LIKE SANDS THOUGH THE HOURGLASS, SO ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES...
Parksville/Nanaimo
Beachcomber Regional Park Small but precious, this accessible one hectare oceanside park was acquired by the RDN in 1955. It's situated at the end of Nanoose's Beachcomber Peninsula and offers spectacular views west across Craig Bay to Parksville and Mount Arrowsmith and north across the Strait of Georgia to the mainland coastal mountains. At low tide, large flat rocks are exposed which makes great territory for exploring and tide pool investigating. Away from the sea, enjoy short walking trails through arbutus, Douglas-fir and Gary Oak woodland.
Englishman River Regional Park This 207 hectare park and conservation area is along the Englishman River. The regional park is home to numerous wildlife species including Roosevelt Elk and a community hatchery with extensive salmon side channel. Wander or ride the many forested park trails and admire the beauty of nature along one of BC's most important rivers. Spawning salmon return to Englishman River Regional Park every September and are celebrated annually there on BC Rivers Day. Finished your park adventure? Head off over the Top Bridge Crossing and the Top Bridge Trail to explore more of beautiful Oceanside.
Victoria Goldstream Provincial Park Goldstream Provincial Park and Mount Finlayson are beautiful, with huge coastal rainforest trees, an impressively golden river, an abandoned gold mine and one of the highest mountains in Victoria. Goldstream Park is home to the annual salmon spawning run every fall, and the rest of the year is just a wonderful world of centuries old Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedars. Trails run all over the park, but the Mount Finlayson trail takes you up to beautiful views of Victoria. It's a relaxing trail that only gets a bit steeper and challenging near the end. The summit of Mount Finlayson is about an hour from from the parking lot, it's a very accessible way to hike in Victoria. Across the highway there is still more to this beautiful park. Abandoned gold mine tunnels dot the hillside, and a breathtaking train tres-
East Sooke Regional Park Weather blasted rocky cliffs, sandy beaches and deep coastal forest trails run throughout the park. Every few minutes along the coast you come to another startlingly desolate ocean vantage point. The Coastal Trail, almost 12 kilometres long, stretches out linearly in an array of pocket beaches, rocky viewpoints and fantastically alive tide pools. It hugs the cliff, ducks into the forest and back out to more stunning ocean viewpoints. The Strait of Juan de Fuca stretches out toward the Olympic Mountains in the United States. East Sooke Regional Park has three main access points and trailheads. This allows the huge park to be divided up into three manageable parts, each one with very different attributes and difficulties.
Greater Vancouver Cypress Provincial Park Until the opening of the Lions Gate Bridge in 1939, a fleet of ferries transported hikers and skiers across Burrard Inlet on the first leg of their journey to Hollyburn Ridge, which is now part of Cypress Provincial Park. Bounded on the west by Howe Sound, on the north and east by the ridgetops of Mount Strachan and Hollyburn Mountain and to the south by West Vancouver, Cypress sits like a ship’s crownest high above Vancouver.On a clear day the views are spectacular! To the south is the sprawling metropolitan area of Vancouver, while to the southeast is snowclad Mount Baker in the Cascade Mountain chain. To the west and southwest lie the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island with Georgia Strait in the foreground.
Mount Seymour Provincial Park Located just 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, Mount Seymour Provincial Park has been enjoyed by generations of Lower Mainland residents. The park offers viewpoints overlooking the city of Vancouver, Mount Baker and east over Indian Arm Provincial Park.There are opportunities for bird and wildlife viewing and four areas for day-use picnicking are available. There are several lakes in the park. Elsay Lake is the largest. Its waters and those of De Pencier, Gopher and Goldie drain eastward to Indian Arm. Some of the smaller lakes and ponds feed their waters west to the Seymour River.
Port Theatre (Nanaimo) Port Theatre in Nanaimo stages a broad range of events year-round, including art exhibits, comedy acts, and musical performances.
Parksville Qualicum Beach Events http://www.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com/events has an all year calendar of events which take place in the Parksville area, from Polar Bear swims to folk concerts and bird walks.
City of Nanaimo Activity Guide Available under the parks and recreation section at www. nanaimo.ca, there is a guide to all programs, and classes offered by the parks and recreation department. Including art, yoga, dance, cooking, language, music and gardening lessons all for less than $100 a course (they even have a couple of winery tours).
Moss Street Market With over 100 vendors and 25 farmers, Moss Street Market is Victoria's premier farmers market, now running year-round. The regular market is on Saturdays (10am to 2pm), May to October. The winter market (indoors) is on Saturdays (10am to noon).
Morningstar Golf Club Seamlessly blending the golf course into the stunning natural beauty of the Parksville / Qualicum region, noted golf course architect Les Furber, created one of the hidden wonders of the Vancouver Island Golf Trail. Golfers will discover fair yet challenging play with sloping fairways and well positioned bunkers
Pheasant Glen Golf Resort Pheasant Glen Golf Resort is a par 72, 6,928 yard championship course in Qualicum Beach. The slogan, Nature’s Golf Course, perfectly suits this secluded enclave, devoted solely to great golf in a natural setting. Pheasant Glen is undisturbed by houses and highways and is delivered with customer service
Highland Pacific Golf Course Carved from the Highland wilderness in Victoria BC, Highland Pacific Golf’s lush fairways thread through a majestic landscape of West Coast forest, rock, fescue and natural water features, boasting panoramic views of the city of Victoria, Olympic Mountains, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Bear Mountain and The-
Arbutus Ridge Golf Club Arbutus Ridge Golf Club is directly surrounded by nine wineries and offers some of the most stunning views on Vancouver Island. The front nine weaves alongside the seaside community of Cobble Hill and the back nine climbs a ridge to overlook the Satellite Channel. In 2010 the golf course was rated One of the Top 10 Golf Courses in Canada for Value by Westjet Up! Magazine. Arbutus Ridge is a terrifically scenic 20 minute drive north from the outskirts of Victoria in the heart of the Cowichan wine region and a 40 minute drive south from Nanaimo.
Bear Mountain Valley The Bear Mountain Valley Golf Course opened in June 2009 and combined with it’s sibling Mountain Course, positions Bear Mountain Resort as the only 36 holes of Nicklaus Design golf in Canada, and one of the finest golf offerings in North America. The Valley Golf Course meanders through forest, borders lakes, and traverses creeks and rivers throughout its 18 holes, while offering spectacular views of British Columbia’s beautiful landscape. The par 71 Valley Course measures 6807 yards from the Golden Bear tees – about 400 yards shorter than its sibling, the Mountain Course. Factor in elevated tee boxes, more generous fairway widths, fewer bunkers and larger greens and the Valley Course will likely be considered a ‘friendlier’ version of the original Mountain Course. Rolling through terrain at elevations of between 300 and 500 feet above sea level, there is still plenty of challenge, and many holes that could be considered the signature hole.