Provincial and National Parks

South Island

Goldstream Provincial Park
Goldstream Park is a lush 700-year-old rainforest setting that houses the Goldstream River, Mount Finlayson, a wildlife interpretive centre and walking and hiking trails, all only nineteen kilometres from downtown Victoria. Hike to the top of Mount Finlayson for a 360-degree view of the area. From September to November, don’t miss the opportunity to experience the cycle of life as you watch salmon spawn and bald eagles feast as close as an arm’s length away.

Juan de Fuca
Located on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this 707-hectare park extends from China Beach, just west of the community of Jordan River, to Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew. It features spectacular scenery, marine and wildlife viewing, roaring surf and the 47-kilometre Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. The trail is intended to be an alternative to the West Coast Trail (see National Parks) and is designed for strenuous or multi-day hiking. At China Beach, a 20-minute downhill walk in the forest leads to a surf-swept beach. China Beach offers a large day-use area and a campground. Botanical Beach is famous for its tidepools. At low tide, these sandstone pools are full of tiny marine life and creatures. The surf crashing against a natural breakwater offshore or a curious seal passing by also add to the dramatic natural experience that is Botanical Beach.

French Beach
Also situated on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, French Beach is a 59-hectare park that features a sand-and-cobble beach perfect for exploring, walking trails, a large, wheelchair-accessible day-use area with picnic tables, fire pits and a campground.

For more information on these or other South Island parks, contact BC Parks at www.elp.gov.bc.ca/bcparks

Central Island

Strathcona
Created in 1911, Strathcona is BC’s oldest and largest provincial park. With more than 250,000 hectares, Strathcona extends from sea level to the highest peak on Vancouver Island (2,200 metres). The park is dominated by snow-capped mountain peaks and filled with lakes, rivers and 107 kilometres of hiking trails. It is also home to the Island’s last remaining icefield, the Comox Glacier, and the highest waterfall in Canada, Della Falls. At 440 metres, Della Falls is nearly eight times higher then Niagara Falls and among the 10 highest waterfalls in the world. The primary access points for the park are located west of Courtenay and Campbell River. Forbidden Plateau and Buttle Lake offer the only vehicle-accessible camping in the park.

Tribune Bay-Helliwell
Located on Hornby Island, Tribune Bay Provincial Park is known as Little Hawaii. There are no palm trees, but a white sandy beach stretches for 1,000 metres to meet the aquamarine sea. Shallow waters reach near-tropical temperatures during the summer. Helliwell Provincial Park is only two minutes from Tribune Bay. Walk Helliwell’s bluffs, high above the water, for panoramic views of the Strait of Georgia and the Coastal Mountains and watch for sea birds, sea lions and seals. Tribune Bay and Helliwell are both day-use parks only.

Rathtrevor Provincial Park
An inviting ocean beach with warm water perfect for swimming, make Rathtrevor one of Vancouver Island’s most popular parks, especially for families. At low tide, the ocean recedes almost a kilometre, providing an ideal site for beachcombing and sandcastles. Be sure not to miss the Rath Farm Days, a celebration of the era when the park was a farm operated by the pioneering and gold prospecting Rath family. Located two kilometres south of Parksville, Rathtrevor also offers a picnic area, campground, walking trails and birding.

For more information on these or other Central Island parks, contact BC Parks at www.elp.gov.bc.ca/bcparks

Pacific Rim

MacMillan (Cathedral Grove)
Stroll through Cathedral Grove, in MacMillan Provincial Park, under a canopy of towering ancient Douglas fir trees, some more than 800 years old. Located on the way to Port Alberni, Cathedral Grove is accessible by trails on either side of the highway. Visitors wind through the majestic pillars untouched by the modern world and may encounter one Douglas fir which measures more than nine metres in circumference.

Carmanah Walbran
Another forest sanctuary, Carmanah is world famous for trees that are over 1,000 years old. The park, which is 16,450 hectares, protects diverse forest ecosystems, including some of the world’s largest spruce trees that reach more than 95 metres high. The park experiences a very wet climate for most of the year and visitors are recommended to be experienced hikers and campers. Carmanah Walbran is located 20 kilometres northwest of Port Renfrew, on the southwestern coast of Vancouver Island.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
*See below

For more information on these or other Pacific Rim parks, contact BC Parks at www.elp.gov.bc.ca/bcparks

North Island

Cape Scott
Located on the northwest tip of Vancouver Island, 67 kilometres from Port Hardy, Cape Scott boasts 22,000 hectares of rugged coastal rainforest, salt marshes and long sandy beaches. The most impressive of the beaches, Nels Bight, stretches 2,400 metres long and 210 metres wide. Visitors can choose between a day hike or a backpacking and wilderness camping excursion. The 30 kilometre trek to the Cape Scott Lighthouse takes approximately eight hours. Less-adventurous hikers can still get a taste of Cape Scott along the 2.5 kilometre San Josef Bay Trail.

