A very very nice scenic are along the Puntledge river and a nice place to sunbath and relax but I…read morerecommend being very careful swimming in that area because of strong currents and undertows.

Easily the unexpected highlight of our trip to BC and, especially the Comox Valley. This is a…read moreregional park near Courtenay that's easy to find and worth a side trip for the falls. Its a nice, short hike to the falls, which are just beautiful and super fun for the whole family. Its hard to describe but picture a clear stream with rocks and deeper pools that you can walk or swim across. When we were there, we ran into quite a few families, as well as travelers, many of whom appeared to be ready to spend much of the day there. Super chill and just gorgeous. Don't miss.

This is a beautiful and easy 8k hike through the woods and along the water to the narrows…read more Tide pools reveal an abundance of sea life including an astounding PURPLE starfish! There's plenty of room to picnic on the rocks and watch the tide rush past. We saw a bear on the far shore and enjoyed it from our safe distance. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water along and especially don't forget your camera! Happy hiking :-)

Ripple Rock Trail was an enjoyable day hike. It was easy at many points and a little more…read morechallenging at others. We took it at a leisurely pace and enjoyed all the trees, ferns, huckleberry picking & eating, and the viewpoints; many of which had large picnic tables to sit and relax at. The final view point would be a fantastic place for some food and beverages after hiking in. It had a great 180 degree view of the straight. Very dog friendly and well maintained trail. Very pleasant day on the trail. No issues with the parking lot.

We came here for camping and also to check out the caves here. It cost $30 to $50 a night to camp…read more The campsite was busy on the weekend and not so much on the weekdays. The campground is quite big. The outhouse was not bad. We also explored the caves. The tours take 2 hours approx. You can do a self-guided tour but if you do than you don't get to go inside past the gates in the caves Note that in the areas there are lots of dangerous wild animals. We heard that there was a deer that got taken out by a cayote.

This was my first time cave exploring and I had such a wonderful and memorable experience! This is…read moredefinitely one of the best highlights of the entire trip! We went on the guided 3 hour "Ice Age Adventure" tour. Our tour guide was amazing!! She was very educational with the history, facts, and preservation efforts. She was experienced, attentive and overall fun to be with. We explored a series of marble passages and crystal caverns created by the power of "The Ice Age". The experience was amazing! We were crawling and schootching through tight passage ways. We even climbed an underground waterfall!! Wow, the amazing crystals formations were breathtaking. My pictures do not do them justice; you simply just have to see it for yourself!! Dress warm, as it does get a little chilly inside the cave, wear boots or sturdy shoes and know you are going to get a little wet! Take a waterproof durable camera! Also, if possible some gloves can be very helpful. They provide the helmets with a light. Hydrate and have a balanced meal, you will be hiking to the cave as well as climbing and crawling inside. They offer an education center featuring geology information, a small museum and fossil display. They have a small theater, so visitors can learn more about this unique environment without having to enter the caves. Snacks and souvenirs can also be purchased. Other above-ground opportunities include a self-guided walk through the amazing surface geology on the new "Phil Whitfield Interpretive Trail" that highlights interesting surface features explained in a self-guiding brochure. The drive to Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park takes you on an unpaved road for a few miles; don't be worried, it is part of the adventure!! Great price for the experience, this is a MUST DO when visiting Beautiful Vancouver Island!!

I was recommended to this trail in Tofino and loved it!…read more Quite a busy 1 km trail within the forest. Bonus that your boots wont get muddy during the rainy season because the trail is on a boardwalk. You wont get scenic views of mountains, but you will get some wonderful views of majestic trees and moss covered streams. I'm not doing justice describing the view you see along the trail. It really is cool! The trail meanders and does go up and down steps so it may be steep in places. There are handrails during the places where there are steps. I'm definitely going back to check out this trail again!

We hiked this trail just north of Long Beach on a beautiful day. The 2km trail traverses through a…read morelush rainforest on boardwalks and over a number of streams via a series of wooden stair cases. When we arrived at the end of the trail, we discovered reaching the beach would involve clambering over a number of driftwood logs so we turned around and headed back. We were not a third of the way back when my wife slipped on one of the moss covered stairs, rolled her ankle and twisted her back. Fortunately her fall was into the soft, moss covered earth, but she ended up face to face to a 5 inch banana slug. We have taken several other trails in the Pacific Rim National Park and this was the best though you do have to be careful.

