Five reasons to add Campbell River to a B.C. travel list

Campbell River, about midway up Vancouver Island, is just under a two-hour drive from Nanaimo or just under an hour from Vancouver on Harbour Air’s new flight. Known as the “salmon capital of the world,” the city offers experiences including salmon snorkelling and is emerging as a B.C. tourism destination.

The city offers access to both mountain and ocean settings. Strathcona Provincial Park, about a 40-minute drive away, has more than 250,000 acres of rugged wilderness, mountains, lakes, waterfalls and hiking options. Elk Falls Park, two kilometres from downtown, has easier trails leading to a 25-metre waterfall and a 60-metre suspension bridge.

On a Campbell River Whale Watching tour, the author travelled by Zodiac through Discovery Passage toward the Coast Mountains and reached Jimmy Judd after an hour and 15 minutes. In spring and summer, tidal-current pressure forces hake to the surface, rupturing their swim bladders and killing them; the floating fish attract bald eagles. Hundreds of eagles were seen perching, soaring and diving for fish, along with several sea lions. Two humpback whales were spotted swimming side by side on the return trip.

The woman-owned Naturally Pacific Resort offers upscale accommodation. The author’s room had a king-size bed and views of its 18-hole golf course, with access to a 25-metre pool, hot tub, sauna, spa and garden terrace. The grounds include a 22,500-square-foot garden whose food is used on-site, and the Velocity Driving Range.

Island Floating Sauna sits on the water with views of the harbour and Quadra Island, as BC Ferry vessels travel between islands. It has a wood-stove-heated sauna, an ocean-water cold plunge, sun deck and an essential-oil ritual. At the resort’s Immersion Spa + Wellness, guests can book treatments or use a mineral pool containing magnesium, sodium and potassium, which the hotel says is anti-inflammatory and muscle-soothing. It also has water-therapy showers with varying pressure, temperature, lighting and scents, plus a quiet lounge for hot or cold refreshments.

At Carve Kitchen + Meatery, the resort restaurant, a vegetarian option is a cabbage roll filled with tofu, shiitake and broccoli; the author also tried dark chocolate tart, banoffee pie, PB&J pancakes and banana bread French toast. Other local stops included the Nordic bakery Freya, Beach Fire Brewing, Mattone Italian Kitchen, and Shelter Point Distillery for a whisky tasting.

Campbell River can also be used as a stop for exploring North Vancouver Island, including Quadra Island, Cape Scott Provincial Park and Strathcona Provincial Park. Vehicles heading to Cape Scott Provincial Park must be able to manage more than 60 kilometres of rough gravel road. Destination Campbell River also recommends Black Creek, Gold River, Oyster River, Sayward, Nootka Sound and Zeballos.

The author was hosted by Destination Campbell River, Naturally Pacific Resort and Harbour Air.