The Coastal Shores of Vancouver Island include many bays. Some of these bays were once logging camps, but have now turned into recreational sites for fishing & camping, like Elk Bay, Little Bear Bay, and Rock Bay. Other Bays are in parks, like Lowrie Bay, Hansen Bay, Grouse Bay, and San Josef Bay with its sea stacks. Not to be missed are bays that rivers flow into, like Kelsey Bay and Cowichan Bay, and some are a starting point for awesome hiking adventures. Vancouver Island is a great place for a journey into the wilderness! Take a hike on one of our seaside trails or put a kayak in and have an adventure. Read More…
Beaches
Vancouver Island and its Coastal Shores have some incredible Beaches! Most beaches on the North Island are remote and hardly visited, but they are as awesome as any other in the world. Please leave these remote areas as pristine as you found them so that others can enjoy them as much as you have. Cape Palmerston and San Josef Bay at the north-western edge of the Island are two of my favourite beaches, and then there is Grant Bay with its awesome sandy beach. These wild shores have been carved out of the landscape by thousands of years of winter storms. Read More…
Caves
We love to go spelunking, but there are a few things you need to know before entering any cave system. Are there any drop-offs in this system? Are there fast-flowing underground rivers that can be quite a hazard? Is there more than one route to follow? There is nothing worse than getting lost in a multi-cave system. Read More…
Coastal Islands
Vancouver Island has many small offshore Coastal Islands around it. Some of these Islands have all the amenities of bigger Islands, along with the slower-paced and peaceful way of life that comes from island life. Some of these Islands have been going strong, and islands like Quadra were once more populated than the adjoining communities on Vancouver Island. Read More…
Coves
Coves are everywhere on the west coast of BC. The area is one of the prettiest places on earth, and Vancouver Island is the jewel in the crown. The Island’s shores are studded with Coves. These naturally beautiful areas range from very large to quite small, and all are very interesting. Most of these coves contain some sort of estuary, where you can anchor your boat and go ashore and explore. Read More…
Estuaries
An estuary is a body of water formed where rivers & streams mix with saltwater as they flow into the ocean. Estuaries and the areas surrounding them are places of wonder and beauty – places of peace and tranquillity. There is protection from ocean waves, winds, & storms by the reefs, barrier islands, or fingers of land, mud, or sand that surround them. Read More…
Inlets
Vancouver Island has many inlets, some of them are quite large, others, not so big, but they are all beautiful. The Alberni Inlet is one of the prettiest. It starts at Barkley Sound and slices into the Island, almost cutting it in half. This inlet is the gateway to many outdoor adventures, and it’s a place best seen from the water. Sailing, boating, and kayaking are great ways to do this. Read More…
Lakes
There are many Lakes on Vancouver Island, some large, some small; some natural, some man-made. They are incredibly beautiful! We have a few large ones that have some mighty big lunkers to try your angling skills out on! You will find that many of them have well-maintained camping facilities that come with boat ramps, bathrooms, & running water. Read More…
Parks
Whether you like to backpack into wilderness areas, pack your trunk and camp at one of our Parks or load up your camper and head out into the woods. You’ll discover an outdoor wonderland filled with pristine lakes, rugged mountains and incredible trails. No matter where you travel on the BC Coast, you will always be close to one of our provincial parks. Read More…
Ports and Harbours
The Island has for the past 100 years been driven by a resource-based economy, but over the past few years. We have seen it begin to change into a tourist-based economy. With this change, we are seeing some of these Ports And Harbours being cleaned up and returned more to their natural states. There is still some industry working here, but wherever it’s possible, the environment has been getting a hand. Most of this work has been and is being taken on by nonprofit groups manned by volunteers. Read More…
Rivers
Coastal BC has many Rivers, streams, and creeks; some are big, and some are small. Some are long and some are short. They are all beautiful. We have Rivers to canoe, rivers to raft, and some of the best steelhead Rivers in the world. Some flow down from the mountains through untouched valleys, and some are full of big, hard-fighting fish. Read More…
Trails
British Columbia’s toughest and most beautiful trail is the West Coast Trail, situated in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on the west coast of the island. Considered by some to be the toughest trail in North America, the trail traverses 75 km of wind-worn and storm-tossed coastal shoreline. You will see giant cedars, huge hemlock and unending spruce forests, cliffs, beaches, sandstone ledges, and suspension bridges spanning rivers and streams. This is Vancouver Island wilderness, wild and wet even in the summer. Read More…
Waterfalls
Vancouver Island has many wonderful Waterfalls, from the small unnamed falls on creeks and rivers all over the island, right up to the tallest fall in Canada, which is Kiwi Falls. This fall is something you should see at least once in your life. It is the highest waterfall on Vancouver Island, with Della Falls coming up second. Some argue this, though, saying that Kiwi Falls has numerous drops, but if you measure the main falls, it still comes in at 1640 feet. Della Falls comes in at 1440 feet. Read More.....
