Central Vancouver Island

With coastline on two sides and mountains in the middle,Central Vancouver Islandis a popular vacation and recreation area onVancouver Island.You can take it easy with gentle strolls amongst old-growth trees, walk along wide beaches or check out some of the local museums to learn about the area. Or get the heart going and ski, bike, rent a kayak, visit a cave, do a multi-day hike or surf.

Cities

Map of Central Vancouver Island

The central part of the island covers a wide area. The cities, towns and villages can be roughly broken down as follows:

Comox Valley and North Central Island

50.024444-125.24751Campbell River— Small city at the northern end of the central island region. It is known for fishing and is nicknamed the Salmon Capital of the World.
49.6878-124.9942Courtenay/49.673333-124.9022223Comox— The gateway to Mt Washington,Strathcona Provincial Parkand some spectacular fishing. These two towns are a beautiful place to visit in summer and winter.
49.7769-126.0514Gold River— Village at the end of Hwy 28. It has some caves and is the gateway to Nootka Sound and the Yuquot National Historic Site.

Mid-Island

49.304444-124.4194445Arrowsmith Coombs Country— A popular stop on the road to Tofino best known for the Goats on the Roof in Coombs — both an attraction in its own right and a very popular market with a number of unique and imported items — and the old growth forest at Cathedral Grove.
49.398-124.6136Lighthouse Country— Rural area northwest of Parksville/Qualicum Beach. Coastal communities like Qualicum Bay and Deep Bay offer quiet respite and great views. Inland, Horne Lake is an adventure center with caving and rappelling.
49.164167-123.9363897Nanaimo— The largest city in the region and transportation hub. Nearby Saysutshun Newcastle Island is a popular attraction with trails, lookouts and First Nations history.
49.315-124.3128Parksvilleand49.35-124.4339Qualicum Beach— A summer vacation spot about 30 minutes north of Nanaimo. Its best known for its beautiful shallow beaches where you can walk and walk and walk when the tide goes out. There are also family-friendly parks and farms to entertain the kids. The two cities make a good base to explore the Mid-Island area and have a range of accommodation options, but do fill up July and August.

West Coast

48.830278-125.137510Bamfield— Small town on the west coast of Vancouver Island, renowned for fishing charters.
49.2339-124.80511Port Alberni— Developed as a major forest industry town and a service town for the fishing industry, today it is a popular salmon fishing destination.
49.152669-125.90436112Tofino— Ecotourism center on the beautiful (if wet) west coast of the island. The main attractions are storm watching, whale watching, surfing and Long Beach, which is part of Pacific Rim National Park.
48.935-125.54194413Ucluelet— Small town on the west coast of Vancouver Island about 30 min from Tofino. Traditionally a service center for the fishing industry, it has a growing number of resorts and accommodation options due to its proximity to Tofino and Long Beach.

Other destinations

49.55-124.81Denman Island— has a regular ferry service from Hornby Island and Buckley Bay (on Vancouver Island); it is known for its festivals, quiet roads, and scenery. decades.
49.5194-124.6672Hornby Island— a small island betweenParksvilleandCourtenay.It has a number of parks that are popular for hiking, biking and beaches.
49.7383-125.2993Mount Washington Alpine Resort— four season resort with more than 80 downhill runs and55km (34mi)of cross-country ski trails in winter. In summer, there's hiking, mountain biking and the lifts are open to take in the views.
49.0656-125.76054Pacific Rim National Park Reserve(Long Beach Unit)— surf or take a stroll on the long sweep of the aptly named Long Beach, and learn about the natural and cultural history of the area at the Kwisitis Visitor Centre. Limited camping is available close to the beach but most visitors stay in nearby Tofino or Ucluelet.
49.8742-125.7445Strathcona Provincial Park— a popular destination for hikers, mountain climbers, swimmers, canoeists and kayakers. The park contains the highest peaks in the Vancouver Island ranges and Della Falls, considered to be Canada's highest waterfall. Hikes range from short ambles to multi-day adventures. There are both drive-in and backcountry campsites and one lodge in the park.
49.593721-126.620486Yuquot— namedFriendly CovebyJames Cook,it was the site ofSanta Cruz de Nuca,the first European colony in British Columbia, a Spanish settlement founded in 1789 and abandoned in 1795, today a National Historic Site.

Understand

Get in

Nanaimois the transportation hub of the region, with road access up- and down-island, ferries to Metro Vancouver and a regional airport with flights from Canada's two main airlines. There are three other small airports in the region andComoxhas a ferry connection with the Sunshine Coast.

By car

The main highways into Central Vancouver Island are Highways 1 and 19.

Highway 1(Trans-Canada Highway) connects withWest Vancouver(by ferry toNanaimo) and, on the Island, south toVictoria.The drive to Victoria is about 1.5 hours.
Highway 19(Island Highway) heads north from Nanaimo toCampbell River,Port HardyandNorth Vancouver Island.

