This is quite the gem for any rock collector out there. It's a bit hidden so it's nice and quiet…read more LOTS of trails and beach to explore. Also, a TON of wildlife!

A beautiful beach on Vancouver Island, just north of Bowser, BC. You will descend a fairly narrow…read moreroad down to the beach, where there are a couple spots to park and there's a bench overlooking the beach and a great view towards the coastal mountains. It's mostly rocky, but you may find a lot of wildlife here (and will probably see some bald eagles).

Nice find of a beach. The washrooms were decently clean. Abundant of spaces in the parking lot…read more Free access to the beach. You walk through this fairly short path through trees and then there is the beach. Water ranged from being warm to being cold. Saw some hermit crabs and sculpins fishing around. Sand was soft. Shade by the shore area but also rocky.

Beautiful beach, stunning views. Fantastic at low tide to explore tide pools and plenty of sandy…read moreplaces to play and swim. Breathtaking place to spend the day. Picnic tables for your lunching needs and public bathrooms and rinse showers available.

A very nice scenic and relaxing beach and a very nice place for a nice relaxing walk.read more

Lovely public space on the neck of the park. The water isn't very clear, but it's nice and warm in…read morethe summer. Goose Spit is surrounded by a lot of sand and mud bottoms, making it great for wading in the water. Access from Hawkins Avenue by car, or the Hawkins Greenway on foot. There is ample free parking beachside, fire pit rings, and porta potties. At the tip/end of the Spit is the Naval base and civilians are restricted from visiting. If you want nice views, head for the Nob Hill Greenway. The trail begins with a set of stairs near the beginning of the Spit which lead up to residential areas. If you keep going along the narrow blackberry trail, you get even wider vistas.

Came home with 3 25lb salmon. Best trip in years. Will be back next year.read more

Spent 2 days with Chris and his boat. Very knowledgeable guide and a very nice guy. We caught…read moreseveral Chinook, some ling cod and even spent a while jigging for ground fish for our 5 year-old granddaughter which she loved. Professional all the way.

We chartered a trawler for a week to see some of Desolation Sound (a week is not nearly enough)…read more The boat was in excellent shape, gave us no concerns at all (we left a small list of minor items they needed to look at), and completely suited our purposes. Very enjoyable holiday. Strongly recommend.

DSYC has been in business for over 20 years. Unfortunately, new owners are now operating the…read morecompany this year. My experience with them has been very poor. Two weeks ago, I called them about renting a powerboat for 2 weeks to explore the Hakai area north of Port Hardy. There was time available for the boat I was interested in and I was ready to send them a deposit, but had a couple questions for which I wanted a written response. They seemed irritated that I should have questions. I sent them an email asking if charts would be provided for the trip, if the boat had an inverter, if the heads flushed with fresh or salt water, if spares and tools were onboard, and what type of heating system was on the boat. This is information that other charter companies provide on their websites and are reasonable questions, especially in consideration of the remote area in which I planned to cruise. After about a week, I received a response saying that these questions were technical in nature, and that they would have to have someone research the answers for me, and they were leaving for the weekend. Really? That's of concern. How does their fleet manager schedule preventative maintenance on the systems aboard their boats when they don't know what systems are on the boats? Lack of preventative maintenance could ruin a charter trip. The last time I called them, they just sounded irritated with me and still didn't have any answers. If this is how customers are treated when they are trying to spend $8,800 with them, just imagine how you'll be treated once they have your money. I'm going to spend my money elsewhere. If you decide to do business with these folks, I would suggest that you insist upon paying with a credit card, as other charter companies accept. It may be your only recourse for action should things go bad. Caveat emptor...

Rather than drive down island this year, my husband and I were looking for a Christmas Lights…read moredisplay closer to home. So, we decided to check out Woodlands Garden.There were tons of lights, but, they we're mismatched, long strands of one type attached to short strands of another type, all rather haphazardly put together. The display didn't really make sense, other than a bunch of strands strung up. Nothing Magical about the display at all.

The key word to read in Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens is "woodland." Because if you arrive at time…read moreother than peak rhododendron blooming season, woodland makes up the majority of what you'll see here. But that's the whole point, right? Spread over many acres, there are some fantastic forest trails to be walked (but take one of the trail maps at the honour-system entrance area - it's super easy to get lost!), leading through prehistoric-looking glades overgrown by natural flora, bypassing huge driftwood logs stuck unnaturally into the earth along the way. Pretty little lakes and ponds reflect perfect skies and trees in their still waters, and birds are abundant. For a civilized taste of northern Vancouver Island's forests, look no further.

A very nice scenic park with some nice trails to walk through or ride your bike through but I…read morerecommend staying out of that park at night because there is homeless people sleeping there at night and drug use at that park at night.

We came here with our large family group over the holidays and it was great for us. Rooms are clean…read moreand 2 double bunk beds. Don't tend to spend time there as there are comfy couches and a fireplace in the common area. Bathrooms are shared and pretty institutional with 1 shower each. No unisex. There was another family group and the kitchen is big enough with two stoves, fridges etc. (We think 1 stove is less hot than advertised so FYI) Bring spices, sharp knives and oil. Wifi is decent and really only available in common areas. There is a gym downstairs with weights, some machines and treadmill. They could use a chest press bench but tiny issue. Overall great value and pretty inexpensive for what you get.

This is a great little resort tucked away on Mount Washington situated in the midst of all nature…read more The centre has all you and your large group may need - gym facility, common area, kitchen, and rooms (each with two bunk beds).