This ultimate adventure travel guide will navigate you through the must-see destinations , hidden gems, and top outdoor activities on Vancouver Island. Along with the Gulf Islands, this unique destination combines large forests, rugged landscapes, rocky mountain peaks, and mysterious coastlines.
Whether you want to go on a relaxing weekend getaway, explore the jagged landscapes and abundance of wildlife, or conquer the waves of the Pacific, Vancouver Island has it all! This is considered one of the ten highest waterfalls in the world. With its km in length and km in width, Vancouver Island is similar in size as the Netherlands!
Unlike the mainland of Canada, there are no grizzly bears, mountain goats, moose, skunks or coyotes on Vancouver Island. Vancouver Island is said to have the highest density of bears in the world! That is why the Parliament is located here.
Being so close to both mountains and sea, it comes as no surprise that Victoria is the most popular and accessible destination on the island.
Within minutes driving radius of the city, there are tons of things to do in Victoria. From exploring the British colonial Downtown of Victoria on foot to taking a tour to the Butchart Gardens , to exploring the wildlife on a whale watching tour , to going to one of the many beaches, viewpoints, or parks. Victoria has something for everyone! Victoria Beaches: Visit the small, sandy Gonzales Beach for a beautiful view of the Olympic Mountains, Willows beach for a younger crowd and relaxed atmosphere, or the warmer waters of Thetis Lake and Durance Lake for a swim.
Victoria Mountains: Go to Mount Doug for a spectacular view of the ocean towards the mainland and Gulf Islands, or to Mount Tolmie for an impressive city view. Read our complete Locals Guide to Victoria to find out more information about the top things to do and how to get there!
This hidden gem lies within a minute drive from Downtown, offering a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean, Olympic Mountains, Mount Baker, the Victoria city skyline, and the many beaches surrounding Victoria. If you want to learn more, read here. Tofino and Ucluelet are both great destinations to get away and relax in nature on Vancouver Island! Both spots are about 4 hours away from Victoria by car and the towns are only 30 minutes apart from each other.
There is great hiking, surfing, and the sandiest beaches on the island! Tofino is known for having the best surf in all of Canada and the culture of the town is reflected in that, with chill vibes and laid back people who genuinely respect and care about the nature surrounding them.
Ucluelet, or "Ukee" as the islanders call it, is more known for its relaxation and peaceful hiking on the coastal routes surrounding the town. The Cox Bay lookout is by far the best viewpoint in all of Tofino!
However, it is a bit tricky to find if it's your first time there. Since the trail is not officially marked anywhere or even maintained by anyone in particular, it can be hard to navigate. Read in our 3-day guide to Tofino how to get there. Cox Bay Lookout, Tofino. Strathcona Provincial Park has the purest nature, richest wildlife and most breathtaking scenery on all of Vancouver Island. Not only is Strathcona Provincial Park the oldest park within British Columbia, but it is also a smaller, less touristy version of the renowned Rocky Mountains.
With , hectares of land, Strathcona Provincial Park offers the best outdoor and hiking activities. Our top favourite picks in the park are:. Landslide lake : This is our favourite lake in Strathcona Park. Tucked away high in the alpine, you will need to hike to get there. With its impressive teal colour, this lake is a unique sight on Vancouver Island! Not surprisingly this mountain also offers the most epic views! Buttle Lake : The 23 kilometres 14 miles long Buttle Lake is one of the only lakes in Strathcona Provincial Park that is accessible by car.
No need to hike, so you just relax and enjoy! Mount Washington : This is the must-visit place in the winter with unlimited skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing.
Read more about the top places to visit in our blog here. This hidden gem is nestled between the snowy peaks of Mount Colonel Foster. When you reach the beautiful Landslide Lake, hike up to the Upper Glacial Lake by following the less-maintained trail to the left side of the lake. Please note that this is not an official route, so be prepared to get pretty dirty! Landslide Lake with Mt. Colonel Foster and Glacial Lake in distance.
The West Coast of Vancouver Island is the perfect destination for travelers who love remote beaches, lush rainforests, and rocky cliffs. The area between Sooke and Port Renfrew is a true haven of peace and tranquillity, which can be easily explored within a day or weekend. Along the road, you will find some of the most beautiful beaches on all of Vancouver Island! Read more about these beaches and other highlights on a road trip from Sooke to Port Renfrew here.
A mins walk to the left side of Sombrio Beach brings you to the only creek that runs into the ocean. This is where you want to follow the creek inland until you reach the canyon and waterfall soon after. The giant green wall with the tumbling waterfall is the picture-perfect location of the whole area. With its abundance of wildlife, nature, coastal activities, and laid-back atmosphere, the Gulf Islands are a true paradise. Each of them can be reached by ferry or in several cases by seaplane.
