Cowichan Bay, Tourism
Cowichan Bay is a one of a kind, historic seaside village on the southern part of Vancouver Island which faces the Gulf islands just north of Washington’s San Juan Islands. An assemblage of motorboats & fishing ships, piers, wharves along with float houses, this town has a population of 2,575. If you take pleasure in oceanside countryside landscapes with good wine and cuisine, this area is a beautiful place to visit.
Arts and Culture:
The town of Cowichan Bay and the adjoining region is home to artists, craftspeople and nearby food producers, which includes a few very good nearby wineries and restaurants. Quite a few of the area’s vineyards and farms have tours, wine tasting and food preparation classes. Fresh seafood abounds in the region as well.
A pair of interesting historic activities the area offers are the Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club, that features one of the oldest lawn tennis surfaces in the entire world (second only to Wimbledon) and the Wooden Boat Society, which features hands on exhibits at the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre.
If you’re traveling to} the region in the 1st week of August, you may see the Cowichan Bay Regatta, a sailing race that is the 2nd biggest regatta on Canada’s West Coast.
Outdoor Adventure:
Cowichan Bay offers the adventure opportunities of the sea; sea kayaking, sailing, saltwater fishing and whale watching – along with the options of river adventure. Recognized as a ‘recreational corridor’, the Cowichan River Provincial Park is the area for swimming, canoeing, whitewater kayaking, tubing, camping, fishing, horseback riding, bicycling, walking, picnicing or relaxing!
This recreation area protects substantial stretches of the Cowichan River, a Provincial Heritage River internationally well known for its wild salmon and steelhead fishery. You can walk along the river on the park’s historic 20km-long footpath and explore the restored 66-Mile and Holt Creek Trestles on the Trans-Canada Trail.
Cowichan Bay is also a great spot to observe the birds! Over two hundred kinds of birds feed at the mouth of the Koksilah and Cowichan Rivers. In spring and fall hundreds of wild birds journey over the area, known as the Pacific Flyway. You can try to spot them at Hecate Regional Park, located on Cowichan Bay Road. While you are at the park, stroll up Mount Tzouhalem for a wonderful view of the area. You can also launch a kayak from Hecate Park.
Getting to Cowichan Bay
The Cowichan Valley is a beautiful thirty-minute drive from both Victoria (south) and Nanaimo (north).
• By Motor vehicle: Drive on the Island Highway and watch for the well-marked signs. As soon as you depart the highway there is about a 10-minute drive through countryside and farmland before you will reach the town.
• By Train: VIA Rail travels between Victoria and Courtenay. Stops within fifteen minutes of Cowichan Bay include: Cowichan Station, Duncan or Cobble Hill.
• By Airplane: You can charter float planes to Cowichan Bay from Vancouver or Seattle but there are no scheduled flights.