Quote:
Originally Posted by Franswa
Highly recommend the Pacific Marine Circle Tour (google)....I've done it twice and I could do it again...Sooke to Renfrew, it's a good, paved and scenic road that drops to the shoreline at times ....Renfrew to Lake Cowichan is through the bush, "hard surfaced", a little narrow in spots but very doable with a trailer like yours....Cowichan to Duncan is almost a freeway. You could "burn" 3 days on that alone....or "zoom" through it in a day and a half.
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Agreed.
One major important thing: book your campsites in advance! BC parks has their own system, Canada parks has their own and each private campground will be separate. Camping is popular on the island and there are limited supplies of first come first serve sites.
My personal route (after hanging around Victoria a few days and doing all the touristy things) would be:
Drive out past Sooke and stay at French Beach. Go to Sandcut beach and maybe have dinner at Point-no-point.
Head up a bit further to China Beach and camp there. Do the Mystic beach hike and if you want more to do also do a day trip to Sombrio.
You could day trip to Botanical as well but I'd make that part of the route. Definitely stop at Botanical beach.
Drive towards Lake Cowichan. There are some sites inbetween (like Lizard Lake, which I've never camped at). I'd personally stay at Gordon Bay on Lake Cowichan
Now if you are brave and can handle some logging roads I'd continue west. Check the current road conditions (it's horrible in fall), May might be ok depending on when it was last graded. There are a few logging company campgrounds in the area, depending on how much you want to break things up, but I'd make Pachena bay campground the next stop. On the way you can visit Nitnat lake.
Pachena is beautiful and a great home base to explore Bamfield. In Bamfield I'd ferry to East Bamfield and visit Brady's beach. If you kayak you can have fun around there (rentals are affordable) and there is the option to be boated over to the broken island group to kayak around there for the day then get picked up.
If the roads are a bit too sketchy I'd head east to Nanaimo and stay at Living forest (book asap if you want full service and ocean view...). There is stuff to see near Nanaimo, so it's worth staying a few days.
Next (whichever way you go) head towards Port Alberni. The drive from Bamfield there is pretty amazing and head west again to Tofino / Ucluelet. Do the Long Beach thing. Check out Wickaninnish. Eat some Geoduck (or not).
Next I'd head back east to Parksville / Qualicum beach. Rathtrevor is nice (great beach, flush toilets and showers.. no service since it's provincial). There are private campgrounds around as well. Englishman river is another option if you don't need to stay near the Ocean and it's worth a visit.
Visit Coombs, visit Englishman River falls. Visit Horne Lake caves.
Head up further north. Miracle beach is nice provincial site. Oyster river near there has a proper RV park / marina if you want service.
Mt Washington (a ski resort) has summer activities (biking, new zipline etc).
Head up to Campbell River. Elk falls is popular (I've never stayed there). I'd go stay at Buttle Lake and day trip to Gold River.
I'd consider going to Quadra island, but I'm not sure how expensive it is to take a trailer on those tiny ferries.
I haven't been farther North than Campbell River (yet), so I can't offer any suggestions up there, though you might as well go to Port Hardy if you want to claim you've done Vancouver Island.