First Timer’s Guide to Vancouver Island
If you’ve ever been curious about Vancouver Island and want to see if visiting this gorgeous island is right for your next trip in the Pacific Northwest, look no further!
In it I’ll cover:
- Where is Vancouver Island
- How to get to Vancouver Island
- Why go to Vancouver Island
- Getting around Vancouver Island
- Top destinations on Vancouver Island
- Best time to visit Vancouver Island
- Famous Hiking Trails on Vancouver Island
Where is Vancouver Island?
Located only 173 km from downtown Vancouver, on a clear day you can see the island and its mountain peaks from mainland British Columbia. Victoria, situated on the southeast corner of the island, is the capital of British Columbia and hosts it’s legislative building. In fact, Victoria is only 40km from Port Angeles, a suburb of Seattle making it closer to Washington than the rest of British Columbia!
How to get to Vancouver Island
Regular Aircraft
Vancouver Island has an international airport that connects Victoria with the rest of the world (airport code YYJ). Flights are operated primarily by Westjet and Air Canada and connect to cities in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario as well as Seattle in Washington State.
However, my recommendation is to either take a seaplane from Vancouver or take a ferry. These are the scenic, slower ways to access the island and help drop you into an island time mentality.
Ferry Options
- You can take car ferries operated by BC Ferries from Tsawwassen (1 hour south of downtown Vancouver) or from Horseshoe Bay (~1 hour north of downtown Vancouver).
- There is a new passenger only (no cars) fast ferry from downtown Vancouver to Nanaimo (111 km north of Victoria) operated by Hullo.
- Finally, there is a car ferry from Port Angeles, Washington (222 km west of Seattle) to Victoria operated by Black Ball Ferry Line.
Seaplane options
Harbour Air, a Vancouver based seaplane company, operates flights between downtown Vancouver as well as Vancouver International Airport (YVR) directly to different parts of Vancouver Island, including direct flights to Tofino, which by car can take up to 6 hours. This is the fastest but most expensive way to get to the island.
Why go to Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is the quieter, wilder sibling to mainland British Columbia and the greater Vancouver area. You’ll find gorgeous drives, tons of wildlife, cute small towns and seaside villages. There are a number of National Parks and incredible Provincial Parks to explore as well. You’ll find fishing, whale watching, kayakaing, hiking, camping, and even skiing in the winter at Mount Washington. If you’re looking to go deeper in your exploration of British Columbia, Vancouver Island has much to offer.
Getting around Vancouver Island
It is recommended you rent a car on Vancouver Island. Different tourist areas are far apart and public transit is not always available. You can check out rental car options here.
Top destinations on Vancouver Island
Below are the top areas on the island that usually make it on to a Vancouver Island itinerary and why you might consider them:
- Victoria – the capitol of British Columbia, filled with old British style pubs as well as the gorgeous legislative building.
- Tofino – famed for surfing and winter storm watching, enjoy the wild beaches along the West Coast
- Uclulet – Tofino’s less busy nearby town.
- Campbell River – great for fishing and a quiet base on the north side.
- Pacific Rim National Park – Gorgeous temperate rainforests and windswept beaches
- Strathcona Provincial Park – Mountain peaks and lakes
You can follow my 7 day Vancouver Island itinerary to hit many of the highlights mentioned above!
Best Time to visit Vancouver Island
Coastal British Columbia is part of a temperate rainforest, including Vancouver Island. This means that the rainy season is approximately November to May and the dry season is June to October. There is of course some variability in the shoulder season (October, November, May and June). Summer is generally the nicest weather though busiest time to visit. If you visit in the fall, you can catch the Salmon Run, and if you visit in the spring, see the cherry blossoms in bloom. Winter offers it’s own kind of beauty with intense surf swells in Tofino – so much so that British Columbians make a point of visiting in the winter to catch this beautiful phenomenon! Suffice it to say, any time of year is nice if you bring the right clothing and have the right expectations for outdoor activities.
Famous Hiking Trails on Vancouver Island
There are some incredible point to point, multi-day treks on Vancouver Island as well as some beloved day hikes. Here are the ones to pay attention to:
A few of the above require permits which must be booked as part of a lottery of 4 to 6 months out, so check the websites when planning your trip and make sure to start thinking about it in the beginning of the year in anticipation of summer travel! There are also many other provincial parks throughout the island – too many to choose from – but avid hikers love this area for it’s remote and wildness.
