Vancouver Island bc
(British Columbia!)
Take a further look at Vancouver Island BC, through six different articles written by guest writers. These six articles show the variety of experiences this island provides and some insights into little known facts.
Discover the gems hidden in these specially chosen articles and use them to plan your next vacation.
These Vancouver Island BC articles are entitled:
1. Accommodation in Parksville.
2. Rainforest of Vancouver Island.
3. Diving Vancouver Island.
4. The Comox Valley.
5. Nature Tours
6. Hiking Mount Arrowsmith.
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Vancouver Island Article #1: Accommodation in Parksville.
Vancouver Island Accommodations in the Parksville Region Range From Resorts to B&B's
Vancouver Island Accommodations in the Parksville Region Range From Resorts to B&B's
By Luba Plotnikoff
Miles of sandy beaches, golfing, marine activities, outdoor adventure, a thriving arts/cultural scene, and a wide range of Vancouver Island accommodations offer something for everyone and every budget in the Parksville and Qualicum Beach Region. Spring is the ideal time for visitor to take advantage of activities with reduced rates at most Parksville resorts, hotels, B&B's, and RV Parks.
Parksville and Qualicum Beach, collectively known as the Oceanside Region that is situated on the East Coast of Vancouver Island, draw Spring visitors in search of warm, outdoor activities have the added benefit of reduced rates at Parksville accommodations of up to $100 off high season rates. Not surprisingly, the Oceanside region boasts some well-known accommodations. The Vancouver Island resort, Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre, has recently been recognized by the Spas of America as the #1 Spa in Western Canada, the #3 Spa in the entire country, and the #13 spa in the Americas. Hotel room rates at these most popular Vancouver Island spas range from $129 to $399 per night.
Seven more resorts on Parksville's Rathtrevor Beach offer self-contained, nicely appointed Vancouver Island accommodations. Cottages and condominiums are situated on the beach or in the forest and provide convenient amenities like kitchens for rates ranging from $85 to $250 per night.
For visitors in search of more options, the Parksville and Qualicum Beach region offers over 100 more Vancouver Island lodging choices. Most overlook the spectacular and expansive beaches in both Parksville and Qualicum. Whether visitors are looking for a Vancouver Island bed and breakfast, resort, or motel, the Oceanside region is chock full of desirable moderate and upscale lodging.
There are also 10 RV Parks and campgrounds from which to choose for Vancouver Island accommodations on the East Coast, while long-term visitors may be interested in one of the many vacation homes with weekly and monthly rates available.
About Oceanside Tourism Association
The Oceanside Tourism Association (OTA) is the destination marketing organization for the Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Nanoose Bay, French Creek, Lighthouse Country, and Arrowsmith Coombs Country region of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The OTA is a non-profit, tourism industry-lead organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors representing this region's Vancouver Island accommodations, attractions, local business, and municipal governments.
For more information on the Oceanside Tourism Association, call 250.248.6300 or visit www.VisitParksvilleQualicumBeach.com/.
Luba Plotnikoff, Manager of Media Relations
Oceanside Tourism Association
www.VisitParksvilleQualicumBeach.com
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Vancouver Island bc article #2: The Rainforests of Vancouver Island.
Tour The Rainforests Of Vancouver Island British Columbia - The Forest Beyond The Tallest Trees
Tour The Rainforests Of Vancouver Island British Columbia - The Forest Beyond The Tallest Trees
By Patrick Walshe
When you take a rainforest tour on Vancouver Island, it's hard to take your eyes off the giant mossy trees glowing like stained glass in nature's cathedral. Some of the tallest stretch over 90 meters, while others measure as much as 20 meters in circumference. At more than 1000 years old, the oldest are impressive to be sure. But don't get a kink in your neck by focussing only on the trees. You might miss the amazing diversity of plants and animals the old growth pacific temperate rainforest has to offer.
Even with your eyes closed there is a humid, fragrant coolness that enables the mosses and lichens clinging to the tree branches to grow so well. Multiple canopy layers, forest openings with berries and other pioneer species, dead standing trees with holes for owls, bats, squirrels, and nut hatches are just a few of the highlights.
For wildflowers, April and May are great times to see what's flourishing in the ancient rainforest. Coral root and Calypso orchids, trilliums, wild cherry, elderberry and salmon berry are some of the flowers that you can find in the spring. Starting in June and lasting into September, you also can taste the wonderful parade of berries that result from this profusion of flowers. (Be sure to take along a field guide or an expert to avoid any poisonous plants.) There are some very tasty and nutritious plants like stinging nettle (cooked) and many medicinal ones as well.
