Ideas For Adventuring On Vancouver Island

It’s not hard to find travel recommendations online. There are hundreds of blog posts out there of people who traveled somewhere, did a few things, and then wrote about how those few things are the best things to do in that place. So what makes my recommendations special? Absolutely nothing. But I’m going to give them anyways.

Things To Do on Vancouver Island

1. Marvel at the Trees in Cathedral Grove

We started our trip by taking the Black Ball Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, where we stayed one night before making our way west to Tofino. The drive takes about four hours, but smack in the middle of it is MacMillan Park, home of the majestic Cathedral Grove, and the perfect place to stop and explore.

The entrance to the grove is unpretentious. In fact, if we hadn’t known what to look for I may have thought we had parked at a simple highway rest stop. But as our feet moved from asphalt to the wooden planks of a raised walkway, we entered another world.

It was a world of immense tree trunks centuries old, delicate green moss spilling off of branches, and intricate root balls twice the size of a grown man. It was so otherworldly, in fact, that George Lucas chose this spot to film the Forest Moon of Endor, home of the adorable Ewoks, in Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi.

I could have sprawled on my back on the forest floor and stared at the canopy of branches for hours. But we had much more of Vancouver Island to see.

Bonus phone photos!

2. Splurge on Wildlife Watching Tours in Tofino

One of my favorite parts of our Vancouver Island adventuring took place on the waters surrounding it. We used Adventure Tofino Wildlife Tours, and I highly recommend them. One of our reasons for choosing this company was their guarantee that if there are no sightings on your tour of the intended animal they offer a rain-check or a 75% refund.

Our first of two tours was the whale watching tour on our first day in Tofino. They use Zodiac boats, which are perfect for water adventures because they’re open and low to the water with nothing to block your view, and the inflated tubes make them very stable. Nevertheless, they had us all wear bright red rainsuits to stay dry in case water splashed over the side. While I enjoyed looking like a ghostbuster, I was sweltering in the rainsuit before we got to the boats. Not for long.

We started at a nearby spot where we saw the ridge of one whale appear and disappear several times. You coudn’t see much of the whale, but it was fun to watch the sea and guess where in the cove it would spot water next.

Since that whale was on an indefinite repeat cycle, we moved on, but the wind that picked up on the water was insane. It was too strong for us to go to the normal whale sighting spot, but our captain (who was awesome) pointed to some rocky outcroppings in a different direction where there were often sea lions and asked if we wanted to try braving the waves to get there. Well, of course we did! Friends, it was the craziest boat ride. The waves were so high that the people in the back of the boat could see nothing but the boat when we went up the crest of the waves, and icy water dumped into the front of the boat on the back of each wave. The sea was deep blue and dazzling white as it crashed against the black rocks, and the sun threw reflections like jewels in every direction. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to take many pictures, and even the ones I took don’t do justice to the size of the swells. When we pulled back into the Tofino harbor we were freezing cold, drenched through the waterproof rainsuits, and sore from the jarring of the boat, but oh, what an adventure! Michael may choose otherwise, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The next morning we went on a bear tour, and not only did we see two black bears, we saw harbor seals, bald eagles, sea lions, dolphins, and otters! I get excited when I see a rabbit, so this was just about heaven.

Vancouver Island has a lot of black bears. We’re talking seven to twelve thousand black bears on this island, which makes it one of the densest places in the world for black bear population. So many, in fact, that they have their own subspecies. There are sixteen unique subspecies of black bear, and British Columbia has six of them! We saw one bear from further away, but this one we were able to get close to. He was completely unconcerned with us, and only looked over a couple times as if by coincidence. We got to sit and watch as he roamed up and down the shoreline lifting rocks to find crabs or shellfish, then snacking away.

A group of sea otters is called a “raft.” I now know why.

BONUS PHONE PHOTOS!

3. STROLL DOWN A BEACH OR TWO ON THE WEST COAST

We visited two beaches on the west coast of the island. The first was Cox Bay Beach when the sun was still high in the sky.

