Camping & Sightseeing on Vancouver Island?

[V'sGlassSleeper]

This will be our first time in Canada. We are coming to get our 19' Bigfoot from SoutherwesternRV in Victoria on Vancouver Island and wonder what campgrounds and activities/things to see people would recommend? First night will be in or around Victoria, then we really only have one extra day and night before we need to head back (it's a 3-4 day drive home). We'd prefer to camp on the inland side of the island.

[Mary F]

Aww, looky! Val's avatar is a pic of her Bigfoot!

[Cam A]

If you're on the Island, you have to hit Pacific Rim National Park/Torfino; luckily Cathedral Grove is on the way. Little Qualicum Falls would make a good campground. Could be busy this time of year.

[Janice M]

This will be our first time in Canada. We are coming to get our 19' Bigfoot from SoutherwesternRV in Victoria on Vancouver Island and wonder what campgrounds and activities/things to see people would recommend? First night will be in or around Victoria, then we really only have one extra day and night before we need to head back (it's a 3-4 day drive home). We'd prefer to camp on the inland side of the island.

Val, depends on how many amenities you like to have. generally our provincial parks in BC don't have water/power hookups, and most have outhouses, but the campsites are nice and big, almost always well-shaded, and level.
some nice ones on the lower part of vancouver island. if you like having showers, check out Gordon Bay on Cowichan Lake or Rathtrevor Beach near Parksville. If you want to go a little bit further and don't have to have showers, Englishman River falls is very pretty and has lots of walking trails up and down the river -- two sets of falls to see.
You can book sites at most prov. campsites now on-line. http://www.discovercamping.ca/

A nice private campground in Nanaimo is the Living Forest Campground. http://www.campingbc.com/

[Doug Mager]

since no planned dates were issued, I can only add this tidbit of info on things to do.

In downtown Victoria July 20th, the better part of ALL downtown Victoria will be set aside for for car lovers as Victoria plays host to Deuce Day. This is an annual tribute to Henry Fords (argueably) best car, the 1932 Ford. Special parking has been alloted for the planned attendance of over 200 1932 Fords in all their various configurations. ANY and ALL other types of cars are welcome to attend by pre-registeration. We plan to attend with our 1937 Plymouth P-4 Touring Sedan. This event features a caravan of car minded people (leaving Toronto last week) coming from as far away as Australia to attend this special event.

[jack maloney]

I strongly recommend Goldstream Provincial park for camping. It is very close and convenient to Victoria (10 miles). Beautiful, well maintained campground with spectacular trees, lovely wooded sites and walking trails.

http://www.goldstreampark.com/park.htm

Two 'must see' sites are the spectacular Butchart Gardens and the Royal BC Museum with its superb 'First Peoples' exhibit! Also, spend a leisurely hour having lunch and people-watching on the festive waterfront.

[V'sGlassSleeper]

Aww, looky! Val's avatar is a pic of her Bigfoot!

Shucks... didn't feel right to have anything else! We are even more excited after meeting many of the wonderful folks in the Fiberglass RV Forum. We are so impressed with the quality of people we spoke with, the clever modifications and talented restorations a number of people have made to their FGs, and the highly organized coordinators of this fabulous event! We could only be there Sat & Sunday, and just got home to AZ a few hours ago, but next year, we look forward to being there with our 19' footer and having our name tags changed from "wanna-be's" to "1988 Bigfoot 19."

[V'sGlassSleeper]

Thanks everyone... we have some great ideas now to follow up on. We were in OR this Sat & Sunday for the Rally, so missed the Deuce Day event, but were thrilled to meet many of this forum's members in person--what a terrific group of people!

We will be arriving August 5-6 (depending on how accurate Mapquest's driving time estimate is for AZ to Vancouver Island). We can hardly wait! Will spend this week tearing down a stucco facade in front of our carport that would otherwise prevent us from parking our trailer... it's like getting the bedroom ready for a new baby!

Canada, here we come!

[Herb P]

Canada, here we come!

I also will echo a vote for Rathtrevor Beach at Parksville. I haven't camped there; we rent a vacation condo and there is no better beach for kids than Rathtrevor. When the tide is out, there is about 1 km of wet sand between the beachhead and the water, with small tidal pools that are warm. Lots of little crabs, snails, etc. Awesome for sandcastles... Then when the tide comes back in, the km of beach disappears leaving 1km of shallow warm water to swim in...

There is an RV park right in the city on the beach that is basically a big field stacked back to back with RV's and about 6 million kids. Not my sort of camping. Just outside of town, on the south, is a fruit stand, behind which appears to be a nicer RV park with some long-term pad rental units and short term camping. It's in the trees and looks nicer but you'll have a longish hike to the beach or will be better off driving.

I used to live in Sidney and subsequently, am all Victoria'd out and now you couldn't pay me to go there. But you do need to see it at least once.

[V'sGlassSleeper]

Oh, we want to avoid noisy and crowded, so I think we will head out of Victoria as soon as we pick up the trailer and head for quieter and less dense surroundings. No parking lot-style RV parks for us! Thanks for your input!

[Lainey]

I'm thinking Goldstream will be your best choice the first night, as you will have had a busy time already to get to the Island and all. It will keep you in close proximity to get your ferry back to the mainland also. With your limited timeframe, Rathtrevor might have been a bit too far up island anyway.

