When I was in my 20's I used to do a lot of travel by bicycle: across Europe, around the Maritimes in Canada, and in Japan. I still think it is the best way to travel - fast enough to get somewhere but slow enough to really see the place.
When I first moved to Vancouver in my late 20's, I heard about this good bicycle trip: from Vancouver up the Sunshine Coast, then take the ferry over to Vancouver Island and ride down the Island and then take the ferry back to Vancouver. I've heard it called 'the loop'. However by this time I wasn't doing much cycling anymore, and so I never got around to it.
I'd always thought of this trip, and now, many years later, I finally did it! Cycle-camping is a little more challenging than other types of bicycle trips I've done where I stay at youth hostels. Namely, you have a lot more things to carry like tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear and food. Makes for a fully loaded bicycle.
Here is a brief outline of the trip, with the dates, the kilometers covered, and some notes and a few pictures. You could do this in a much shorter time, but I wanted to take it easy and have lots of breaks, to make a real holiday out of it. The total of kilometers was 315 km, over 7 days of cycling.
July 22
Vancouver to the Porpoise Bay Campground outside Sechelt. 27 km from home to the Horseshoe Bay ferry and then 30 km to the campground.
I was in a hurry to catch an early ferry so I took the highway in Vancouver, which is not exactly comfortable for cycling. Lots of traffic, and lots of junk on the side of the road like chains, rocks, car parts. I hit something and ended up limping onto the ferry with a flat tire, which I fixed while on the ferry.
I took the scenic road to Gibsons, near the water, and stopped there for a coffee. But then there is the HUGE hill getting up of Gibsons back to the highway, and I had to walk most of it. More highway riding to Sechelt, and then turn up the road to the Porpoise Bay campground.
A very nice campground, with a walk-in camping area for cyclists, a building with washrooms and hot showers, a beach and a day-use area.
July 23
Porpoise Bay Campground to Saltery Bay Campground. 56 km.
This was the longest hardest day. Lots of long, steep hills. And it was quite hot. I stopped at a restaurant at a golf course just past Pender Harbour, and then continued to the Earl's Cove ferry. It's about an hour ferry ride to Saltery Bay, and the campground is only about one km from there.
I met a few other cyclists on the ferry. A couple were staying at the campground and doing day trips. And a woman had cycled all the way from Vancouver that day!
Saltery Bay is a beautiful campground in the forest, bordering Mermaid Cove. The cove is nice because it is shallow when the tide first comes in and the water gets warmer. Great place to swim and hang out.
July 24
I spent the day hanging out in the Saltery Bay campground.
July 25
Saltery Bay to Powell River. 31 km.
A fairly short day. Hilly but nothing like the day before. The weather became cloudy and it rained fairly hard for an hour or so.
To take a break from camping and get cleaned up, I booked a motel in Powell River, and I was there by about 1:00pm. Nice simple motel, called the Westview Center Motel. Powell River is on a hill facing the water, and there are some very steep roads going inland. The motel had a very steep entrance, and I'd push my bike up to my room.
Powell River has a nice small town feel, but also an up-and-coming artistic feel as well. It seemed like there are three main parts to it. The first part I rode into, near the terminal of the ferry to Comox, is called Westview. It feels like the small town with a row of older single story wood buildings along the road next to the water. Inland, up the hill, is the town center, which has the big-box retail and newer buildings. If you keep going along the water, through a park, you reach the townsite, which is the location of the original Powell River built around the mill. The mill is still operating, and the townsite has rows of old houses, a market building with artists, and a craft brewery.
After getting cleaned up at the motel I road over to Townsite Brewing. Very good ale and IPA. While there I saw posters and coasters picturing something called the Ale Trail, which corresponds to the trip I was doing.
July 26
I spent the day exploring Powell River. I had a coffee at a very cool cafe near the motel. And in Westview there is a really nice seaside walk.
I then did a historic walking tour of the townsite area. The original town was designed according the Garden City movement in town planning in the early 1900's. I think the old houses dating back to this time are privately owned. And there are old churches from that time as well. There is a mix of things that are maintained, and things that were pretty rough but are in the process of being fixed up. I get the impression that the townsite was neglected for some time, but is now experiencing a renaissance.
I rode back to the motel and had dinner at a good Latin restaurant. I talked with some people at a neighbouring table. Some were from Powell River, some had recently moved here. They said a lot of there friends were moving here. Seems like the city is a place in transition.
July 27
Powell River to Lighthouse RV Park at Fanny Bay. 41 km.
I caught an early ferry to Comox, on Vancouver Island, and started riding south along the Old Island Highway. A bit busy with traffic, but once I was a few kilometers outside of the city of Courtenay, it was fairly quiet. Nice and flat riding. Sunny but not too hot. Great day for cycling and I made good time.
