Vancouver Island has 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 favorite 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.
You will find some great eats to be had at the Scarlet Ibis in Holberg, along with wonderful stories & friendly smiles, so when you visit the edge of the island, stop in for lunch!
Botanical Beach
The beaches at both Botany Bay and botanical beach are full of a wide variety of sea life. Both plant and animal life is in abundance, and each has adapted to contend with the variable conditions found here. Please just look, do not disturb sea life or take any from the beach. Read More….
Brady’s Beach
Brady’s Beach is located a short hike from West Bamfield, the town of Bamfield is one of those wondrous places that the Pacific Northwest seems to have in abundance. It’s like a community right out of a storybook. The beach is a short distance from the peninsula where West Bamfield is located. Read More….
Cape Palmerston Beach
Cape Palmerston is a beautiful, remote pebble beach on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island, the shoreline is pounded by severe winter storms that roll in one after another. You can see from the rugged coast right up into the tortured forests that are twisted into unbelievable shapes just how rough these storms can be. Read More….
China Beach
China Beach is a very beautiful beach, a great place to go for a weekend walk. The Beach also has a great campground that is located in the West Coast rain forests that grow so lush on our coast. The trail down to the beach is quite pleasant with some incredible views, not too difficult to walk and the beach at the end is awe-inspiring, to say the least. Read More….
French Beach
French Beach is located on the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the west coast of southern Vancouver Island, French Beach is a wonderful and very accessible beach. The beach is a great beach, and you can drive almost right up on it. This is a pebble beach, and it’s got such views of the straight. Read More….
Gonzales Bay Beach
The bay was originally called Foul Bay, not because it was foul but because it was not a very good anchorage for the old sailing ships. In 1934, it was renamed after the local residents said it made it sound like the bay was disgusting and vile sounding. Gonzales was a great name to change it to, it represents a piece of the bay’s history. Read More….
Goose Spit Beach
Goose Spit was originally called Pelxqikw, it means ‘round on point’, it is a coast Salish name. The spit was used by the Salish to collect shellfish and to fish for salmon. The park is on crown land owned by the province, and since the early 70s, the province has granted the regional district a license to manage the land as a park. Read More….
Grant Bay Beach
Grant Bay Beach is one of those places you think you can only see in photo books. Yet there it is, on the north end of West Vancouver Island. It is easily accessed by trail. The road is long but not too bad, can take a car over it with ease. Bounded by a shore of shoals and rocks, the main attraction of Grant Bay is the long and remote sandy beach. The Grant Bay trail is an easy hike. Read More….
Hecht Beach
Hecht Beach is a beautiful and very remote beach and hiking along the shores can be fairly demanding, there are many small rocky headlands separating the various gravel beaches. It is known as one of the best beaches on the whole island for beachcombing making the difficult drive and hike worth the effort. The coast can be explored in either direction for many km. Read More….
Homles Point Beach
Holmes Point Beach is located on the southern terminal of Cape Lazo, it is a beautiful beach. There is one of the most impressive boat launches that l have ever seen there. The views from this beach are incredible and the winter storms that lash the beach are something to see. Read More….
Jordan River Beach
There is a large surfing community that uses the Jordan River Beach, and they rule the roost. The waves break right off the river mouth and can reach more than 3 meters in height. If you come to surf, be polite, and they will let you join in. This is a great place for windsurfing also. After a day of surfing, you can chow down on a pizza at the far-out pizza joint, an awesome name, great eats. Read More….
Miracle Beach
Miracle Beach is located halfway between Campbell River and the Comox Valley. There are numerous trails that head down to the beach, there is a great campground with private sites as well as group camping facilities, there is a playground for the kids, and hot showers. Read More….
Nanoose Bay Beach
Nanoose Bay Beach is just beautiful. I remember going here as a young boy to summer camp. I had a great time the year that l went, the beach was incredible, it seemed you could walk for miles, but then again, l was very small. Read More….
Oyster River Beach
The Oyster River beach is a great place to go for a walk. It has some spectacular, old, tall trees to observe, as you meander along the path to the ocean. At the end of the trail is a wonderful sandy beach. This park is accessed from the old island highway, at the Oyster River crossing. Read More….
Pacheedaht Beach
Pacheedaht Beach is a beautiful place to watch the waves or go for a wander. Each end of the beach is formed by a river mouth, the San Juan River at the south end, and the Gordon River at the north end, there is a large estuary that is perfect for wildlife viewing. This is a circular beach, and you can walk on it for several km, the beach is all white sand and very pretty. Read More….
Qualicum Bay Beach
Today, Qualicum Bay Beach is sought out by those seeking a peaceful place to settle down, as well as those who enjoy fishing. Qualicum Bay is an area rich in seafood. Alongside the road are numerous places to pull over and walk along the beach, you can see all types of wildlife here including sea lions, seals, whales, dolphins, deer, bears, and many types of birds. Read More….
Qualicum Beach
Qualicum Beach is located in the mid-coast of eastern Vancouver Island. A population of almost 9000, Qualicum is a mix of artists and their studios, gardeners and garden centers, quaint shops and golf courses along with the great weather makes it a perfect place to retire. It has it all, beautiful beaches, wild rivers, astounding hiking opportunities, great wildlife viewing, and a town so pretty that the vision will stay with you forever. Read More….
Rathtrevor Beach
Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park in Parksville is one of the best camping picnic areas on Vancouver Island. Giant old-growth firs, an incredible sandy beach with campsites located in the mature Douglas fir forest. At low tide, the ocean goes out for almost a kilometre and this gives visitors a chance to walk on endless sandy beaches. Read More….
San Josef Bay Beach
One of my favourite bays is San Josef Bay with its sea stacks. Many people visit the bay just to see these formations. The beach is stunning, the first time l came into the bay it was incredible, l was very impressed with the sandy beaches that seemed to go on forever. The trail is very good, wheelchair accessible, and gentle enough for both little ones and the elderly to easily travel on. Read More….
Seal Bay Beach
The Seal Bay Beach area was logged up through the early 20s. Several trails, such as the Mitchell grade, follow old rail grades once used to haul logs. There was a small Japanese camp on the beach along with a sawmill where the Road trail reaches the water. Read More….