From Canada

Sean Webber

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book for the automobile-deprived

Reviewed in Canada on July 25, 2008

Being a poor student without a car, the call of the wild has always been difficult to manage. However, upon reading this book my eyes were opened to the possibilities of exploring the surrounding wilderness without having to rely on a car.

Mr. Grover speaks from years of personal experience and he writes down to the smallest detail, which is very helpful when you are visiting a place for the first time or are inexperienced. He gives many hints and tips of things of particular interest to look out for and seems to know all the trails and areas like the back of his hand. On top of this, he provides plenty of information on bus and ferry schedules, fees, and what routes NOT to take.

Mr. Grover has a humourous and down to earth writing style, which makes for a very accessible book about our very accessible wilderness.

From the United States

doug hillhouse

4.0 out of 5 stars Outdoor recreation

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2001

Grover does a great job of detailing the ins and outs of outdoor adventure in B.C., for those who don`t have vehicles or choose not to. Very timely.

One person found this helpful

Mark Grover

5.0 out of 5 stars It’s a book

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2018

Great book, fun read. My only complaint would have to be that the characters were rather shallow and there were not enough car chases.

susan dawkins

5.0 out of 5 stars Car Free and Care Free

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2001

It’s about time someone made it easy for all us carless ( and proud of it ) people to enjoy the great outdoors. Mr. Grover’s book leaves no stone unturned when it comes to useful information. He’s put in maps for every area described, transportation schedules, detailed descriptions of trails, prices, historical information, drawings and a sense of humor rarely found in travel/guide books. Obviously a lot of research went in to make this book so complete and so far the trips I’ve taken using this guide have been spot on! Buying this book was the best $20 I’ve spent in a long time. I hope Mr. Grover decides to write similar guides for the rest of the province and country. With environmental problems being a concern for a large number of people in this country it is refreshing to see a real simple solution for a change. Good on you Mr. Grover.

2 people found this helpful

Paul Kurucz

5.0 out of 5 stars It works! I tried the transit approach and it was fun!

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2001

This book is a great addition to my collection of outdoor books on BC. The reason is that I can now slow down my life a bit when I want to get outdoors and not be so stressed about getting to the trailhead or kayaking point or…public transit is cheap, easy to use and allows you to get in a more relaxed frame of mind before you start your next adventure. You even get to meet some interesting folks enroute. Try it!
The pictures and bits of useful and interesting information peppered througout make it very browsable. The maps for each activity are really clear and easy to use. A great outdoor guide even if you take a car.
Now if the author would do a “BC Car Free: How to get to urban adventures in BC” book, I could get to urban activities in the same mode of transport and frame of mind…

clive wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars BC Car-Free

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2001

Great information source. Most guide books seem to leave out odd little bits of information that you have to scurry around and find at the last minute. This book is great on the details; it has all the contact numbers you need at your fingertips. Even if you cheat like I do and use a car, it is still a fabulous guide. Plus the writing stlye is great, easy to read and funny!
The trips described have just the right amount of detail. The author gets you interested, tells you how to get there but doesn’t get too carried away with his own impressions. I have made good use of this book since I picked it up and I heartily recommend it.

Tod Wong

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2001

I used the book last weekend to check out the caves on Vancouver Island. I had never even heard of them before. Too Qool! BC Car-Free was right on in its description and details. Next week I’m going to do my first kayaking trip using the book.

One person found this helpful

Simi Sara, Global TV News

“Brian Grover’s book has everything from beginner hikes to intermediate kayaking trips.”

Shelly Clink; MyCity Radio Fanny Kiefer Show

“It’s so factually done and it’s interesting with a sense of style and wry humour…I liked it.”

Jane Williams; Co-op Radio Red Eye

“This book seems long overdue.”

Sterling Fox & Bob Say; CKNW Weekend Edition

“Are you nuts, man!”

CBC Almanac, hosted by Mark Forsythe

“Great photos in the book and it’s very current information.”

“How to get out of town— without a noxious fume machine”

By Tom Zillich; May 30, 2001

A new guide book written by a West End educator assumes people don’t need a car to enjoy the natural beauty of B.C.

The auto-addicted among us might not agree, which is one of the reasons why Brian Grover felt compelled to write BC Car-Free: Exploring Southwestern British Columbia Without a Car ($19.99 at local book and outdoor stores).

