Port Renfrew
Port Renfrew is a pretty cool little town on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. It is at the very end of the West Coast Road that hugs the coast from Victoria to Port Renfrew. It was on my first visit to Port Renfrew that I saw a black bear for the first time. And since then I have spotted black bears on all my visits to Port Renfrew. The area is teaming with wildlife so be prepared and keep your eyes open.
Port Renfrew is the Southern Gateway to the West Coast trail and can get quite busy during the summer months. Port Renfrew is also the Northern trailhead for the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.
Botanical Beach and Botany Bay are a few minutes drive from Port Renfrew, boasting tidal pools and beautiful rugged west coast landscape. Botanical Beach is a favorite amongst many landscape photographers, and a very popular spot for families with kids, who like poking around in the famous tidal pools.
On the other side of town you can follow Deering Road to a great beach campsite just passed the bridge. Further on, Deering Road leads to a close-knit network of logging roads between Port Renfrew and Lake Cohwichan. Those roads are quite rough but well worth the ride, for some magnificent scenery and wildlife spotting.
The town itself is pretty small, a very charming West Coast village, often referred to as the Jewel of the West Coast. There is a cool little cafe up Parkinson Road that serves one of the best egg bennies that I have ever had. I even got a lesson in the kitchen on how to poach an egg, a tricky venture even for a seasoned amateur cook as myself. The Port Renfrew Hotel is at the end of Parkinson Road. A very West Coast looking house with a long pier that juts into the San Juan Bay.
The best time to explore the area is in the spring and fall. Those shoulder seasons have many qualities; fewer people, changing flora and more wildlife activity. There are numerous places to stay if people prefer a solid roof instead of camping and Port Renfrew is close enough for an exciting daytrip.
For more information on Port Renfrew please visit http://www.portrenfrew.com/
[...] Beach, West Coast of Vancouver Island. See it in Port Renfrew over at BCoutside.com Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Tumbling West, Out of the RainBeach BumsSnorkeling [...]