If you slow down and look down...way down under the slabs of bark in the summer you will see a menagerie of colourful critters. The black and yellow millipede gives off a cherry smell when handled. While the faint whiff of cyanide is harmless to humans, it would prove deadly to others its size that chose to mess with it. Then there are the giant hermaphroditic banana slugs, which get to be 25cm long. Their slime has a natural anaesthetic if you happen to get a toothache while lost in the forest. The delicate and secretive red backed salamanders live their entire lives in rotten logs. In fact there are over 92 species of animals, insects, and birds using dead trees in the forest.
In April the forests fill with spring bird song, especially in the early morning and you can watch many species that prefer older forests such as varied thrushes, brown creepers and pileated woodpeckers. If you're lucky and around at dawn or dusk you may hear or see a western screech owl, northern saw-whet owl or northern-pygmy owl. Bird watching in rain forests with trees that stretch higher than 20 stories presents its challenges. It is helpful to have a scope with an angled eyepiece or lie on your back with binoculars to save your neck. Many species can also be called down to more visible levels with their own call or a 'psss' sound. There are some excellent recordings of bird calls of Vancouver Island by John Neville which greatly assist in identifying these phantoms that flit about high in the tree canopy.
The mild climate on Vancouver Island means that you can experience the rainforest wonders all year. The wet season begins gradually sparking a techni-colour explosion of mushrooms in September and October. November brings the torrential rains that produce such fantastic growth and bring out the many shades of vibrant green in the mosses reconstituting from a dry summer. Mist, fog and rain bring a whole new atmosphere and photographic opportunities.
Patrick Walshe, Registered Professional Biologist, Interpretation Canada Trained
Coastal Revelations Vancouver Island BC Rainforest Tours
1-866-954-0110 (Toll Free in Canada / United States)
1-250-954-0110
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Vancouver Island bc article #3: Diving on Vancouver Island.
Diving on Vancouver Island
Diving on Vancouver Island
By Stephen Roper
For everyones first experience on Vancouver Island, I would suggest going to see Erin at Ogden’s Point Dive Shop and getting geared up to take a dive along the Ogden Point Breakwater. It is absolutely worth diving a few times.
Most of the year, there’s a ton of kelp growing along the entire length of the point, so getting in can be a little tricky if you don’t want the entire kelp forest wrapped around your tank, so I suggest a back-roll entry and then a slow heads-up swim through the kelp to a clear descent location.
Once down, keep a close eye out for Octopus, the beautiful anemone that surround the area, Dungeness Crabs, Wolf Eels and Seals, which can come out of nowhere and huge Lingcod.
It is quite simply a wonderful shore dive and one that could easily take up a full week of your time. There are five entry points, each progressively deeper, so start Monday at either end and there's a good week of diving.
Then there are the wrecks. We dove the MacKenzie and on our way out, as we were approaching the site, a Humpback Whale broke the surface just as I was entering the water, not thirty feet away.
The dive itself is excellent but I suggest you make every effort to arrive at slack tide. Otherwise, you are in for a less than perfectly comfortable descent. However, once at the wreck, there is so much to see. When we were there, there was a giant Pacific Octopus living under the wreck.
The other area we visited was Race Rocks. Quite a wonderful location. The rocks themselves were covered with California Sea Lions, Stellars and Elephant Seals and let me tell you, if you've never been close to a Elephant Seal before, they are big. And rare. It is believed there are less than 500 in the world. Between 2,000 and 3,000 male California sea lions migrate to south Vancouver Island waters to winter.
Race Rocks is a protected marine area close to open ocean 12 nautical miles from Victoria. When you visit, please take a guided tour as this is a Canadian Treasure, to be sure.
To view the photographic edition of this story, go to http://www.oceansedge.com Steve Roper is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer with multiple speciality certifications, including Underwater Naturalist, Photography, Advanced Navigation, Night, Deep and Drift Diving, Nitrox and Tri-Gas Mix (for details on Nitrox and Tri-Gas, see techie stuff). He has been diving for well over 20 years.
His travels have taken him from Montreal throughout the entire Caribbean, both coasts of the United States, Vancouver Island, the Pacific Northwest, much of Central America and more recently, Fiji.
With well over 2,000 dives in his log book, Steve has the experience to comfortably introduce new divers into the aquatic realm. He has taught all ages ranging from 12 to 76, ranging in certifications from Open Water to Divemaster and works well with all, conveying his natural love for the water easily.
Visit his web site at http://www.oceansedge.com.
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The Comox Valley
The Comox Valley
By Ron Kirstein
Travelling north from Nanaimo on the Inland Island Highway, there's a stretch of wilderness before you reach the Comox Valley. It's so easy to tell when you arrive in the first metropolitan area on the northern part of Vancouver Island. On your left are the snow-capped Beaufort Mountains and the Comox Glacier defining the western edge of the valley. The salty sea of the Georgia Strait to your right defines the eastern edge of the valley. Rocky snow covered peaks roll gently down to the valleys below.
