Exploring Campbell River On Vancouver Island For Great Discoveries
We found so much to see and do exploring Campbell River on Vancouver Island in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Outdoor beauty, art in different forms and tasty food brought variety to our days.
Our anniversary trip to Vancouver Island started in Nanaimo with a fun stop in Parksville for artistic sand castle displays. Heading north on Vancouver Island we crossed the 50th parallel. And then relaxed for 3 days at the lovely Naturally Pacific Resort.
Even though David still hobbled about on the broken foot he injured on our Egypt adventure, we enjoyed a lot on this trip. Exploring the waterfront we enjoyed the low tide views, great wooden carvings, cruise ships passing by and cotton candy skies at sunset. One day we took in the amazing aerial views over the waterways with 49 North Helicopters. And on another day, we headed further north and explored the area around the Brown’s Bay Resort. Each day we found something else that kept us intrigued on our visit to Campbell River.
A Relaxing Base To Explore From
We booked a 3 night stay at the Naturally Pacific Resort in Campbell River. The resort was located right at the Campbell River Golf Course. For golfers we found both a full 18 hole course and the novel Velocity Lounge with a modern driving range.
We chose a water view room on a higher floor. The resort was quite back from the water. But from our room we got a view out to the waterways and enjoyed cruise ship sightings as they pass right by. And at sunset, we were treated to pink skies!
Our visit to Vancouver Island was planned for our wedding anniversary. We were delighted when we arrived and found a decorated room. And wine too.
The resort was relatively new and beautifully designed inside and out. One day we booked treatments at the Immersion Spa and enjoyed an hour in the calming mineral pool. We also found an indoor pool with large outside lounging area.
Our stay at the Naturally Pacific Resort was a perfect base for exploring Campbell River on Vancouver Island.
Beautiful Wooden Art On The Waterfront
Heading to the Rotary Beach Park and Seawalk we enjoyed a slow stroll through the wooden art on display. We started this visit to Vancouver Island with an amazing display of sand art in Parksville. So we were excited to see how wood carvings differed from sand art displays.
The variety in the topics used for the wood art used in the “Transformations on the Shore” display was as varied as the sand art displays. The pieces were generally smaller. But the advantage for wood art was the ability to used colour to enhance the art pieces.
While we found a large number of pieces all in one display area, we found other pieces along the waterfront too. As we entered Campbell River, we stopped and admired the stunning driftwood art whale display. On our stop at Fogg Dukkers Coffee, we were amused by the eclectic pieces of wooden art we saw. And loved the waterfront signs that provided distances to places all around the globe.
Exploring Campbell River on Vancouver Island we were delighted by the beautiful wooden art we found.
Discovery Islands On Desolation Sound From Above Campbell River
As an anniversary treat, David planned a surprise for me. We loved to see great sights from the air. So I was not really surprised when David booked a helicopter tour over Campbell River with 49 North Helicopters. He booked the 45 minute tour over the Discovery Islands on Desolation Sound.
We enjoyed some great views over Campbell River and then headed out over the islands. We saw the BC mountains in the distance. And when we looked down we saw boats moored in coves. The waters below appeared crystal clear.
We loved enjoying the views from above on a helicopter tour. We even saw the lovely Naturally Pacific Resort and golf course below us! This helicopter tour was a highlight for us when exploring Campbell River on Vancouver Island.
Wandering Around Brown’s Bay Resort
On another day, we headed north of Campbell River headed to Brown’s Bay Resort. We planned a visit for lunch at the unique “Narrows Floating Restaurant” but found so much more.
Along the way we stopped for a view out over Ripple Rock in Seymour Narrows. This was near the start of the Inside Passage used by cruise boats travelling to and from Alaska. Turning off the highway we drove about 5km (3 miles) down Brown’s Bay Road. This active logging route was a rutted, dusty and dirty road.
We arrived at the Brown’s Bay Resort and headed to the water. We watched for cruise ships and whales but saw none while we were there.
After lunch we drove around the property and explored the Ripple Rock RV Park. We were amazed with the great wooden art we found at this place too. Such a fun collection of nature-themed art!
We retraced our path out the dirt road. And found a car wash as soon as we arrived back in Campbell River. But it was definitely worth a drive north to Brown’s Bay Resort when exploring Campbell River on Vancouver Island.
Amazing Whale Adventures Too
We loved whale watching adventures when we travelled. The Naturally Pacific Resort offered whale watching as one of the adventures booked through the resort. On a previous trip in the area, we booked an exciting whale watching trip in Campbell River with Adventure Quest Canada. It was the best whale watching we have ever done!
We chose not to book another whale watching trip on this visit. But we did watch for whales close by every time we headed close to the water. Whale watching is absolutely something we strongly recommend when exploring Campbell River on Vancouver Island.
Tasty Travels Around Campbell River
We loved all the sights we found exploring Campbell River on Vancouver Island. And we sure found some tasty treats as we wandered.
Each day started with good breakfasts at the Naturally Pacific Resort. And we ate there for our anniversary dinner. One afternoon, the resort even had wine and snacks in the lobby. This tasting was one of the few not golf related things covered by our resort fee.
We planned our trip north to Brown’s Bay Resort specifically for lunch at the onsite Narrows Floating Restaurant. We checked out the menu in advance and knew what we wanted. Fresh seafood was certainly a highlight at this waterfront spot. But of course, the chocoholic found a delicious chocolate treat for dessert too!
When we wandered out for our day trips, we always looked for great coffee shops with tasty treats. We enjoyed a coffee stop at Fogg Dukkers Coffee with a great view out over the waterway. And we could not leave Campbell River without a stop at the highly recommended Freya Nordic Baking & Kaffe shop. I found the most perfect caramel delight while David tried one of the chocolate treats. We were sad we left this stop to our last day!
We enjoyed so much good food and drink on our visit to Campbell River.
So Much Fun Exploring Campbell River On Vancouver Island
Exploring Campbell River on Vancouver Island gave us outdoor adventures, beautiful wooden art and delicious food. On a fun helicopter tour over Campbell River we saw the local area from a different perspective. This was a perfect spot for whale watching too!
It was a great idea to plan a few days in Campbell River on this road trip along the coast on Vancouver Island.
Did you find lots to see and do exploring Campbell River on Vancouver Island? What did we miss?
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