Travel
/ Tourism Information
THE
COMOX VALLEY, Vancouver Island,
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Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Length : 454 Km (282 miles)
Width : 100 Km (62 miles)
Area : 32,134 sq. Km (12,408 sq. miles)
Courtenay/Comox
Distances by Road :
Victoria (219 Km),
Vancouver (126 Km - approx 4 hrs.
including ferry), Nanaimo (108 Km) |
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Comox means "Place of Plenty" and the Valley certainly lives
up to its name. With the ocean to
the east, and mountains to the west, the Comox Valley offers a wide
range of cultural and
recreational opportunities. Gateway to picturesque Hornby and Denman
islands on one side,
and to the renowned Mt. Washington Alpine Resort on the other, the
Valley remains one
of the few places where you can ski, golf, dive and kayak all in the
same day.
LOCATION
The Comox Valley is situated mid-way on Vancouver Island's east coast,
encompassing the City of Courtenay, the Town
of Comox, the Village of Cumberland, the rural areas of Merville and
Black Creek and CFB Comox Airbase.
It is bordered on the west by the Beaufort Mountain Range with its
breathtaking Comox Glacier and Strathcona
Park, and on the east by the Strait of Georgia, Comox Harbour and Baynes
Sound. The Valley area extends south
to Royston, Union Bay, and Fanny Bay and includes Denman and Hornby
Islands. It extends North
to Oyster River near Black Creek and the sands of Saratoga Beach and
Miracle Beach.
CLIMATE
The region enjoys short, mild winters and warm, dry summers. Weather
systems that bring heavier rainfall and storms
generally pass over us en route to the British Columbia mainland. The
Comox Valley is one of the few places in Canada
where, in the winter months, one can ski in the morning and golf in
the afternoon.
Click here
for current Comox weather conditions.
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GETTING HERE
The Inland Island Highway (Highway
19) has superseded the old Island Highway (Highway 19A) as the main access
route to the Comox Valley. Highway 19, a four-lane expressway, allows quick
access from Nanaimo to the Comox Valley. Highways 19 and 19A link the Comox
Valley with southern Vancouver Island. Approaching from the north, Highway
19
links the Comox Valley with Port Hardy at the northern end of Vancouver
Island. The Comox Valley is a three hour drive
north from Victoria, or a 70-minute drive from the ferry terminals
of Departure Bay and Duke Point near Nanaimo.
Comox Valley Regional Airport
in Comox is fast becoming a regional transportation hub. There are daily
direct flights from Vancouver airport and Westjet now operates daily connections
between Comox and Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta. Small aircraft and floatplanes
land at the Courtenay Airpark near downtown Courtenay. Via rail
operates a dayliner passenger service between Victoria and Courtenay. Daily
coach
lines connect all parts of Vancouver Island with the Mainland, and
local bus service is also available in Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland.
Those travelling by boat will find a full range of facilities including
moorage, showers, restaurants and shops adjacent to the Comox Marina. Regular
ferry service links the British Columbia Mainland and Washington State
to the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. Click on the link below for more
information on ferry routes, and travel
to the Comox Valley

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LOTS TO DO
The historic Filberg Lodge on Comox Harbour will captivate you
with its beautifully landscaped waterfront gardens, charming Herb Gardens,
and the Tla wa sints guy a las Totem Pole. Filberg Lodge hosts the annual
Filberg
Festival in
summer, when hundreds of British Columbia's best artists and performers
display their artwork, their crafts and their music.
The Comox Valley boasts three excellent museums. The Courtenay
and District Museum has exhibits of Native Indian heritage, pioneer
settlement and local paleontology, including British Columbia's only reconstructed
Elasmosaur fossil. The Cumberland
Museum offers displays of pioneer Chinese heritage and coal mining.
The Comox Air
Force Museum focuses on the history of aviation, with permanent exhibits
reflecting the heritage, customs
and traditions of Canada's Air Force. Historic aircraft are preserved
at the museum's Heritage Air Park, including the
recently restored H-21 Piasecki Flying Banana. The restoration of a
WWII Spitfire
is the museum's current project.
Comox is home to four marinas, which hold over 500 pleasure boats
and a commercial fishing fleet. The marinas
are protected by a rock breakwater. The breakwater is in turn protected
by Goose Spit, which extends out into Comox Harbour, providing one of the
safest year-round harbours on Vancouver Island. Comox Harbour is a great
launching spot for some of
the best salmon fishing in the world. The Comox Marina offers a boat
launch located right next to Marina Park, with plenty
of parking, washroom facilities and a play area for children.
Some of the best saltwater fishing on the island, particularly
for salmon, can be found in the waters of the Strait of Georgia north of
the Puntledge River Estuary between Courtenay and Comox, and off of Cape
Lazo, King Coho, and Bates Beach. The valley's lakes and rivers
are also superb flyfishing waters.
The protected, nutrient rich waters off the east coast of Vancouver
Island provide an astonishingly rich display of underwater life - scuba
divers won't be disappointed!
Golfers can tee off at their choice of 6 year-round golf
courses and 3 seasonal courses.
The Comox Valley abounds with parks
and beaches. Strathcona Park, Vancouver Island's largest and
British Columbia's oldest, provincial park and Seal Bay Regional Nature
Park to name just two.
The Comox Valley comes alive in winter with world-class skiing
at Mt. Washington Alpine Resort, located 19 miles (31 km) west of
Hwy 19 at Courtenay. Mount Washington (elevation 5,216 feet/1590 m) has
long been known for having good snow conditions from early in winter to
well past Easter. The snow here is often deeper than anywhere else in British
Columbia, and occasionally anywhere else in the world! In 1995, Mt. Washington
had more snow than any other ski resort in the world. This accounts, in
part, for Mt. Washington being the second-busiest winter recreation destination
in British Columbia, behind Whistler/Blackcomb. Mt Washington also provides
excellent hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding in summer, or you
can simply make the 40-minute trip to Mt. Washington to ride the chair
lift and enjoy the wonderful views of the surrounding area.
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...on beautiful Vancouver Island, British
Columbia...
Your West Coast Canadian Beachfront Holiday Retreat
Copes` Islander Oceanfront Bed & Breakfast
and Vacation Rental Accommodation
Comox, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada
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