wraiths.ca

What is Wraiths?

Wraiths is a long-running personal urban exploration website focused on British Columbia, especially Vancouver and the surrounding region. Its author documents trips into abandoned and forgotten places — shut-down asylums and hospitals, closed prisons, secret tunnels, derelict ferries, abandoned mines, breweries, factories, and oddities such as the McBarge. The site frames itself as a home for people who wonder what is behind a closed door, and it presents those explorations in a deliberately informal, sometimes goofy voice.

Wraiths

What you will actually find

• First-person write-ups of explorations, some live and others still being added.
• A rebuilding site, so navigation and content are uneven in places.
• Mostly older, low-resolution photographs; the author notes that many were taken with early digital cameras and that dark conditions and avoiding security did not help image quality.

Who it suits

• Readers curious about local abandoned places and their histories.
• People who prefer field notes and storytelling over polished photography.
• Anyone researching Vancouver-area urban exploration who wants a long-view archive rather than a current events feed.

Practical trade-off

The value here is access and experience: two decades of exploration in one region, with a broad range of site types. The cost is presentation. If you need crisp images, precise locations, or up-to-date access information, this is not the right source. If you want an honest record of what these places were like and what it felt like to visit them, the rough edges are part of the point.

A useful next step is to pick one category you care about — hospitals, tunnels, or industrial sites — and read those write-ups as a set, comparing how the author describes condition, risk, and change over time. For broader context on the same region, VanUrbex covers Vancouver-area exploration, though its current activity and scope should be checked directly.

How can I find urban exploration locations in Vancouver and BC?

For Vancouver and BC specifically, start with Wraiths, a long-running personal site documenting abandoned asylums, hospitals, prisons, tunnels, derelict ferries, mines, breweries, factories and oddities like the McBarge. Its own write-ups are partly live and partly still being restored, and the author states most photos are old and low-resolution, so treat it as a location and story archive rather than a polished photo gallery.

H3 Practical ways to build a list

• Read regional archives first, then cross-check names against current maps and news.
• Search by structure type ("abandoned mine", "closed hospital", "derelict ferry") plus the city or region.
• Look for local forums, subreddits and photography groups where people discuss access conditions and changes.
• Use satellite and street-level imagery to confirm a site still exists before travelling.

H3 What to weigh before going

• Legal status: many BC sites sit on private, Crown or First Nations land; entry can be trespassing.
• Safety: mines, tunnels and old buildings carry structural, chemical and wildlife hazards.
• Condition: a site described years ago may be demolished, sealed or actively monitored.
• Ethics: leave nothing, take nothing, and avoid publishing precise access details for fragile sites.

If you want a starting point, browse the Wraiths write-ups for the Lower Mainland and BC Interior, note the site types that interest you, then verify each one against recent maps and local news before planning anything.

What are the risks and legal issues of urban exploration?

Urban exploration carries real legal and physical risk. Trespassing is the core legal problem: entering private property, active sites, or posted areas without permission can lead to fines, arrest, or civil claims, and the offence often escalates if there is damage, lock manipulation, or a "secured" facility. In Canada, provincial trespass statutes and municipal bylaws vary, so the same building can be a minor bylaw matter in one city and a criminal matter in another. Many explorers also face "break and enter" or mischief charges if they move barriers, even without theft.

The physical risks are less discussed but more likely to hurt you. Abandoned structures have rotten floors, asbestos, mould, exposed wiring, and unstable roofs. Mines and tunnels add bad air, flooding, and collapse. Security guards and squatters can also be a danger. Wraiths' own note about taking pictures in dark places with weak cameras "while avoiding security" shows the practical reality: the hobby often depends on not being seen, which is exactly when injuries go unreported and help is far away.

A useful way to think about it is a three-part test before any trip: do I have permission, is the structure safe, and can I get out if something goes wrong? If any answer is no, the risk is usually not worth it.

For context on how one long-running BC group presents this, Wraiths documents asylums, prisons, tunnels, ferries, mines, and breweries, with the caveat that many photos are old and low resolution. If you are new, start by reading local bylaws and joining a group that emphasizes permission and safety rather than "no one will notice" access.

What types of abandoned places has Wraiths explored, such as asylums, prisons, and mines?

Wraiths is a long-running urban exploration site focused on British Columbia, particularly Vancouver and the surrounding region. The site's own description lists a wide range of abandoned and forgotten places its team has checked out, including shut-down asylums and hospitals, closed prisons, secret tunnels, derelict ferries, abandoned mines, breweries, and factories. It also mentions the McBarge, a floating McDonald's structure from Expo 86 that became a well-known local ruin.

