Overnight trips

Overnight trips

  1. Visit Vancouver, a big cosmopolitan, multicultural city.  From here it takes about 4 hours by ferry to get to central Vancouver, so it is not practical to do as a day trip.  There is a helicopter service and a sea plane service both into downtown Vancouver, but if you want your car you have to take BC ferries.  They get quite busy in the summer and, particularly if travelling on Friday or Sunday, a reservation is recommended.   There is a new service downtown to downtown passenger boat, but it takes as long as the ferry and seems very expensive to us.  Best inexpensive accommodation in Vancouver while University is not in session (May-Aug) is at UBC – but make sure you have an en-suite unit.

  2. Visit Seattle USA, a big cosmopolitan city.  The easiest way to get there is as foot passengers on the Victoria Clipper in the Inner Harbour in Victoria to be taken to downtown Seattle.   We would suggest at least one night there.  There are many things to see, but be sure to visit the Chihuly Exhibition at the Space Needle.  If driving there, the Coho Ferry to Port Angeles (make reservations) is probably quicker than going south from Vancouver – and a much prettier drive.  You can always circle back through Vancouver.

  3. Visit the West Coast communities of Tofino and Ucluelet and the wonderful Pacific Rim National Park.  This is about a day’s drive from here – be sure to stop at Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Park to see some of the largest trees in the world.

  4. Another way of visiting the outer coast of the island is to drive to Port Alberni and take a boat on a day trip down to the outer coast.  You would have to overnight in Port Alberni or somewhere close each night.  The ship which used to be called the Lady Rose, but has been updated,  is a working cargo ship that delivers goods to isolated communities as it travels and deposits kayakers and canoeists in the Broken Islands.  Alternate days go to Bamfield and Uclulet.

  5. Do the circle trip of driving up to Comox,  take the ferry to Powell River with two ferries more down the Sunshine Coast to get you to West Vancouver/Horseshoe Bay.  From here you could either visit Vancouver and get back using the Tsawwassen ferry to Swartz Bay or return directly to Vancouver Island using the Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo ferry.  This trip could just as well be done in reverse but allow 2 days minimum.

  6. When in Vancouver (or as a separate trip) visit Whistler Village – the home of the Olympic Winter Games a few years ago.  Whistler is as busy in the summer season (mountain-biking, golfing, hiking, etc) as it is in the winter ski season and always has something on the go.