A note of caution, the 1st weekend in August is a holiday/long weekend for most of Canada. Looking at the Discover Camping website that looks after BC campground reservations, I see the reserved sites are all taken for this weekend. They never book all sites, 75/167 sites are only reservable. When you get to the island, it might be best to go to the campground to claim a site, even before heading to the RV dealer. Also, I have experienced times when the BC parks are full, and they usually will let people into 'overflow areas', so hopefully that is the case at Goldstream too.

[V'sGlassSleeper]

Yikes... what timing on our part. Thanks for the heads up... guess we will have to see what we can get once we get there!

[Ken James]

Val, I see everyone suggesting things all over this island and you have only a day or two. Brace yourself gal - Vancouver Island is approximately the size of England! Do you think you could see that in a weekend? It is about 300 miles north to south and 100 miles wide.

I suggest for this visit come see Victoria and let it go at that. Then come back for a week or so later.

In an earlier note I suggested you go see Lake Louise over in Banff but that too is a long way from here. You need to make plans to come back once you become familiar with the new trailer.

The picture was taken in the Japanese gardens at Hatley Castle here in town.

Good luck with all you encounter.

[Ian-Vicki]

I'm thinking Goldstream will be your best choice the first night, as you will have had a busy time already to get to the Island and all. It will keep you in close proximity to get your ferry back to the mainland also. With your limited timeframe, Rathtrevor might have been a bit too far up island anyway.

Ferries run from Nanaimo and Duke point back to the Mainland in case you do get up toi Rathtrevor. No need to backtrack all the way to Victoria. But with limited time, there's all kinds of stuff available in Victoria. On a longer stay (three weeks) you can do the Island justice.
cheers
ian

[V'sGlassSleeper]

Thank you, my eyes were starting to roll looking at the map of Vancouver Island and trying to figure out distances and driving times. We will keep it simple this trip---just come get the trailer and explore a little of the vicinity, but we most certainly will be back to explore more of this vast and beautiful country and charming provinces.

[Julia O.]

Thank you, my eyes were starting to roll looking at the map of Vancouver Island and trying to figure out distances and driving times. We will keep it simple this trip---just come get the trailer and explore a little of the vicinity, but we most certainly will be back to explore more of this vast and beautiful country and charming provinces.

I've stayed in an RV park that is also a marina, and you can take a water taxi to downtown -- it's small, but quiet and nice. Westbay Marine Village & R V Park - 453 Head Street, Victoria, BC V9A 5S1, Canada (250) 385-1831.

Tofino -- way-ay-ay too far up-island for your legnth of trip, with winding roads and a new trailer -- I'd give it a pass. The southern tip of the island is a nice drive and you can find great walks in the parks/beaches as nearby as Sooke. Metchosin has potteries and farmstands, and it's on the way. Have a great trip!!

[V'sGlassSleeper]

I've stayed in an RV park that is also a marina, and you can take a water taxi to downtown -- it's small, but quiet and nice. Westbay Marine Village & R V Park - 453 Head Street, Victoria, BC V9A 5S1, Canada (250) 385-1831.

Tofino -- way-ay-ay too far up-island for your legnth of trip, with winding roads and a new trailer -- I'd give it a pass. The southern tip of the island is a nice drive and you can find great walks in the parks/beaches as nearby as Sooke. Metchosin has potteries and farmstands, and it's on the way. Have a great trip!!

Wow contact info and everything--thanks, Julia! No, we definitely aren't ready to be taking the long and winding road that leads to... (anyone else a Beatles fan?)...the other side of the island. Just keeping it simple this time will be good.

[Ian-Vicki]

You should also be aware that the first weekend in August is a holiday weekend in Canada which will put camping spots at a premium. A reservation (even sight unseen) would be in order and delay could cause problems for you.
Good luck
cheers
Ian

[V'sGlassSleeper]

Thank you all. I just made online reservations at one of the campgrounds that was most recommended for its beauty--two nights. We will pick up our trailer and explore the area from there.

I have saved all recommendations in a "Vancouver Island" file so that we can return at a future date to do more exploring!

We are very much looking forward to this visit!

Val

[Janice M]

Thank you, my eyes were starting to roll looking at the map of Vancouver Island and trying to figure out distances and driving times. We will keep it simple this trip---just come get the trailer and explore a little of the vicinity, but we most certainly will be back to explore more of this vast and beautiful country and charming provinces.

Val, everything on the lower end of the island is pretty close together. Driving time from victoria to Nanaimo is approx. 90 minutes up and over the Malahat (a bit windy, but traffic flows along at 80-90 km/hour as it is a highway). There are a couple of spots to pull out along the way up if you want to stop and take a look at the scenery.

As Ian said, there is a ferry that goes from Nanaimo to Tswassen -- , so if you want to bypass the drive back down the Malahat to Victoria, you can go direct. Just make sure that you head for the Duke Point terminal in Nanaimo. If you go via Departure Bay you will arrive at Horseshoe Bay in North Vancouver, and will have navigate over the Lions Gate Bridge and then south thru Vancouver. Twswassen terminal is closer to the border.

It is the long weekend (BC day!), so expect a bit more traffic on the road than usual. Happy camping!