I'd booked a campsite that was about days ride from Comox. It was an RV park, not my first choice, but it turned out to be ok. Other people with tents were there, and it is on a nice stretch of land between the old highway and the water. The campsite is by Fanny Bay, which is famous for oysters, and on the water you can see the oyster farms.
In the evening I rode the few kilometers to the Fanny Bay Inn where I could have raw oysters for dinner.
July 28
Lighthouse RV Park to Englishman River Falls Campground. 50 km.
I continued south along the Old Island Highway to Qualicum Beach. Another really nice day. I took some time and walked along the beach for a while. Then turned inland and rode uphill to Coombs, which has the famous Goats on the Roof market. I needed to get food for the next couple of days camping, so I stopped there. Super crowded. I had planned to hang out for a while but ended up just getting what I needed and getting out of there.
I rode inland some more, through farmland, and forest, to the Englishman River Falls park. I saw people parked on the side of the rode with mountain bikes, so there must be good trails in there. I kept going to the campground. I wasn't able to reserve a campsite at this park - it was fully booked, but I got there in time to get a first-come-first-served spot.
Wow, another very nice campground in the forest, with some big trees. I was getting used to this wandering and camping life.
There are walking trails around the campground and the day use area. The main feature is the falls.
But upstream there are also some great places in the river for swimming, and a lot of people come for the day just for that.
July 29
I spent the day hanging out at the Englishman River Falls Campground. I walked the trails, went for a swim.
July 30
Englishman River Falls Campground to Nanaimo. 49 km.
It was cloudy and threatening rain, but fortunately the rain held off. I rode downhill toward the water to Parksville, and back along the Old Island Highway. As it got closer to Nanaimo it merged with the main highway and so was very busy. Fortunately as I got into the city of Nanaimo itself there was a bike path to follow, which made things much nicer.
I checked into a hotel in Nanaimo for my last night of the trip. I made a last minute booking and so I got a really good deal at a nice hotel downtown overlooking the harbour. The Coast Bastion.
In the afternoon I tried another craft brewery, White Sails. I tried their IPA and ale but frankly didn't like them much. I walked over the old quarter of Nanaimo, with artisan shops, and had a bite to eat at a pub.
July 31
4km from Nanaimo to Departure Bay ferry terminal, and 27 km from Horseshoe Bay to home.
That's it! It was great trip. A really good break. And it was so good to get back into cycling again.
When I first moved to Vancouver in my late 20's, I heard about this good bicycle trip: from Vancouver up the Sunshine Coast, then take the ferry over to Vancouver Island and ride down the Island and then take the ferry back to Vancouver. I've heard it called 'the loop'. However by this time I wasn't doing much cycling anymore, and so I never got around to it.
I'd always thought of this trip, and now, many years later, I finally did it! Cycle-camping is a little more challenging than other types of bicycle trips I've done where I stay at youth hostels. Namely, you have a lot more things to carry like tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear and food. Makes for a fully loaded bicycle.
Here is a brief outline of the trip, with the dates, the kilometers covered, and some notes and a few pictures. You could do this in a much shorter time, but I wanted to take it easy and have lots of breaks, to make a real holiday out of it. The total of kilometers was 315 km, over 7 days of cycling.
July 22
Vancouver to the Porpoise Bay Campground outside Sechelt. 27 km from home to the Horseshoe Bay ferry and then 30 km to the campground.
I was in a hurry to catch an early ferry so I took the highway in Vancouver, which is not exactly comfortable for cycling. Lots of traffic, and lots of junk on the side of the road like chains, rocks, car parts. I hit something and ended up limping onto the ferry with a flat tire, which I fixed while on the ferry.
I took the scenic road to Gibsons, near the water, and stopped there for a coffee. But then there is the HUGE hill getting up of Gibsons back to the highway, and I had to walk most of it. More highway riding to Sechelt, and then turn up the road to the Porpoise Bay campground.
A very nice campground, with a walk-in camping area for cyclists, a building with washrooms and hot showers, a beach and a day-use area.
July 23
Porpoise Bay Campground to Saltery Bay Campground. 56 km.
This was the longest hardest day. Lots of long, steep hills. And it was quite hot. I stopped at a restaurant at a golf course just past Pender Harbour, and then continued to the Earl's Cove ferry. It's about an hour ferry ride to Saltery Bay, and the campground is only about one km from there.
I met a few other cyclists on the ferry. A couple were staying at the campground and doing day trips. And a woman had cycled all the way from Vancouver that day!
Saltery Bay is a beautiful campground in the forest, bordering Mermaid Cove. The cove is nice because it is shallow when the tide first comes in and the water gets warmer. Great place to swim and hang out.