The site notes that it has been documenting these explorations for over a decade, with the first version going live two decades ago, and that this is the fifth distinct version of the site. Not every write-up is complete; some are live, others are still coming, and photos are being added over time.

What the site is useful for

• Local trip ideas: If you are in or visiting BC and want to know what forgotten infrastructure exists nearby, the site's location focus makes it more relevant than a general urban exploration hub.
• Historical context: Asylums, hospitals, prisons, mines, breweries and factories each reflect a different era of BC's development, so the write-ups can serve as informal industrial and social history.
• Realistic expectations: The site explicitly warns that most photos are old and low resolution, taken with early digital cameras in dark conditions while avoiding security. That matters if you are looking for polished photography rather than documentation.

A practical next step

If you are researching a specific site, start with the exploration write-ups that are already live and treat the photo quality as a record of the visit rather than a visual guide. For broader context on BC's abandoned places, compare Wraiths with other documentation sources such as Wikipedia for background on specific structures, or regional heritage sites where they exist. If you are considering visiting any abandoned location yourself, remember that access rules, safety hazards and legal status vary enormously from site to site, and a write-up from years ago may no longer reflect current conditions.

What equipment and techniques are needed for exploring abandoned places?

The Wraiths site is a firsthand record of two decades spent exploring abandoned asylums, prisons, tunnels, mines, breweries and factories around British Columbia, so it is most useful as a reality check on what the hobby actually looks like rather than a gear catalogue. Its own write-ups admit the photos are often low resolution, taken on early digital cameras in dark places while trying to avoid security — a useful reminder that access and timing matter more than camera quality. See Wraiths for the locations they covered and the tone they set.

H3 What the basics actually are

• Light: a headlamp plus a small handheld torch, with spare batteries. Dark interiors, basements and tunnels are the norm, and you want both hands free.
• Footwear: sturdy boots with grip for rubble, wet floors, broken glass and loose gravel.
• Clothing: long sleeves and trousers, plus a dust mask or respirator for mould, asbestos-era buildings and mine air.
• Navigation: a charged phone, an offline map or downloaded area map, and a written note of where you entered.
• Water and a snack: trips run longer than expected, especially in large complexes.
• Gloves: cut-resistant work gloves for jagged metal, wire and boarded windows.

H3 Techniques that matter more than gear

• Go with someone. Two people minimum; tell a third person your plan and expected return time.
• Scout in daylight first. Identify entrances, exits and signs of active security or occupation before committing.
• Move quietly and slowly. Sound travels in empty buildings, and floors and stairs in older structures can be unsound.
• Test surfaces before weighting them. Stay off rotted wood, and avoid obvious structural damage.
• Leave things as they are. Take only photos; do not remove artefacts or graffiti over others' work.
• Know when to turn back. Fresh footprints, new locks, cameras or voices mean leave.

H3 Trade-offs to weigh A big camera and tripod produce better images but slow you down and attract attention; a compact camera or phone is easier to hide and quicker to use. Bright lights help you see and photograph but are visible from outside. Going alone is quieter but removes your safety net.

For a concrete next step, pick one modest site you can visit legally — an accessible ruin, a public tunnel tour or a permitted derelict area — and practise the routine: daylight scout, entry and exit plan, headlamp discipline, no touching. If you want more context on the hobby and its ethics closer to home, UER is a long-running urban exploration community, and Urbexology covers technique and safety; treat any location information you find there as something to verify locally, and never enter a site where access is clearly prohibited.

Where can I see photos and read stories from Wraiths' explorations?

You can see and read them directly on Wraiths itself: Wraiths. The site presents itself as a long-running urban exploration archive for British Columbia, with write-ups of abandoned and forgotten places and photos being added over time.

What you'll find there

• Exploration write-ups covering shut-down asylums and hospitals, closed prisons, secret tunnels, derelict ferries, abandoned mines, breweries, factories, and the McBarge.
• Photo sets attached to those explorations — although the site warns that most are old, low-resolution digital camera shots rather than polished images.
• A rebuilding notice: some write-ups are live, others are still coming, and pictures are being added to all of them.

Best next step

Start with the explorations that are already published, then check back periodically if you want the ones still being rebuilt. If you're looking for a specific type of location — prisons, hospitals, tunnels, industrial sites — scan the write-up list first rather than expecting a complete, uniform gallery.

Practical note

The site is explicit that image quality is uneven, so treat it as a first-person record of places and access rather than a photography portfolio. For context on the broader hobby, you could also compare with UER or 28DaysLater, which host urban exploration forums and reports from other regions.