Forests, alpine meadows, crystal clear rivers, sandy beaches and bucolic farmland make up the beautiful Comox Valley. The Comox Valley extends from Fanny Bay in the South to Saratoga Beach in the North, a distance of about 30 miles or 50 kilometers. It is the Recreation Capital of Vancouver Island. Only in the Comox Valley can you ski, golf, fish, kayak and scuba dive all on the same day. Choose a vacation filled with outdoor adventures or check out the incredible artistic and cultural community - the four museums, the live theatre performances, the many local festivals and attractions - or you can go shopping in the many boutique-style stores.
We arrived at our beautiful accommodations at the historic "Ship's Point Inn" near Fanny Bay. This distinguished Inn is a serene Bed and Breakfast nestled on the shore of Ships Point. The manicured gardens and flower-covered arbour entry greet you as you drive into the parking area. The Inn has a garden gazebo, a covered hot tub and a deck overlooking miles of ocean scenery. In the distance you can hear the sea lions discussing their day.
The Inn has six elegantly appointed rooms, with views of the Baynes Sound and Georgia Strait.
The Inn is at the end of Ships Point Road and is well away from the Oceanside Route Highway into Courtenay and Comox. From the spacious deck you can see snow-capped mountains, sea lions, eagles, the Denman Island ferry dock and ocean cruise ships traveling to and from to Alaska.
It's so peaceful and the sunsets are very special indeed. This 4 Star Inn is a great romantic retreat or just a great place to get away and relax. The area is perfect for "antiquing", visiting art galleries, beach-walking, cycling, bird- watching, fishing, golfing, hiking and kayaking.
Check out the Comox Vacation Deals
Fanny Bay is home of the world famous Fanny Bay Oysters. Check with the Inn staff and they will tell you where to get a feed of these great oysters. Fanny Bay is also the gateway to Denman and Hornby Islands with regular BC Ferry service. To get to Hornby Island you must first take the ferry to Denman, drive across the island and the take a well-timed ferry to Hornby.
Once we checked in, we were off to have some lunch. One of our local friends recommended the Monte Cristo. This restaurant is situated on the Courtenay River and the deck hangs over a tributary. The meal was excellent and since we were celebrating a birthday, the staff responded by bringing the "birthday girl" a special cake. This restaurant has been recommended by a number of people and is one of the best in Courtenay.
After lunch we decided to visit the world's best little tourist trap, the Coombs Country market. This gem of a country store is famous for the goats that live on the grass roof above the store. The owner shops the world and fills the store with unique gifts and specialty food items. Coombs is not in the Comox Valley, but being in Fanny Bay makes so many things central. Coombs is only a 30 minute drive south and west of Fanny Bay. The Coombs Country Market has a deli, a produce section, bakery, and incredible crafts from around the world and probably the best ice cream bar on Vancouver Island. The 40-foot ice cream bar offers over 30 flavors of ice cream as well as sorbet and gelato (Italian ice cream). The Coombs Country Market has spawned a village of other establishments that thrive because of the draw of the market. On the return trip to Fanny Bay, we followed the scenic Oceanside Route (Highway19a). It travels through Qualicum Beach, Bowser, Lighthouse, and other communities.
Ron Kirstein is the owner of a Canadian Travel & Tourism Web
site (since 1995). Ron has traveled the length and breadth
of Vancouver Island BC Canada in search of
adventures; see http://tourismmall.victoria.bc.ca/travelmagazine
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Vancouver Island bc article #5: Island Nature Tours.
Vancouver Island BC Nature ToursBy Patrick Walshe
The mild climate in Oceanside provides year round access to nature hiking, wildlife viewing and bird watching in much of Vancouver Island’s wilderness. Subtleties mark your passage from the months of the leaping salmon, vibrant moss, herring spawning, singing frogs, brant geese, blazing flowers, alligator lizards, berries and back again. There’s plenty to do and see every month for the avid eco tourist on Vancouver Island.
The herring return to spawn in March and in hot pursuit come thousands of sea birds and hundreds of sea lions, seals and eagles. April to June is the best time for wandering down fragrant paths alight with spring wild flowers. Salmon berry, red currant, fawn lilies, bleeding heart, trilliums and violets are just a few of April’s flowers. Garry oak and streamside walks are especially lovely at this time of year. Spring is also when the bear, elk and deer come out into the peripheral hay fields to browse new growth.