This is a great spot for an easy walk beside some lovely waterfalls. It is great for dogs to jump…read moreinto the water. There is ample parking at the top of the hill near the soccer field and the waterfall path is just about 20 steps away from the parking and a public washroom.

Like Roberts Creek isn't un-urban enough, you can truly escape away from it all with a little jaunt…read morethrough Cliff Gilker Park. Well marked trails, easy paths, a babbling creek, waterfalls, bridges and huge, red cedars make this a little sanctuary. And the canopied woods means even if it's raining, you're protected. There's a few "viewpoints" with benches and in the hour that I was "lost" in the woods, I didn't see a soul. Although I should warn, the bear sighting signs didn't sit well with me. I should have brought my dog spray and my whistle. Then I could show them who's boss! There's lots of parking, an outhouse (just jump over to the golf course) and a big map that tells you where you are. If you're staying in Roberts Creek, I'd suggest just walking. It's only another 10 minutes and the trails aren't that long.

Among my favored trails in the Pacific Rim National Park, and one of few that doesn't end at a…read morebeach. It's nice and short (about 1km for each loop), a relatively easy hike, with many many beautiful things to look at throughout. The canopy also makes it a relatively drier hike in Tofino's generally wet weather. Loop A, on the east side of the highway, is a wooden boardwalk that meanders through a forest of primarily western red cedar and hemlock. This is also the older section of the forest. There are nurse logs (fallen trees with new trees growing on top of them) all over the place. Loop B, on the west side of the highway, is wooden boardwalk and stairs. Interpretive signs on the trail are full of all sorts of useful and interesting information. While the boardwalks are well-maintained, the only caution I have is that if the weather is rainy, the boardwalks can get a bit slippery, which can be a challenge for those with mobility issues. (I'd also imagine they can get icy in cooler weather.) Also, while they were quiet enough during our visit (April 2017,) they can get pretty busy during the high season, and the narrowness of the boardwalks makes passing other hikers a bit difficult.

I just walked these two loops yesterday (Feb 2013). These paths are truly beautiful. Too bad most…read morepeople will never get a chance to see these majestic rainforests... The only caution I have is that the paths have many stairs, and are not for the mobility challenged. Also, at this time of year the wooden boardwalks can be wet and slippery in spots.

An amazingly peaceful and serene spot to anchor or stern tie. To get in or out of the chain of…read moreislands you must time the currents perfectly for the time of day or it will be too strong to get in or out. Once in its spectacular. You can hike up to Newton Lake, an elevated lake on one of the mountains with fresh crystal clear blue water to cool off! Warmer than the ocean. We took some time to drop the crab traps and enjoyed watching an abundance of wildlife.

Nice easy hike that is safe for dogs. However, this hike does have some rocky sections. There's…read morelots of wide open spaces, bodies of water, and some wild life.

Beautiful waters here! Short hike, easy access, be prepared to swim…read more PARKING It's a small parking lot, maybe 10 spots, with overflow on the road around it. I've been here in the afternoon on a weekday in July and midday in a weekday in August. Both times we were lucky and one spot was open. Generally there's turnover since it's a short hike and you can get a spot. AMENITIES There is a bathroom at the trailhead, no water. There are tons of educational signage about the wildlife and plants in the area. DIFFICULTY & TIME Short hike, very little elevation change. You can get to the actual Smuggler Cove in about 30-40 minutes with a 4 and a 6 year old in tow (this is right before the loop starts). I've done the entire full lollipop loop in exactly one hour with only adults. SHADE The hike is 95% shaded. RECEPTION I had 5G reception for most of the hike (T-mobile). CROWDS It was busy but not too crowded both times I went. It was more empty when I went in the afternoon (July 2023). There were many more swimmers during my midday visit in August 2024, but still easy to get your own little private small cove to swim in. SWIMMING In August, we went swimming in the cove. It's not tropical, but it's not nearly as cold as other parts of the ocean. Lots of people were swimming, and a lot of people brought inflatable stand up paddleboards or kayaks.

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.