Parksville, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Horseback Riding: The Parksville area offers many opportunities to explore the backcountry of Vancouver Island on horseback. Outfitters in the area offer instruction as well as short trail rides and overnight excursions. From alpine meadows to wooded trails, or riding on the sandy beaches, horseback riding will give you a unique perspective of this beautiful region.

Fishing: Check out the waters off French Creek, 3 miles (5 km) north of Parksville on Hwy 19A, rumoured to be a great spot to hook the big one. Kids enthusiastically cast their lines off the dock, hoping for their own vacation story to tell. The annual fall salmon run at the mouth of French Creek, as it enters the Strait of Georgia, attracts anglers to the French Creek Marina and the public boat launch adjacent to the federal dock and Lasqueti Island ferry.

Hiking: Both the Englishman River Falls and Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Parks have rambling trails that lead beside the clear waters of the pristine Englishman River and Little Qualicum rivers. An easy walk to the waterfalls is a big part of a visit to either park. For more serious hiking, the Mount Arrowsmith Trail ascends the lower slopes of Mount Arrowsmith to the site of the old ski resort, and winds up to the 1,829-metre (6,000-foot) summit of Mt. Arrowsmith. The hike is strenuous, and do not set off without a trail map. Arrowsmith Trail is the oldest intact trail on Vancouver Island. Other Mt Arrowsmith trails include the Rousseau Trail, and the Lower Ski Area Trail. The trailhead for the Arrowsmith Trail is at the Cameron Lake picnic site.

Aerial view of Rathtrevor Beach, Parksville

Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park in Parksville offers a fabulous swimming beach, and over 150 bird species. So vast is its sandy, shallow shingle, particularly at low tide, that you can spend hours beachcombing and birdwatching here beneath the wide-open sky. The waters of the Strait of Georgia warm up quickly when the tide rises over these sun-baked expanses. Seals often approach the beach, following the salmon that follow the needlefish that follow the zooplankton. Join the chain!
Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park has acres of campsites to match its 1.3 miles (2.1 km) of beaches. If you're lucky enough to be travelling in the off-season, you'll have plenty of choice from among the numerous vehicle/tent sites. Otherwise, phone ahead for reservations, particularly on weekends. Campers enjoy hot showers and gas barbeques in covered beachside picnic shelters. So good does the living get here that some families spend their entire vacations at Rathtrevor Beach, where the maximum stay permitted is 14 consecutive days.

Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, situated along the Englishman River, features a spectacular canyon between two beautiful waterfalls cascading along the descending riverbed. This 97-hectare park offers several walking trails along the Englishman River that meander through lush old-growth forests of cedar, arbutus, fir, maple and hemlock. Gaze up among the tall timbers where fingers of sunlight slant down to the ferns below. You'll find 105 vehicle/tent sites and there's great picnicking, summer swimming, and a 2-mile walking trail that passes through a stand of maple trees to an impressive waterfall and gorge. Located south of nearby Errington.

Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park straddles the scenic Little Qualicum River, where impressive waterfalls cascade and plummet down a rocky gorge in a beautiful forest setting. This magnificent 440-hectare park is a popular family recreation area, and is perhaps the most magnificent park on Vancouver Island. Little Qualicum Falls incorporates the entire southern shore of Cameron Lake, adjacent to MacMillan Provincial Park and the awesome Cathedral Grove Rainforest. Rambling riverside trails and a number of cool, clear swimming holes make Little Qualicum Falls a favoured destination.

MacMillan Provincial Park is famous for Cathedral Grove, one of the most accessible stands of giant Douglas-fir trees in BC. Some of these trees are 800 years old, and walking the trails through this virgin coastal forest can be quite an inspirational experience. Loop trails on either side of the highway lead awe-struck visitors through the mighty forest stands. The south loop showcases the largest Douglas-fir trees, with the biggest one measuring over 9 metres in circumference. The trail on the northern side of the road winds through groves of ancient Western Red Cedar to the shores of Cameron Lake. The 136-hectare park is located on Highway 4 on the shores of Cameron Lake, 20 miles (31 km) west of Parksville.