Summer is a parade of berries beginning in June with the orange salmon berries and black raspberries, then trailing blackberries, red huckleberries, Himalayan blackberries, blueberries, black huckleberries and cranberries. Where there are berries, there are bears and lots of birds. More than 300 species of birds use the island and surrounding waters at least part of the year. Summer brings some of the lowest daytime tides revealing tide pools with a colourful array of bizarre marine life. Visit during a full or new moon to take advantage of the lowest tides and the greatest variety of marine life. Snorkelling the lush eelgrass forests or wading through the sparkling phosphorescence at night are magical experiences not to be missed. Summer days are never too hot with a sea breeze nearby, comfortable ocean and lake swimming, icy rivers to dip in, cool snowfields to hike in the mountains and refreshing caves to explore. Alpine flower meadows peak in July and August, popping up as the snow melts.
The pink salmon usher in autumn in early September, followed by Chinook salmon peaking in October, then Coho salmon and Chum salmon continuing through November and December. You can watch them leaping over obstacles, jockeying for position or stare eyeball to eyeball with a 50 pound Chinook the size of a garbage can in an underwater viewing area. Black bears and eagles gather to enjoy the feast. Fall colour typically peaks in early October with brilliant yellow maples along the lakes and streams and plenty of red foliage from blueberries in the alpine. Massive bird migrations pass through in the fall, especially along the coast, so bird watching is a delight while autumn rains spark technicolour explosions of mushrooms.
The winter moisture makes the Vancouver Island mountains among the snowiest places on earth, receiving up to 10 meters of snow. When you want snow, you can have it by driving up Mount Washington between December and May and enjoy snow shoeing in the winter wonderland. The grey whale migration starts off the west coast in February and continues into May.
Unique nature exploration opportunities are available every month of the year on the island. In addition to each season’s unique features, beaver, mink, otter, seals, eagles, juvenile salmon, many bird species and tide pool life can be seen year round. During the September to May season the trails are less busy and offer some fantastic wildlife viewing opportunities. Discover nature’s delights in the secret corners of Vancouver Island.
About the Author: Patrick Walshe, R. P. Biologist, 1-866-954-0110 Coastal Revelations Nature Tours http://www.coastalrevelations.com
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Vancouver Island bc article #6: Hiking Mount Arrowsmith.
Hiking Mount Arrowsmith, Vancouver Island British ColumbiaBy Patrick Walshe
Ascent to Paradise
“In more ways than one, you get an entirely different view of the world from a mountaintop” say scientists Richard and Sydney Cannings in British Columbia, A Natural History. Rugged valleys, icy streams, and sloping meadows of wildflowers undulating in the subalpine wind: these are what catch the eye when hiking Vancouver Island’s mountains.
Like lower elevations, the Island’s ranges have vistas enough for photographs, but they also have geological oddities, unique plant and animal communities, and trees so determined to survive that they bend themselves into all manner of contortions. Since this is one of the snowiest places on earth, hiking the Island’s mountains means being prepared. Temperatures fluctuate rapidly, reminding hikers to pack insulating layers that can be easily donned or shed. Covered by snowpack until late July or even August, the alpine landscape emerges for a brief season before diving back into winter.
Thankfully, there is still time to take in some of that short-lived brilliance. Late summer is one of the best times to visit Vancouver Island’s mountains, and on mid-Island peaks like Mount Arrowsmith and Mount Cokely, wildflowers still paint the hillsides along with a bumper crop of black huckleberries and blueberries and their stunning red leavesKeep to the trails to avoid trampling sensitive plant and don’t forget to bring your camera. With careful preparation, a day in the alpine could be your peak experience.
Located off Highway 4 west of Qualicum Beach and east of Port Alberni, the mountain known as Arrowsmith is actually comprised of multiple peaks, the most prominent being Arrowsmith and Cokely. A network of logging roads provide good access to a series of trails in the vicinity, some ascending gradually to the mountains’ slopes, with others climbing sharply to their summits. A decommissioned ski resort located on the south side of the peaks marks the start of a historic trail that once saw guests of the Canadian Pacific Railway carried on horseback from the Cameron Lake Chalet.
To get to the alpine today, hikers commonly take the saddle route that ascends the slope between Arrowsmith and Cokely gaining 450 metres in elevation. Highlights of this hike include alpine and subalpine wildflowers—aster, harebells and pink monkey flower are currently blooming—huckleberries and lowbush blueberries and view of an alpine lake. View aficionados will appreciate vistas of the Gulf Islands, the Strait of Georgia, and neighbouring peaks. Commonly known as the most accessible alpine area on Southern Vancouver Island (1,819 m), Mount Arrowsmith is currently the focus of a park proposal encompassing the massif’s peaks and lakes.
About the Author: Patrick Walshe is a Vancouver Island nature tour guide and biologist. http://www.coastalrevelations.comPatrick Walshe, R. P. Biologist, 1-866-954-0110
Coastal Revelations Nature Tours
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