Vancouver Island

Notes from my sister, who spent 3 weeks on the Island this year, for my month there next May:

First thing is that the island was MUCH more crowded in September than the Oregon coast was.  Not booking ahead really put us at a disadvantage on this trip.

Highlights were
1.  North island.  Too much to see and not enough time.  Alert Bay and Suquash were our fav. Also saw San Josef Bay, Ronin’s garden and Telegraph Cove.  Sorry we missed Port Alice and Winter Harbour.   Really needed another day or two. Liked the Cedar Park Resort in Port McNeill - owner is 28 yr old Lisa who is terrific.

2.  Port Alberni - great location to see lots.  Favourite was Stamp River Falls with all the salmon and a bear looking for them.  Hole in the Wall was cool, no Martin Mars at Sproat Lake, skipped Cathedral Grove (I think Warren was getting sick of big trees).  China Creek RV park had an amazing location but unless you’re in an unserviced campsite or right on the beach, it wasn’t very pretty or clean.  They rely on seasonal bookings so don’t get too excited about 2-3 night stays.  Never saw them after we booked in.

3.  Campbell River - loved this town.  Salmon Point RV was very nice but next time we would stay in the lighthouse area right on the ocean.

4.  Pacific Rim Park. Beaches, beaches and more beaches.

5.  Ucluelet had a nice vibe.

Disappointments
1. Tofino, accommodations and food were ridiculously expensive and not that great.  Best meal we had was a BBQ chicken from the Co-Op grocery store.
Probably won’t be back but, if we did, would book ahead into Green Point campground in the park.  Crystal Cove was fine with a terrific beach that we let the dogs run loose on but $70 a night and extremely tight campsites made it something we wouldn’t go back to.

2.  Lack of decent seafood everywhere.  Weird.  Campbell River had the best halibut and chips we could find.  Tofino was the worst.

Lots to see on the Island. Check out the logging museum at Cowichan, the First Nations murals at Chemainus. Stop at Campbell River for a salmon fishing trip. While there stop at Elk Falls Prov. Park to see some real trees. A slightly smaller cousin to the giant Sequoias in California.

Stop for afternnon tea, at the Empress Hotel in Victoria.

I was raised on the Island. If you ahve any questions feel free.

Yes, as others have said, go over to Long Beach, it really is amazing! Consider going up Island from Parksville to Campbell River, Lots to do up there also. Heck, there is just lots to do everywhere over here! Just divide the ferry costs into the amount of time you spend over here. The longer, the less expensive.

Leaving your TV on the Washington side as suggested is an option, but only if your objective is to do a day-trip into the Victoria area/Butchart Gardens, etc. Vancouver Island is huge and you need to get your RV/TT there to explore it. W.S. Ferries, B.C. Ferries, and the private Black Ball Ferry from Port Angels are all expensive. Choose your poison.

As others have said, Tofino/Ucluelet are beautiful. With that said, the leg of the trip from Port Alberni to Tofino is very narrow and windy. You wouldn't be the only person towing a trailer to go out there, but it's not high on my list of things to do.

As for timing, if you can push it past Labour Day, there will be a noticeable drop in traffic. However, as Yeti plus said, it will be far from vacant.

Where would I go? I second the recommendation for Victoria and Duncan, and add Cowichan Bay in the Duncan area. Also, the Courtenay/Comox area further north on the East coast of the island are nice. Finally, Cathedral Grove is quite impressive, if massive old-growth trees interest you.

Oh, one last thing - the commuting traffic in the Victoria area is bananas. Avoid being trying to get in or out of there anytime remotely near rush hour.

I would recommend the WA State Ferry route from Anacortes to Sidney, BC - next to Victoria on Vancouver Island. It's a *beautiful* route that slips around all sorts of islands. The ferry from Port Angeles will get it done, but wouldn't be scenic. You could leave your RV at Pioneer Trails in Anacortes, which people seem to like.

We have crossed from Port Angeles to Victoria on the Black Ball ferry.
Port Angeles is a good place to visit portions of the Olympic National Park.
We came back via the ferry of Nainimo on one trip and returned to Port Angeles on the other.

We were on Vancouver Island this past September.
I expected to be the only RV on the roads after Labour Day. WRONG!!!
There were still lots of tourists all over the Island! Couldn't get a campsite at Long Beach Nat'l Park, had trouble in a couple places because a lot of parks closed up after Labour Day. Still lots open and most places busy or very busy. Lots to see and do.
The market in Duncan was one of our favourite spots. 60 booths with at least 6 being wineries offering free samples. Great place to sample and stroll.
Most of the "tourists" were of the grey hair variety, no young families.
Most unusual place was the tea farm. Yes they grow tea on Vancouver Island and they give out samples. ( room to maneuver TC but NOT trailer friendly!!)
Brian

Thanks romore, was looking at BC ferry fares after posting. They are not bashful about charging. The Newfoundland ferry was about $500 each way but that was a 6 hour trip on what amounts to a ship.

Very much in the 'playin around with it' stage right now.

The island is beautiful with lots to do and see. Victoria and Ucluelet/Tofino are highlights as is highway 19A north of Nanaimo. I do suggest looking at Washington state ferry from Anacortes or Port Angeles, BC ferries would be quite expensive for your rig.