Vancouver Island and its Coastal Shores are the biggest islands on the coast. It is separated from the BC coast by several Straits: Juan de Fuca Strait, Haro Strait and the Strait of Georgia on the south island. Johnson Strait on the central island, and Queen Charlotte Strait on the north island.
The waters between the mainland coast and the island are dotted with numerous islands, large & small. Among the incredible narrows found here is Seymour Narrows. Located just north of Campbell River, where Ripple Rock was blasted to ensure safer passage of vessels.
The sea stacks at San Josef Bay are beautiful. Water surging through the sandy passages at high tide has slowly eroded the softer outer rock, leaving behind only the harder formations. Sea stacks typically form when wave action eats away at the surrounding soft rock. They can only be found in several places on Vancouver Island. They are quite beautiful.
As part of Cape Scott Provincial Park, San Josef Bay is easily accessible on well-maintained trails and boardwalks. From the nearest parking lot and trailhead, there is a three-kilometre hike. It’s an easy hike on level ground, the trail could easily handle a buggy or even a wheelchair.
The road from Port Hardy is quite long but fairly well maintained, but please drive with caution as these roads are active logging roads. Turn your lights on and give these trucks the road; they can’t stop very easily, and they depend on you to drive carefully. Give them the right away.
Further up our coast, you will find the Islands of Haida Gwaii, This is a most incredible place filled with wild places that seem to go on forever. The Coastal Shores of Haida Gwaii are 300 km long and located 100 km off the northwest coast of British Columbia.
There are two main islands, Graham Island in the north and Moresby in the south. They are divided by the Skidegate Channel and separated from coastal British Columbia by Hecate Strait, a shallow and extremely wild piece of water. The islands have evolved separately from the rest of BC. The last ice age was gentle on the islands, and you can find many plants and animals that exist nowhere else on the planet. The best way to see Haida Gwaii is by ocean kayaking, in my eyes.
Queen Charlotte City is nestled on the southern tip of Graham Island, is the largest community on the island and has many services to make your stay enjoyable. Queen Charlotte City is located 4 km west of the BC ferry dock at Skidegate Landing.
There are many other communities to visit, places like Sand Spit, Port Clements, Masset, or Skidegate. You can reach most of these by road.
The cultural heritage that is unique to Haida Gwaii is something that all visitors should embrace and enjoy. There are world-renowned totem poles and carvings to see, and the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve & Haida Heritage Site is another must-see.
Here you will get a sense of the beauty of the rugged coastal ecology. The park is made up of over 130 smaller islands of the Haida Gwaii archipelago. To access the park, visitors would be wise to plan several days. There is a limit on the number of people who can use the park at any given time, so please reserve your adventure. New visitors to the park are required to take an orientation session before they can enter. Kayaking is the best way to see this park, as roads are very limited.
The wild & wetlands of the BC Coast are covered in ancient forests of giant trees, where some of the world’s tallest trees still flourish. It’s a beautiful place… a place of waterfalls and hidden lakes, a place of mists and moss-covered trees – a place of wonder. The west coast is speckled with many small islands, bays, inlets, hot springs and native villages. Its large rivers travel from the mountains to the sea, fed by coastal rains. The West Coast is carved by many inlets whose bordering mountains soar from sea to sky.
The Coastal Shores Pacific storms that pound the west coast throughout the year and even more so in winter, are laden with moisture that must be released to rise up & over the coastal mountains. The west coast, or as we call it “the wet coast”, truly is a rainforest. The Coastal Shores are simply amazing.
The islands dotting the BC Coast have their unique histories, legends, and stories. From ghost towns to old logging camps, they are just waiting to be explored and rediscovered by visitors & locals alike!
Coastal Shores of Vancouver Island has an enviable array of spectacular beaches for you to enjoy. Tourists flock to our renowned Coastal Shores, such as the west coast’s Long Beach near Tofino, and the surfing beaches of the southwest coast. The northern beaches are a challenge to access, but that is why they are so phenomenal!
I have explored many of these remote Coastal Shores, and often find that I’m the only one there. See for yourself just how beautiful these areas are! Stand on any of these beaches, and look out to sea – you’ll view an astonishing range of sea life: whales, otters, seals, and so much more.
Our Coastal Shores include Many mountain trails on the coast that can take you up into the high country. Any one of these exhilarating trail hikes could be considered a journey of a lifetime! There is so much to see and do here… Just step outside your door, and you’re on your way to being part of the limitless wonders that are the BC Coast.