Caving: There are several hundred significant caves to explore on Vancouver Island, including those at Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park, 12 miles (20 km) west of Hwy 19 near Qualicum Bay. The park protects seven caves in the Horne Lake Cave system. A small fee is charged for tours in July and August, conducted by knowledgeable guides from the Canadian Cave Conservancy, a nonprofit organization devoted to proper management, protection, and interpretation of Canada's cave resources. If you're here in summer, plan to join the challenging Karst Trail and Riverbend Trail tours, which last about two hours. You can take a self-guided tour of Main Cave and Lower Main Cave throughout the year. Although the distance covered isn't great - about 200 metres - you'll have to bend, duck, and squeeze your way through a series of narrow passages.
No matter when you arrive, prepare yourself for a tour by dressing warmly, wearing sturdy boots, and carrying a bright flashlight. (Helmets and lights are provided on guided tours. For those with a lust to squeeze deeper into the cave system, the three-to-four-hour Riverbed Bottoming trip leads down through a series of vertical pits, the deepest of which is nearly 60 feet (19 metres). A gravel road leads to the parking area and trailhead at the far end of Horne Lake. A footbridge spans the Qualicum River, from where a rough limestone trail leads to the Main Cave.

Rail Adventure: Whether you are commuting, sightseeing or simply a train buff, riding the rails on Vancouver Island is steeped in history and adventure. Rail travel is still available between Victoria and Courtenay in the Comox Valley on the Southern Railway of Vancouver Island, formerly the E & N Railway. Scheduled stops include Duncan, Nanaimo, and Parksville. Along the way the train runs through Shawnigan Lake, Cobble Hill, Chemainus, Ladysmith, and Qualicum Beach.

From the town of Parksville, Highway 4 (Pacific Rim Highway) begins to wind across the spine of the Vancouver Island mountains to Port Alberni and the open ocean at Ucluelet and Tofino, all three of which are sheltered harbours. This is the route to the Pacific Rim.

To the north of Parksville, Qualicum Beach gently spreads in front of one of the most pleasant small towns on the east side of Vancouver Island. Pause here at any of the numerous beachside pullouts and smell the salt air intermingled with the perfume from the many private and public floral displays.

South of Parksville, the waterfront community of Nanoose Bay is a hot spot for golfers, clam diggers and water sports enthusiasts. The peninsula's large, protected harbour is a destination for visiting boats from around the world, and home to an assortment of marinas, one as large as 400 berths. The Nanoose Bay area is a vacationer's paradise, offering a wealth of recreational activities. Further south is the bustling commercial centre of Nanaimo, home to the BC ferry terminals at Departure Bay and Duke Point. Once past Nanaimo, a succession of charming villages leads you into the Cowichan Valley.

Offshore to the north of Parksville lies Lasqueti Island, the first of several northern Gulf Islands that you catch glimpses of as the Island Highway heads north towards Courtenay and Campbell River. Farther off in the distance is the dark profile of Texada Island. Largely undeveloped, Lasqueti Island lies southwest of Texada Island, a short distance across the Strait of Georgia from Parksville and Qualicum Beach. The island is a quaint and eccentric little community of self-reliant homesteaders who enjoy the island's mild climate and relative isolation. Catch the ferry from French Creek, midway between Qualicum Beach and Parksville.

Getting There: Highway 19 is now an express route from Victoria to Port Hardy. If you like a more leisurely pace, follow the signs to the original coastal Highway 19A, the 'Oceanside Route'. Coach lines offer regularly scheduled trips north, south and west through the Oceanside area connecting to other parts of Vancouver Island.
Most visitors arrive on Vancouver Island by ferry. From Vancouver, depart from either the Tsawwassen Terminal to Duke Point or from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay at Nanaimo. Once on the island, head north on Highway 19, which takes you directly to Oceanside. There is a shuttle service to Parksville/Qualicum Beach for foot passengers on the Horseshoe Bay run. Buses also leave Vancouver Bus and Train Terminal for the island ferries on a regular basis, with connections to Oceanside communities through Nanaimo.
There are marinas with moorage available in French Creek, Deep Bay, and Schooner Cove. All three welcome visiting boaters, with full services nearby, including restaurants.