July 24
I spent the day hanging out in the Saltery Bay campground.
July 25
Saltery Bay to Powell River. 31 km.
A fairly short day. Hilly but nothing like the day before. The weather became cloudy and it rained fairly hard for an hour or so.
To take a break from camping and get cleaned up, I booked a motel in Powell River, and I was there by about 1:00pm. Nice simple motel, called the Westview Center Motel. Powell River is on a hill facing the water, and there are some very steep roads going inland. The motel had a very steep entrance, and I'd push my bike up to my room.
Powell River has a nice small town feel, but also an up-and-coming artistic feel as well. It seemed like there are three main parts to it. The first part I rode into, near the terminal of the ferry to Comox, is called Westview. It feels like the small town with a row of older single story wood buildings along the road next to the water. Inland, up the hill, is the town center, which has the big-box retail and newer buildings. If you keep going along the water, through a park, you reach the townsite, which is the location of the original Powell River built around the mill. The mill is still operating, and the townsite has rows of old houses, a market building with artists, and a craft brewery.
After getting cleaned up at the motel I road over to Townsite Brewing. Very good ale and IPA. While there I saw posters and coasters picturing something called the Ale Trail, which corresponds to the trip I was doing.
July 26
I spent the day exploring Powell River. I had a coffee at a very cool cafe near the motel. And in Westview there is a really nice seaside walk.
I then did a historic walking tour of the townsite area. The original town was designed according the Garden City movement in town planning in the early 1900's. I think the old houses dating back to this time are privately owned. And there are old churches from that time as well. There is a mix of things that are maintained, and things that were pretty rough but are in the process of being fixed up. I get the impression that the townsite was neglected for some time, but is now experiencing a renaissance.
Another interesting thing is the breakwater around the mill: it is made of decommissioned World War II ships. They have an eerie feeling.
I rode back to the motel and had dinner at a good Latin restaurant. I talked with some people at a neighbouring table. Some were from Powell River, some had recently moved here. They said a lot of there friends were moving here. Seems like the city is a place in transition.
July 27
Powell River to Lighthouse RV Park at Fanny Bay. 41 km.
I caught an early ferry to Comox, on Vancouver Island, and started riding south along the Old Island Highway. A bit busy with traffic, but once I was a few kilometers outside of the city of Courtenay, it was fairly quiet. Nice and flat riding. Sunny but not too hot. Great day for cycling and I made good time.
I'd booked a campsite that was about days ride from Comox. It was an RV park, not my first choice, but it turned out to be ok. Other people with tents were there, and it is on a nice stretch of land between the old highway and the water. The campsite is by Fanny Bay, which is famous for oysters, and on the water you can see the oyster farms.
In the evening I rode the few kilometers to the Fanny Bay Inn where I could have raw oysters for dinner.
July 28
Lighthouse RV Park to Englishman River Falls Campground. 50 km.
I continued south along the Old Island Highway to Qualicum Beach. Another really nice day. I took some time and walked along the beach for a while. Then turned inland and rode uphill to Coombs, which has the famous Goats on the Roof market. I needed to get food for the next couple of days camping, so I stopped there. Super crowded. I had planned to hang out for a while but ended up just getting what I needed and getting out of there.
I rode inland some more, through farmland, and forest, to the Englishman River Falls park. I saw people parked on the side of the rode with mountain bikes, so there must be good trails in there. I kept going to the campground. I wasn't able to reserve a campsite at this park - it was fully booked, but I got there in time to get a first-come-first-served spot.
Wow, another very nice campground in the forest, with some big trees. I was getting used to this wandering and camping life.
There are walking trails around the campground and the day use area. The main feature is the falls.
But upstream there are also some great places in the river for swimming, and a lot of people come for the day just for that.
July 29
I spent the day hanging out at the Englishman River Falls Campground. I walked the trails, went for a swim.
July 30
Englishman River Falls Campground to Nanaimo. 49 km.
It was cloudy and threatening rain, but fortunately the rain held off. I rode downhill toward the water to Parksville, and back along the Old Island Highway. As it got closer to Nanaimo it merged with the main highway and so was very busy. Fortunately as I got into the city of Nanaimo itself there was a bike path to follow, which made things much nicer.
I checked into a hotel in Nanaimo for my last night of the trip. I made a last minute booking and so I got a really good deal at a nice hotel downtown overlooking the harbour. The Coast Bastion.
In the afternoon I tried another craft brewery, White Sails. I tried their IPA and ale but frankly didn't like them much. I walked over the old quarter of Nanaimo, with artisan shops, and had a bite to eat at a pub.
July 31
4km from Nanaimo to Departure Bay ferry terminal, and 27 km from Horseshoe Bay to home.
That's it! It was great trip. A really good break. And it was so good to get back into cycling again.
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