Vancouver Island - Mid-Island

We spent most of the winter skiing at Mount Washington, so spent a lot of weekends in the mid-island.  Our camping spot was about half way between Courtenay and Campbell River, and we've done a lot of exploring around the area.

Mount Washington and Strathcona Provincial Park are well worth a trip up the mountain.  Mount Washington is a great ski resort in winter and mountain biking park in summer, as well as offering zip lining and scenic chair lift rides.  The views from the mountain out to the ocean and the Gulf Islands are stunning!

The ferry to Quadra Island departs from Campbell River, but we haven't made it over to the island yet!  The Denman and Hornby ferry departs from Buckley Bay just down the coast, and is definitely worth a visit too.

Towns don't have to start with the letter 'C' in the central region of Vancouver Island, but it helps!  Courtenay, Cumberland and Comox are all nestled in the Comox Valley, while Campbell River is just a little further up the coast.  The region was originally home to the Pentlatch and K'omoks First Nations.

Courtenay

Gladstone Brewing is an absolute family favourite and became a regular Friday night dinner stop before skiing. Dogs are welcome on the patio, the food is tasty and well priced, beer is great and the staff are super friendly - they even started remembering our usual food order and exactly how our son liked his tacos! 

Ace Brewing at the other end of town is also worth a visit with their aviation themed tasting room.

Courtenay has a great selection of independent stores; the boys loved the bookstores and there are a couple of outdoor shops too. Ski Tak Hut do sales and rental of ski equipment and Blue Toque sell second hand gear for all of your outdoor activities.

Just north of Courtenay you will find Miracle Beach, which (whilst not miraculous!) is a pretty spot for a wander and some fun beach time. 

Whilst you are up that way check out Shelter Point Distillery, a tiny distillery producing fantastic whisky, informative tour and tasting - as approved by the whisky loving Scot Sarah!

Cumberland

Cumberland Brewing is a small brewery with a great patio.  The food menu is a bit limited, but the homemade focaccia is excellent!

Comox

Goose Spit Park is worth a visit, although busy it provides great views and again, a nice place for a wee wander. 

We ate a couple of times in Church Street Taphouse, it was always busy but they managed to fit us in both times. Great selection of beers, and a really good food selection - worth a stop. 

Campbell River

We visited Campbell River in the winter and then returned in the summer to camp at Elk Falls Provincial Park which is a great spot. We walked up to the falls from the camp ground which was a really nice walk - in our madness we decided to run most of the uphill, not recommended unless you are much more of a runner than we are, however it was well worth it when we got to the top. You can drive much nearer the falls but the walk is lovely and well worth it. 

Session Tap Room - serving a great selection of local beers and really good pizza, this place also has a spinning bike room in the back if you want to work up an appetite before-hand!

Beach Fire Brewing Company - another great option for beers and food with a nice dog friendly patio out back.  The double chocolate stout cake is delicious!

Parksville and Qualicum Area

Parksville and Qualicum are fairly busy tourist areas in the summer, and both have some great beaches.  Rathtrevor Provincial Park is nearby and is much quieter with a beautiful sandy beach, look out for sand dollars at low tide.

Mount Arrowsmith Brewing serves great beer and pizza and has a large selection of games for the kids.

If you fancy a round of mini golf the Rip Tide Lagoon course is great fun.

Check out the Old Country Market in nearby Coombs, and look out for the goats on the roof!

 

Of course with our surname we had to visit the town of Errington!  The North Island Wildlife Recovery Association is a non-profit who look after and rehabilitate wild animals including orphaned black bears and injured birds of prey. 

Sproat Lake

This lake near Port Alberni has just been voted the best lake in British Columbia, and it's easy to see why!  The lake is over 25km long and is roughly in the shape of a cross.  There are three provincial parks on the shoreline and the warm water is perfect for swimming.

We took our boat up and camped at Sproat Lake Provincial Park.  Only 5 of the 63 pitches are walk-in, but in our opinion they are the best spots; with a great view over the lake, they are only a 2-3 minute walk from the parking area.

Pender Island

We're just back from a great long weekend on Pender.  We've been to Pender a number of times in our boat but never stayed there before, so it was great to explore more of the islands. 

About Pender Island

Pender Island actually consists of two islands; North Pender and South Pender separated by the Pender Canal.  This narrow channel was dredged in 1903, and a single lane trestle bridge was built over the canal in 1957.  Originally home to the Coast Salish peoples, there are now around 2,250 permanent residents. 

Getting to Pender

We had planned to boat over to Pender, but we had some issues with the fuel system on our outboard, so decided to take the ferry over instead.  Normally we launch at the Tulista boat ramp in Sidney and land at the Port Browning Marina in North Pender.

The ferry service goes to Otter Bay on North Pender with BC Ferries from either Swartz Bay (Sidney) on Vancouver Island, or from Tsawwassen (Vancouver) on the mainland. There are multiple sailings per day, and most ferries are direct to Pender, but some stop in either Galiano, Mayne, Salt Spring or Saturna.  

The ferry from Swartz Bay is not bookable, you just buy a ticket at the terminal, ticket sales for vehicles close 3 minutes before departure and 5 minutes for foot passengers.  The ticket is a return, so no need to buy another ticket on the way back.

There is no public transport on Pender, but there is a semi-formalised system of hitch-hiking.  Multiple 'Car Stops' are located around the island, often with a handy chair! 

Where to Stay on Pender

We stayed at the brilliant Woods on Pender, and would highly recommend it.  Sarah and I rented a small airstream trailer called The Nest, while Sarah's parents took a nearby cabin with the boys!  

The Nest has a beautiful deck with sea views and an outdoor shower, while Cabin 2 down the hill has a hot tub. 

 'Coffee+Kitchen' on site serves great coffee and pastries in the morning and is open for dinner reservations on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Gulf Islands National Park has two campgrounds on Pender; front country (drive-in) camping at Prior Centennial and back-country (walk or boat-in) at Shingle Bay.  The campground at Beaumont on South Pender is closed until further notice.

Port Browning Marina has glamping tents, a rental RV and camping spots on the large grassy field in front of the pub.  There's even an outdoor swimming pool and kayak/SUP rentals on site.

Top Things to Do on Pender

1. Visit the Farmers Market - held at the Pender Islands Community Hall on Saturdays at 0930-1300 from the May Long Weekend to Labour Day Weekend.  There's a great variety of local artists and food producers.

2. Take a hike to the viewpoint at Oak Bluffs Park and look for whales.  This is a short but steep trail through the woods and up onto the bluffs looking back towards Vancouver Island.  Viewpoint No2 has more open views and a picnic table.  We've often seen Humpback and Orca in this area from our boat, but didn't have any luck from shore this time.

3. Skip some stones at Mortimer Spit Park while admiring the view of the Pender Canal Bridge.

4. Wine tasting at Sea Star Vineyards and Winery.  Choose a flight of wine, and find your favourite while enjoying the gardens.  There is a food truck on site serving some very good looking seafood inspired meals.  Unfortunately for us they had sold out on our visit, so we didn't get to taste it!

4. Cider Tasting at Twin Island Cider.  We actually tried the ciders at the Farmers Market, but the cider house is open for tastings Thursday - Sunday. 

5. Lunch at the HUB at Hope Bay. This stylish Mediterranean restaurant overlooking the ocean serves great food (and cider from Twin Island!).

6. Port Browning Marina - no trip to Pender would be complete without a visit to 'The Pub'.  Enjoy a drink or some food on the deck, while admiring the views over the bay.

While you're here, check out some of our other favourite spots in the Southern Gulf Islands.  What's your favourite island?