By bus

IslandLink Bus,info@islandlinkbus.Service with hubs atTofino,Campbell River,Nanaimo,andVictoria.(updated Jan 2023)
Tofino Bus(Vancouver Island Connector).Seasonal service operating between mid-May to mid-October with route operating several days per week onVancouver IslandbetweenVictoriaandTofinowith stops inLangford,Duncan,Chemainus,Ladysmith,Nanaimo,Parksville,Coombs,Port AlberniandUcluelet.(updated Jun 2024)
West Coast Trail Express,☏+1-250-477-8700,toll-free:+1-888-999-2288.Seasonal service allowing hikers of the West Coast Trail to reach the northern (Bamfield) and southern (Port Renfrew) ends of the trail. Operates route that connects Victoria withPort Renfrew,Gordon River, andBamfield.The route operates from May 1 to September 30.(updated Mar 2022)
Waivin Flags Taxi,☏+1 250-956-2355.During parts of the year, operates a bus service betweenCampbell RiverandPort Hardywith stops in Woss and Port McNeill.(updated Mar 2022)

By boat

BC Ferries,toll-free:+1-888-223-3779.Operates ferries connecting coastal communities.(updated Apr 2022)
- Vehicle ferry routes that connect Central Vancouver Island to theLower Mainland.Two routes arrive inNanaimoand one arrives inComox.
  - Vancouver(Tsawwassen)ferry terminal inDeltatoNanaimo(Duke Point)ferry terminal - 2 hours sailing with eight departures daily, departing once every 2.5 hours. Public transit at Vancouver (Tsawwassen) ferry terminal only.
  - Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay)ferry terminal inWest VancouvertoNanaimo (Departure Bay)ferry terminal - 1 hour 40 minutes sailing with seven-nine departures daily. Public transit at both terminals.
  - Powell River(Westview)ferry terminal toComox(Little River)ferry terminal ferry terminal - 1 hours 25 minutes sailing with four departures daily. Public transit at both terminals.
- Vehicle ferry from theSouthern Gulf Islands
  - Gabriola Island (Descanso Bay)ferry terminal toNanaimo(Nanaimo Harbour)ferry terminal - 20 minutes crossing, departures every 35 to 70 minutes. Public transit near Nanaimo (Nanaimo Harbour) ferry terminal only.
- Other vehicle ferries from islands
  - Hornby Island(Shingle Spit)toDenman Island East (Gravelly Bay)- 10 minutes crossing, departs hourly.
  - Denman Island WesttoBuckley Bay- 10 minutes crossing, departs every 40 to 60 minutes. Buckley Bay is on Vancouver Island. Public transit at Buckley Bay only.
Hullo,100 Port Dr, Nanaimo.Operates daily passenger only ferry trips between Nanaimo and downtownVancouver,taking 1.25 hours each way. A single carry-on-sized bag and a personal bag are permitted with passengers, and otherwise there is an additional charge per bag. Hullo's trip from Vancouver is faster than BC Ferries', and there is WiFi on board, but the least expensive fare on Hullo is more than double the fare to travel on BC Ferries.(updated Feb 2024)

By plane

Campbell River(YBL^IATA) - flights fromVancouver
Comox(YQQ^IATA) - flights fromCalgaryand Vancouver
Nanaimo(YCD^IATA) - the largest airport in the region, flights from Calgary and Vancouver
Tofino(YAZ^IATA) - a small airport, flights from Vancouver

Seaplanes

There are seaplane facilities with scheduled commercial flights located atNanaimoharbour. Seaplane routes connect frequently from-to downtown Vancouver andVancouver International Airport(YVR^IATA), andSechelton theSunshine Coast.

Get around

By public transit

BC Transitoperates bus transit systems in Central Vancouver Island includingCampbell River,Comox Valley (CourtenayandComox), Nanaimo Regional (Nanaimo,Parksville,andQualicum Beach) andPort Alberni.

BC Transit has intercity bus routes enabling travel betweenVictoriaandCampbell Riveralong the east coast of Vancouver Island. Intercity bus routes within and connecting to Central Vancouver Island include:

Route 70 between Duncan,Ladysmith,andNanaimo.Operates Monday to Saturday with a number of trip options. Operated by Cowichan Regional Valley Transit System.and Regional District of Nanaimo Transit System.
Route 50 between downtown Nanaimo and Nanaimo (Woodgrove Centre). Operates daily with a number of trip options. Part of Nanaimo Regional Transit System.
Route 91 between Nanaimo (Woodgrove Centre),Parksville,andQualicum Beach.Operates daily with a number of trip options. Part of Nanaimo Regional Transit System.
Route 99 between Qualicum Beach andDeep Bay.Operates daily with limited trips (as of September 2, 2024). Part of Nanaimo Regional Transit System.
Route 10 between Deep Bay andCourtenay(as of September 2, 2024). Operates Monday to Saturday with limited trips between Deep Bay and Courtenay. Part of Comox Valley Regional Transit System. Note: Route 10 operates many additional daily trips between Fanny Bay and Courtenay, which do not enable a connection with Route 99.
Route 12 between Courtenay and Oyster River Operates Monday to Saturday with a number of trip options. Part of Comox Valley Regional Transit System.
Route 6 between Oyster River andCampbell River.Operates daily with a number of trip options. Part of Campbell River Transit System.

