail, Stawamus Chief trail, Grouse Grind trail, and Mount Seymour trail.

All six videos can be found on the BCSARA website. Search crews recommend that people watch the videos if they intend on hiking any of those trails.

COMMON HIKING EMERGENCIES

BCSARA says the top three most common hiking emergencies are people being lost or not having a navigation device – poor footwear, sometimes leading to a slip or fall – and hikers being unaware of how hard a trail is or being stuck on a trail that exceeds their ability.

Those three reasons accounted for 271 search and rescue calls in B.C. in 2022.

Search crews are asking hikers to be prepared before embarking on any trail, noting that most emergency calls are preventable.

Tips from BCSARA on how to prepare for a hike include:

More tips on outdoor trail safety can be found on the BCSARA website.