Elk Falls
Elk Falls Provincial Park is popular, of course, because of the thundering 25-metre waterfall for which it is named. It is also home to some of the best year-round salmon fishing in the world, on the Quinsam and Campbell Rivers. Located just two kilometres from downtown Campbell River, Elk Falls provides quiet riverside camping. At the waterfall, just five kilometres from the campground, you will find a picnic area, an extensive network of forest trails and a number of safe swimming holes. Elk Falls also provides a convenient base camp for day trips to Miracle Beach, Strathcona Park, Gold River, destinations in the Sayward Forest, Kelsey Bay, Rock Bay and the parks of Quadra and Cortes Islands.

For more information on these or other North Island parks, contact BC Parks at www.elp.gov.bc.ca/bcparks

National

Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites
Step back in history as you walk the ramparts of three coastal artillery gun batteries built more than a century ago. Look down the barrels of antique guns, explore underground magazines and discover camouflaged searchlight emplacements. Fisgard Lighthouse is a working lighthouse and Canada’s oldest west coast lighthouse. It displays colourful exhibits that tell of ships wrecked and lives saved. Stroll the grounds of this Parks Canada site, through meadows and groves of Garry oak and arbutus trees, while enjoying the ocean view.

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
The southern Gulf Islands are located in one of Canada’s most heavily developed and urbanized natural regions - the Strait of Georgia Lowlands of British Columbia. To protect a representative portion of this region, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada was officially established in May, 2003. Lands are dotted throughout 15 islands, islets and reefs. Blessed by a warm Mediterranean climate, this area is home to a myriad of sensitive plant species and diverse wildlife. The national park reserve offers a variety of opportunities for Canadians to learn about and experience an exceptional coastal island landscape and the cultures of the people who live there. Sidney Spit and MacDonald Park are both part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.

• Sidney Spit
  An excellent family outing, the excursion to Sidney Spit begins from Sidney, 25 minutes from downtown Victoria. A short trip by passenger ferry or your own marine pleasure craft lands you at Sidney Spit, a 400-hectare island park featuring sandy beaches, extensive tidal flats, salt marshes, grassy meadows and forest trails. Sidney Spit is also a popular bird-watching spot. Great Blue Herons and fallow deer make there home here.

• MacDonald Park
  Located just 30 minutes from downtown Victoria, McDonald Park is the perfect location for campers who want a base from which to explore all the attractions of the Capital City. The park is also conveniently located close to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal serving travellers to and from mainland BC. Recreational activities are limited, but the small city of Sidney by the Sea is only minutes away.

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Few places compare to the rugged beauty of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Its spiritual setting truly must be experienced to be understood. Pacific Rim Park encompasses both the Pacific coast’s marine and forest environments. Stretching over 130 kilometres, this park consists of three areas: Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands and the West Coast Trail.

Long Beach is the most accessible and developed of the three areas and is open year round. This wide, sandy beach stretches for miles and lures beachcombers to its misty end. Waves challenge surfers and kayakers and, in March, more than 20,000 gray whales migrate north to summer feeding grounds. Nine short hiking trails offer variety to hikers and the Green Point campground provides drive-in, walk-in, forest and beach campsites.

The Broken Group Islands are a 100-island archipelago nestled in Barkley Sound. Accessible only by boat, the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations people have lived among these islands for centuries. Boaters and kayakers encounter eagles, sea lions and other marine life and campers can pitch their tents in eight designated locations.

The West Coast Trail stretches for 75 kilometres, between Port Renfrew and Bamfield, along southern Vancouver Island’s dramatic west coast. Due to the number of shipwrecks that once occurred along the rocky shoreline, this area was known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. In the early 1900’s, a lifesaving trail for shipwrecked mariners was created. By the 1960’s, adventurous hikers began using the deserted trail. Today, the trail is only for the prepared backpacker. Only 52 hikers are allowed per day and all users must obtain a Park Use Permit.