Go to the forested islands of Mayne, Galiano, Hornby, Saturna , or Gabriola, to explore the outdoors. Or go to the largest island, Salt Spring Island, to visit the famous Saturday afternoon market. Get blown away by its sandy beaches, lush forests, and stunning views of both the mainland and Vancouver Island. The hiking opportunities on Vancouver Island are unlimited. From easy day hikes to challenging multi-day hiking in the alpine region, Vancouver Island offers trails for everyone who wants to explore the wild nature filled with waterfalls, meadows, lakes and beaches.
Old Baldy Mountain : Not far from Victoria, this 2. The swing on top of the mountain and the views of Shawnigan Lake make this hike a must-do! Wild Pacific Trail : Near Ucluelet, the 2. Look at the waves crashing on the rocks, the islands in the distance, and the wind-blown Douglas fir trees. Cox Bay Lookout : This short 1. Hence if a player with a 2 handicap and a player with a 15 handicap both bogey the 4th ranked hole, the player with the 2 handicap will be stuck with the bogey but the player with the 15 handicap will be able to take a stroke off of their score and their net score will now be a par.
In this example the player with the higher handicap wins that hole. The biggest confusion in handicaps comes when a player has a handicap higher than eighteen. Since there are only eighteen holes to be ranked some players think that they simply get credit for 18 strokes only and will have to suck-it-up for the rest.
That is not the case and in actual fact it is quite easy to calculate strokes for players above an 18 handicap. Lets take a look a player with a 25 handicap. They will receive one stroke off their score per hole. To adjust for this, the 25 handicap player, in addition to getting one stroke off on every hole, will also receive a further one stroke off for any holes ranked 7 or tougher. In other words on the holes ranked 1 — 7 the 25 handicap player will get 2 strokes off their score.
On all the other holes they will receive only one stroke off their score. Using this system for a sample foursome the following handicapping would be determined: Bill is a 5 handicap, John is a 20 handicap, Mike is a 10 handicap and Patrick is a 13 handicap. John will become a 15, Mike will become a 5 and Patrick will become an 8. As a result John will receive one stroke on all of the holes ranked 1 — Mike will receive one stroke on all holes ranked 1 — 5.
Patrick will receive one stroke on all holes ranked 1 — 8. Since Bill is the lowest handicap of the foursome he will receive no strokes off his game and his handicap effectively becomes 0. The personal favourite of our company President, Vegas is game that keeps all players integrally involved for the duration of the round and has the ever present element of the big payout or better yet, the big payoff!
Vegas is a game or pairings. One twosome against the other so split your foursome into two pairings before teeing off. When you split your teams you can decide how you want to work with your handicaps. In Vegas, just like skins, whether you shoot a 66 or and 86, your individual score at the end of the round is really inconsequential. It is how your team does on each hole that counts.
Their team score for that hole therefore becomes a 46 the lowest score always goes first. Their score for that hole therefore becomes a The difference between the two team-scores is Straight forward enough right? You continue this scoring method throughout the round, determining which team wins the points on each hole and how many points they have won until the round is completed. What makes Vegas such a great game though is a few scoring rules that make it possible for things to swing quickly.
If a team eagles a hole, their points are tripled. The difference is 21 points. This means that no matter whether one team has been beaten five holes in a row, they are never out of the game and every shot, even the two-footers, are crucial. The end result is round of golf with lots of friendly ribbing and clutch shots. In this version a team score is calculated by multiplying the numbers together.
The net difference is still 11 but with the multiplicative nature of Monte the point differences can quickly add-up. An oldie but a goody, Skins is one of the most widely recognized and exciting golf games in the world. What makes skins so appealing is that it is easy to score, fun to play and can be contested by any number of players from a twosome to a group of sixteen.
The standard number however is still four. In Skins your total round score is completely inconsequential. It is how you do on each individual hole that counts. The object of the game is for you to be the player with the lowest score on a hole. If you score a 4 on a hole and everybody else scores 5 or higher on that same hole then you win the skin.
What makes the game interesting though is that if any two players tie on a hole, the skin is carried over and the next hole that is played is worth two skins. Here is how it works. On the very first hole Bill scores and 6, John and Alice both shoot a 5 but Lisa shoots a 4. On the second hole Bill shoots a 3, John, Alice and Lisa all shoot a 4. On the third hole John and Alice each shoot a 5 while Bill and Lisa shoot a 6 and a 7 respectively.
On the next hole Bill and John both shoot a 3 while Lisa shoots a 4 and Alice shoots a 5. On the fifth hole John scores a 4 while Bill shoots a 7 and Lisa and Alice each shoot 5. The total score so far for the game is therefore Bill and Lisa with one skin each and John with three. This scoring method continues until all eighteen holes have been played. The fun thing about Junk is that is gives hackers a chance to earn something from our bad fortune, or our outright flukes.
The bad thing about Junk is that it takes a fair amount of paper and dedication to keep track of. If you are willing to do it though it can be a heck of a lot of fun. There are about a million and eight different possible Junk bets. Here are a few of the more common ones. Kristina has been writing for the internet of things since She enjoys writing about adventures in nature just as much as embarking upon them herself.
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