The second beach we visited was Tonquin Beach, just before sunset. I’ll be honest with you, I was not excited about making an excursion to Tonquin Beach. We’d just completed a fun but long day, my legs were sore, my nose was cold, and I was ready to be cozy and warm and planted firmly on a couch. I had reached my fill of adventuring on Vancouver Island that day. It had also been heavily overcast all evening, so the chances of the sun breaking through were slim. But Michael had his heart set on going to Tonquin Beach at sunset, so to Tonquin Beach at sunset we went.

First we drove to the wrong place. Then we drove to the right place, but it was blocked off. Finally we found a backup trailhead and started the hike to the beach. It’s not a hard hike, but it’s not a five minute walk either, and it has stairs. I don’t like stairs. Michael had run ahead to catch the sunset. And I was grumpy. And I don’t like stairs.

So I came trudging through the woods on the slippery boardwalk and went plodding down the steps muttering under my breath that this sunset better be freakin’ magical. Then I stepped outside the line of trees and saw this.

Team Michael strikes again.

4. MAKE SCENIC STOPS ALONG THE HIGHWAY ON YOUR WAY BACK TO VICTORIA

We were on a tight schedule getting to Tofino, because our first wildlife tour was on the evening of our arrival and we had to drive straight across Vancouver Island to get there in time. My mother-in-law and I were about going crazy driving past so many gorgeous views without stopping and exploring. But it was a glorious thing to be able to take our time seeing the views on our drive back to Victoria.

This is the smile I get when Michael is making mischief. For instance, when I’m photographing a river and suddenly the viewfinder shows my husband eating his chowder directly in front of my camera.

BONUS PICTURE MICHAEL TOOK OF ME TAKING PHOTOS!

5. ATTEND AFTERNOON TEA AT THE EMPRESS HOTEL IN VICTORIA

Known as Canada’s Castle on the Coast, the Fairmont Empress has overlooked Victoria’s Inner Harbor since 1908 and has hosted celebrities and royalty for decades. In 1981 it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada for its “Châteauesque-style architecture and its prominent role as a local cultural symbol.” Countless illustrious guests have wined, dined, and slept in this Edwardian masterpiece over the years. Edward Prince of Wales waltzed in its ballrooms in 1919 and Queen Elizabeth II visited every decade of her reign. Celebrities such as John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Streisand, and Bing Crosby frequented its halls, and it’s rumored that when Winston Churchill stayed there during prohibition, he ordered gin in an Empress teapot.

As our budget is less illustrious than Winston Churchill’s, we didn’t stay at the Empress during our visit to Vancouver Island, but we did attend its famous afternoon tea and it was worth every penny.

Over the course of two hours we sipped luxury teas from elegant Royal China (reproduced from original china gifted by King George VI in 1939) and ate freshly prepared scones, sandwiches, and tea pastries made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients. The hotel even has bee hives on its rooftop lavender garden so it can produce its own honey.

But if that isn’t your cup of afternoon tea (I had to say it), the Fairmont Empress is still worth a visit. Michael and I walked to it from our Airbnb in Chinatown one night for drinks and (free) popcorn at the Q Bar.

They have specialty cocktails made with 1908 Empress Indigo Gin which are as beautiful as they are delicious. And let me tell you, that popcorn is amazing. It’s sweet and salty (and maybe cheesy?) and is dusted with charcoal powder. It’s remarkably difficult to stop eating it.

Make sure to take a nighttime stroll around the harbor and admire the Parliament building, lit with more than 3,600 lightbulbs in a tradition that goes back to 1897, when the building was decorated with 350 carbon lights to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

6. SPEND YOUR FINAL FERRY RIDE ON THE DECK

I know, I know, there are plenty of places to sit inside in the warmth- seats and benches and tables galore- but it’s a completely different experience riding on the deck of the ferry. That glorious combination of saltwater smell and the wind on my skin always makes me feel extra alive.

Stormy seas seem to have been a recurring theme on this trip. Whether because of the wind or the currents or a combination of both, the Strait of Juan de Fuca was creating waves high enough to rock the entire ferry. The waves were so big we were getting doused on the second deck of the ferry. It was, once more, quite cold, but it was also the perfect end to our Vancouver Island adventure.

BONUS: BEFORE AND AFTER BRAVING THE DECK

And there you have it! My (entirely subjective) guide to adventuring on Vancouver Island! I hope you enjoy traveling there as much as we did.