Totem Poles in Duncan BC, the City of Totems
The Cowichan Valley ranges north across the Malahat Ridge from Victoria through the Cowichan and Chemainus Valleys to Nanaimo, including a cross-island trip to Carmanah-Walbran Provincial Park.

This slice of southern Vancouver Island covers the country between Port Renfrew and near Bamfield on the west coast, and Malahat and Nanaimo on the east side of Vancouver Island.

Most of the population lives along the east coast, where farming in the lush, rolling Cowichan and Chemainus Valleys has gone hand in hand with logging since Vancouver Island was an independent Crown colony. The heart of agriculture lies south of Nanaimo, the Hub City, and this pastoral atmosphere persists as you make you way north towards Parksville. However, it’s hard to ignore the slopes of the Vancouver Island Mountains that begin to nudge travellers closer to the coastline for wont of wide valley bottoms. Most roads west peter out quickly in the face of this granitic tour de force. The exception is the cross-island melange of paved highway and gravel logging roads that link the sheltered Cowichan Valley with the storm-battered community of Bamfield on the west coast.

View of the Cowichan Valley from Mt. Prevost in Duncan, with Saltspring Island in the distance.
A greater contrast is hard to find, which is what makes exploring this region so fascinating. There’s plenty of easygoing adventuring to be found by sticking to the main routes, although everyone should treat themselves to a backroad or two where the valleys meet the Strait of Georgia.

There are beaches here the likes of which are found nowhere else on the coast, with views that engender intimacy with the landscape, yet emphasize its isolation.

Whether it’s adrenaline or unwinding you crave, you’ll find it here. Enjoy world-class kayaking, the best flyfishing anywhere, hiking through ancient rainforests, championship year-round golf or cruising our spectacular coastline. Follow all of that with a gourmet meal at the vineyard, a stroll through seaside shops, an evening of live theatre and you’ll start to see the world differently.

The Pacific Marine Circle Tour is an excellent way to explore the historic West Coast of Vancouver Island. The wilderness route traces the coastline from Victoria through Sooke and Port Renfrew, continuing onto the Cowichan Valley and looping back down the Trans-Canada Highway via Duncan to Victoria.

Population: 79,000

Location: The most westerly section of the 4,850-mile (7809-km) Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) runs north-south through southern Vancouver Island between Victoria and Nanaimo, a distance of 70 miles (113 km). Highway 14 runs 22 miles (35 km) north of Nanaimo to Parksville, and beyond to the northern end of Vancouver Island. Highway 4 links Parksville with Port Alberni, Ucluelet, and Tofino on the west side of Vancouver Island. Highway 18 is an 18-mile (29-km) stretch of blacktop that runs east-west from Highway 1 through the Cowichan Valley between Duncan and Youbou. From Youbou a series of logging roads leads 67 miles (108 km) west to Bamfield on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

A ferry service from Brentwood Bay on the Saanich Peninsula to Mill Bay at the north end of Malahat Drive also connects with Highway 1. BC Ferries connects the Lower Mainland with Nanaimo’s Departure Bay from the Horseshoe Bay terminal in West Vancouver, and Duke Point from the Tsawwassen terminal in Delta. BC Ferries also connects with southern Vancouver Island at Crofton from Vesuvius Bay on Salt Spring Island, and with Chemainus from Thetis and Kuper Islands.

Crofton Ferry Terminal
Cradled by verdant hillsides and surrounding mountains, the active community of Crofton is situated on the calm waters of Osborne Bay in the Cowichan Valley.

The original townsite of Osborne Bay was homesteaded by a handful of families in the mid-1800s. The pioneers farmed land and timber claims granted by the government of the day. Then, just before the turn of the century, a chain of events reshaped the town forever.

Australian-born Henry Croft, a lumber and mining magnate, had developed the prosperous Lenora mine at nearby Mount Sicker. By 1902, his mine was producing more ore than railway cars could load and haul away to the Ladysmith and Nanaimo ports. Inspired by significant profits, Croft bought the townsite to build a copper smelter and house his workers.

