Vancouver Island and the "Sunshine Coast"

SteveAE wrote:
All,

Thank you to everyone who, last year, gave us some great suggestions for our trip to the Kooteny region of SE British Columbia.

This September we were thinking of taking a loop up Vancouver Island and then down the Sunshine Coast (or vice versa) and I am looking for suggestions on places to visit and/or route/travel hints.

We will have our travel trailer and recognize the expense of the ferry system (ouch). We are active, outdoor oriented, people and like to hike/backpack and paddle (canoe, kayak, and raft), using the trailer as a base camp to return to after getting tired and wet for a few days:) For this trip we were thinking of bringing backpacks and a tripping style canoe and maybe poke around in the following areas; Sayward Forest Canoe Route, Powell Forest Canoe Route, Main Lakes Canoe Chain (Quadra Island), and the Forbidden Plateau in Strathcona Provencial Park. Since we will have our dog (who is bear savvy), areas that don't allow dogs in the backcountry (such as the Broken Group) are out for us.

Any suggestions would be welcome,
Steve

I've lived on the Island my entire life, in my opinion Muchalat Lake near Gold River is the most beautiful place on the island. It can rain, of course, like anywhere on the wet coast. But absolutely amazing views. Also the drive around Cowichan Lake (the lake) and stopping at Jakes on the Lake in Lake Cowichan (the town) is a nice day trip, in fact I'm doing that tomorrow.