Off to the island

Tofino and Parksville

From my first visit with my friend Mona, I remember Vancouver Island as a recollection of little seaside communities nestled on the island’s shores. When my van Horst and I drive off the ferry this time, we’re heading straight across the largest pacific island east of New Zealand to its West coast. Vancouver Island measures 460 kilometres in length and 100 kilometres in width but the drive along the curvy mountain road somehow feels longer than this. As this gives me the chance to take in the beautiful scenery, that’s however more a blessing than a curse. I almost feel like I’m back on my road trip through British Columbia when passing lakes and streams while the sun is starting to set. I didn’t expect to find this varied landscape here and the drive is as enjoyable as getting to Tofino in the evening, ready to find a spot for camping.

It’s the first night alone in my van. So far I have only ever slept in the van while camping with Mona. On my way from Nanaimo, where the ferry lands from Horseshoe Bay in North Vancouver (16 CAD (10 GBP; 11 EUR) for pedestrian crossing), I pass the vast and beautiful Sproat Lake where I stop for a picture when I start talking to a group of other backpackers. It turns out that they have been camping lots on Vancouver Island and I ask them for good camp spots – if possible for free. The recommendation from the experienced campers is that I look out for logging roads. These divert from the main road into the forest and have been created to undertake forest work however these roads can also be used for recreational purposes, i.e. camping. Grateful for this tip, I move on further towards Tofino. One of the logging roads the other camper mentioned is just twenty minutes before Tofino so I direct my van into the dark forest path, with the sun already almost gone.

I imagined when my fellow backpacker described the camping situation that all the campervans would be parked very much in proximity to each other. And sure enough, when I have just followed the road slightly into the forest, I find an accumulation of campervans right in front of the logging company’s gate. The spot doesn’t strike me as sufficiently scenic so I decide to move on.

The further I get into the forest, the darker it becomes and the few bays on the side of the road have already been taken by other campers. When I finally find a spot, it’s so dark and so remote that I don’t dare sleeping there by myself. The fact that previous occupiers have painted crucifixes on the trees right and left of my camp spot doesn’t make me feel keener to stay. So I head back to square one and slot into one of the last spaces right in front of the gate. The friendly man in the van behind me informs me that the gate usually opens at 8 am so he makes sure to be gone by 7:30 am at the latest. It’s already nearing 10 pm so I reheat and scoff the remainder of my leftover pasta from the previous day in the hostel and head straight to bed. The next morning I am awoken by the sound of the other campervans leaving. I glance at the watch and it’s nearly 8 am. So I hurry to pack up and move my van back on the main road to Long Beach.

Long Beach is one of Tofino’s famous, all-year around surf hot spots. Unfortunately, it isn’t allowed to stay overnight on the parking spots alongside the beaches however I feel very lucky for when I get there, the barrier has just been lifted and I can have my breakfast close to the beach, with the sound of the breaking waves accompanying me before I head to Tofino to pick up Tessa from the Netherlands who I met in the hostel in Vancouver.

Tofino is a sleepy little town and Tessa is staying in the HI Hostel overlooking the beautiful bay. We don’t hang around as we want to check out the hikes between the townships of Tofino and Ucluelet despite the fact that it’s still a bit chilly and the sun hasn’t made it through the fog just yet.

We start the day with the South Beach Trail, a 1.6 km hike starting from behind the Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre providing views to beautiful Lismer Beach and taking us on to the Nuu Chah Nulth Trail to Florence Beach.

Our favourite hike is the beautiful Schooner Cove Trail. Leading only 2 kilometres through the dense rain forest via a boardwalk, the hike ends at a wonderful beach with clear waters and the mountains as a backdrop. Tessa and I spend some time at the beach just taking in the beautiful scenery before hiking back to the van and heading towards Tofino, but not without stopping at the beautiful Long Beach to enjoy the now beautiful and sunny day.

I am spending my last night on the island in Parksville, again back at the East coast and closer to Nanaimo where I am going to take the ferry back to Vancouver the next day. I have given up on the idea of finding another logging road and I’m happy to spend a bit of money on a more scenic campsite. Heading back on the motorway, I just follow a sign towards Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park. The campground is pretty full but I still manage to secure a spot on the overflow camping (35 CAD (21 GBP; 24 EUR) / night). The sun hasn’t set yet so I quickly grab my camera to explore the area.

The beach is just a less than five minute walk away and soon enough, I am dipping my feet into the refreshing sea. The East coast of Vancouver Island is much milder in climate than the unpredictable West coast which is famous for storm watching, in particular in winter. Now on the East coast, it’s the end of a very hot day and I enjoy just wandering along the seaside as the sun slowly sets.

My sense of direction tells me that to get back to my van, I will just have to cross right through the main campground which in principle is not a bad idea however the campground turns out to be huge – and I don’t have a map. It’s also very dark by now and so after a short stumble across the campground, I have no other possibility but to ask a fellow camper for directions. He sends me off to the right path and half an hour later, I happily arrive at my car for another late dinner helped by my head torch before I retreat into my van, exhausted but grateful about the many impressions I am able to take back to Vancouver.

Tips for island-hoppers

• Vancouver Island is really best discovered by car. Although busses take pedestrians to the ferries and to major cities and even all the way to Tofino, public transport outside of these hot spots is sparse.
• Regarding places to stay I can highly recommend:
• Mermaid Cove near Ladysmith (West Coast)
• Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, Parksville (West Coast)
• Long Beach Unit, near Tofino (East Coast)
• I have not been to the capital of Vancouver Island, Victoria, yet but it has been highly recommended to me
• To see the “real” Vancouver Island, my fellow backpackers have recommended going to the remote areas of North-West Vancouver Island which I, again, still intend to do