See

Museums and aquariums

There aresmall-scale aquariumsfocusing on local aquatic life inUclueletandCampbell River.The working marine field station at Deep Bay inLighthouse Countryhas displays and touch tanks
Campbell River has the Maritime Heritage Center with all things nautical, including restored boats, displays on maritime history and an activity center where you can learn about knots
CourtenayandComoxhave a couple ofmilitary themed museumswith exhibits on the Canadian armed forces and air force, including an Air Park that provides an up-close view of some of the historical planes
The McLean Sawmill inPort Alberniis asteam-operated sawmilland has exhibits on logging machines and history
Many communities have local museums about the history of the area

Nature

The scenery is beautiful and some highlights are:

Thesurf beachesofTofinoand Long Beach inPacific Rim National Park Reserve
Parksville/Qualicum Beachis known for its wide shallow beaches where you can walk a kilometer out in some places when the tide goes out
Get a view of themountainsinStrathcona Provincial ParkandMount Washington Alpine Resort
View the giantold-growth treesin Cathedral Grove, which are a short walk from the highway in MacMillan Provincial Park nearArrowsmith Coombs Country

Do

There are plenty of outdoors things to do in Central Vancouver Island.

Fishing- BothPort AlberniandCampbell Rivermake claims to be the Salmon Capital of the World.Bamfieldis also known for fishing charters.
Hiking– There's a hike for everyone with a wide range of trails. At the difficult end, there is the multi-day West Coast Trail inPacific Rim National Park Reserve,which is considered one of the best and toughest hikes in Canada, and backcountry hiking opportunities inStrathcona Provincial Park.Many of the smaller provincial parks around the region have shorter hikes that still have some great views.
Kayaking– The coastline is abundant and kayaks are a great way to see it. Many towns and villages will have shops that rent kayaks. Some of the popular areas areTofinoandParksville/Qualicum Beach.
Surfing– With three good surf beaches,Tofinois the center of British Columbia's surf scene. Bring a wetsuit though, because the water is chilly year-round.
Wildlife viewing tours– Whale watching is popular out ofTofinoandCampbell River.Grizzly bear viewing tours are run out of Campbell River.

Stay safe

Earthquakes occur in British Columbia every day; luckily, most aren't felt and don't cause any damage. However, earthquakes that occur in the Pacific Ocean and along the Pacific Rim pose atsunamirisk. Many of the scenic places along the coast of Central Vancouver Island, including parts of Tofino, Ucluelet, and the Pacific Rim Natural Park are in evacuation zones. Know what to do in case of both anearthquakeandtsunami warning.If you are on the beach or in the evacuation zone, theshaking is the warning— you only have several minutes to head to higher ground and won't have time to check a map or website. Roadside signs on some routes remind you when you are in a tsunami zone and some areas are served by public warning sirens. Ask your host for the specific instructions in your location as soon as you arrive.

Go next

Discovery Islands– Catch the ferry or water taxi, or take a float plane, from Campbell River to one of the many islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia. There's kayaking, the off the beaten path charm of Quadra Island and wildlife ranging from orcas to grizzly bears.
North Vancouver Island– The more remote and less touristy part of Vancouver Island, with fishing, hiking, camping, kayaking, whale watching and other wildlife viewing.
South Vancouver Island– Down the Trans-Canada Highway from Nanaimo, the southern part of Vancouver Island is a mix of stately charm and rugged outdoors. Victoria, the capital, has the world-class Royal British Columbia Museum and the renowned Butchart Gardens. Further afield, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and Juan de Fuca Provincial Park have stunning multi-day coastal hikes.
Vancouver– Vibrant, multicultural and the largest city in British Columbia, Vancouver has parks, museums, trails of all types and some beautiful scenery. It's a 1.5 hour ferry ride from Nanaimo or catch a short flight from one of the region's airports.
Sunshine Coast– Low-key 180-km (110-mi) stretch of forest, seashore and mountains. Those who appreciate the beauty of outstanding marine parks and marshland bird sanctuaries, old growth forest and alpine peaks will find this the perfect destination. It's accessed by ferry from Comox.

Thisregiontravel guide toCentral Vancouver Islandis ausablearticle. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but pleasefeel free to improveitby editing the page.