The town prospered until world copper prices plummeted, causing the closure of the mine in 1908. The miners struggled to find work in the logging and fishing industries until 1956, when a large pulp and paper mill was built on the outskirts of town, attracted by Crofton’s deep-sea port.

These days, this friendly forestry community offers quiet parks, comfortable accommodation and a host of family activities, such as golfing, swimming, fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing. If this sounds too strenuous, you can just relax in Osborne Bay and watch the sun rise over Saltspring Island.

Central to Victoria and Nanaimo, and with ferry access to Saltspring Island, Crofton is a great place from which to base your south island activities.

Location: Crofton is located off the Trans-Canada Highway 1, on the southeast coast of Vancouver Island, 5 miles (8 km) north of Maple Bay, and 7 miles (11 km) south of Chemainus. Crofton can be reached by taking the scenic drive from Maple Bay Road to Herd Road, and Herd Road to Osborne Bay Road.

Saturday, March 20

10:00 am – 4:30 pm

Explore Somenos Marsh at the BC Forest Discovery Centre! Join a bird watching tour through the globally significant bird area, participate in a workshop on taking nature photos, go on a bird checklist scavenger hunt, and view tiny wetland creatures in the portable pond.

A fun and interesting day for nature enthusiasts, families, and people who want to learn more about the important role wetlands play in our environment.

The BC Forest Discovery Centre is a 100-acre site including 40 acres of wetlands that are managed in partnership with Ducks Unlimited.

Saturday February 6, 2010

10:00 am – 4:30 pm

Taste maple syrup from Vancouver Island at the Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival!

Visitors are invited to participate in mini-workshops facilitated by experienced maple syrup producers, including tapping demonstrations, presentations, and displays. This year’s event features cooking with local maple syrup and maple food will be available. The festival features a maple syrup competition with judging by celebrity chefs from Vancouver Island. The evaporator will be running all day so visitors can savour the warm maple aroma of sap and see how syrup is made.

Dance to musical entertainment provided by Shelley and Shannon Smiley from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm and the museum’s train will be running from 10:30-3:30. The Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival is unique on Vancouver Island. This event is about the local maple syrup industry and is the only festival where visitors can find out how local maple syrup is made. You will leave the event ready to tap your own backyard trees!

A special admission rate of $5 for everyone is offered, and includes train rides and a taste of local maple syrup provided by the Sapsuckers, a group of local maple syrup producers. Members may use their season’s pass. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the BC Forest Discovery Centre before Friday, February 5 (available Monday to Friday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm).

Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival Schedule:

Explore the sights and aromas of syrup making

Evaporator:
10:00 am – 4:30 pm

Find out more about maple tapping

Tapping Demonstrations:
Every 20 minutes from 10:20 am – 3:20 pm
Approximately 15 minutes long

Maple Syrup Presentations
Approximately 15 minutes long

10:30 Maple Tapping Basics 101 (Gary & Katherine Backlund)

Are you looking to move to Vancouver Island, there are many reasons why you would want to look for a house for sale in Duncan, Crofton, Cowichan Bay, Mill Bay, Saltair, or Chemainus. All of these fall under the banner of the Cowichan Valley.

The Cowichan Valley is nestled comfortably between two mid-size city markets-Victoria, with a population of 320,000 to our south and Nanaimo, population 80,000 on our north. We’re located on Vancouver Island, on Canada’s west coast and in the Province of British Columbia. There are mountains and the rugged, Pacific Ocean coastline and famed West Coast Trail of the Pacific Rim National Park on our west side; valleys with virgin forests in the middle; and on our eastern shore, some of the richest agricultural land in the province that rolls down to meet the sea.

With the highest mean temperatures in Canada, soil rich enough to grow virtually any crop, a full range of recreational and business services, the Cowichan Valley region is a favourite place to live on Vancouver Island. Towering forests, numerous beaches and unique marine hamlets, plus some of the largest and most popular fresh water lakes on Vancouver Island have made the Cowichan Valley a favourite destination for decades.

Welcome to my new website, check back often as I work on adding local real estate and area information.