The 344-pager is a frank, sensibly written and slightly political guide to getaways within reach to Vancouverites by bus, boat and other non-auto modes of transportation.

A glitch in the timing of publication has been the region’s two-month-old transit strike. Optimistically, Grover points out that of the 94 excursions detailed in his self-published book, just 15 are wiped out by the labour dispute, most of them out of season anyway.

BC Car-Free is billed as the only public-transportation guide to outdoor recreation in Canada. In great detail, the author maps access to destinations such as the Stein Valley Mini-Traverse and the Orcas Islands assuming the reader lives in the heart of Vancouver, a starting point for any number of well-researched bus and SkyTrain routes, ferries, water taxis and foot paths. Maps, checklists and warnings guide the reader to hiking, cycling, whale-watching, kayaking, cave-exploring and other outdoor experiences.

A West End resident for 13 of the past 20 years, Grover says very few guidebooks even pay lip service to public transportation. Determined to avoid the headaches and expense of owning a car, he set out to find out just what could be undertaken without one.

“This book is dedicated to and written for those who do not want to sit around complaining about the high cost of gasoline or auto insurance at dinner

parties, do not want to spend their Thursday afternoons getting a brake job, who dislike parking fines, speeding tickets and tow trucks with equal acrimony,” he writes in his introduction.

Grover packs BC Car-Free with so much information—ferry schedules, rates, phone and fax numbers—that he runs a serious risk of having the book rendered out of date in a short period of time. The shelf life of a typical travel guide is extended greatly by avoiding such detail. Grover is attempting to navigate around this pitfall by directing readers to a website message board (at www.car-free.ca) for information updates submitted by the author and readers. “I’m swimming against the current on that one,” he says ruefully.

Grover’s wife, Manami Kimura, contributes illustrations and some photos to the guide, which she translated into Japanese for the couple’s website. Together they pay the bills as ESL teachers at their apartment-based school, dubbed Brian and Neko’s Place. Grover is a former communications officer with the Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C.

Irreverently, Grover includes a “mystery photo” of a mountain range in the book’s introduction. “I’m 60 per cent sure it’s Mount Arrowsmith on Vancouver Island.” Those who recognize the peak are encouraged to inform the author at his website address.

The Vancouver Courier <<->> Thompson & Fraser River Rafting

Wanderung is perfect for those without cars since we encourage using the least amount of vehicles to get your group to the trailhead. Here are some links for the vehicularly challenged:

* BC Car-Free – One of the best books written for trips in the lower mainland regardless of whether or not you have a car. All of the trips in here can be reached without use of a vehicle and “how to” is spelled out in detail. In addition to hiking, this resource included kayak trips and cycle tours amongst other activities. Best of all, this book is freely available online! Simply download your maps and trip guides.

This guidebook aims to fill the gap for those without a vehicle of their own, but has a reputation as being one of the best resources regardless of that. Also including kayak and cycle trips, Glover’s [sic] book is must have and, best of all, is freely available online. [NB: Also available in local area book stores.] The budget hiker need only print the maps and guide pages.

Vanilla Leaf <<->> Water and Beaver Fever

This Month’s Books December – January 2002 BC Car-Free: by Brian Grover

In this guide to outdoor recreation in southern BC, Brian Grover presents 94 separate trips which can be taken from Vancouver using public transportation. These trips include 13 sea kayaking adventures, as well as cycle touring, backpacking, river rafting, whale watching, caving, canoeing and more. He includes 52 maps noting campsites, showers, laundries, police, pubs, petroglyphs, anchorage, airports and many other points of interest. A wealth of information presented in a compact format.

Whiskey Jack Communications, 2001. ISBN 0- 9688018, softcover, B & W, 340 pp. $19.95 Cdn.

Water and Beaver Fever <<->> Cal-Cheak Trail

Exploring Southwestern British Columbia Without a Car

Featured in VT VoiceColumn Vancouver Tonight (Japanese Language Publication) August, 2002

“Do you want to experience the great outdoors? Do you want to enjoy nature? Do you want to breath fresh air? This is the ideal guidebook for you!”

–Excerpt Translated from Japanese.

Tongue Twisters <<->> Vanilla Leaf