Of Starfish and Surf

Overlanding Vancouver Island, one beach at a time words & photos :: Allison Kennedy Davies

After flying into Vancouver and taking the high-speed ferry to Nanaimo, we made a quick stop at Cathedral Grove and its giant Douglas firs before we met Taylor in a Walmart parking lot (where all good adventures begin). After a quick walk-through, we loaded up with groceries for the solar-charged fridge and headed to an off-road site he’d recommended.

If there’s one way to cure jet lag, it’s waking up in the forest next to the icy waters of the Taylor River. We brewed some coffee and my daughter and I did a cold plunge in the river while my husband explored the banks before we regrouped for a drive along the Pacific Rim Highway.

Imagine being able to fly across the country with just a small suitcase to spend a week camping with your family. When I closed my eyes and pictured the perfect trip to Vancouver Island, it always involved camping, surfing and enjoying the ocean views together. So when I was invited to photograph a wedding in Campbell River for an old motocross friend, I quickly investigated how we could extend the trip to explore Tofino, Ucluelet and the Pacific Rim National Park.

When you want to camp on Vancouver Island and you’re coming from Ontario, you can either fly with all of your camping gear or drive with all your camping gear—or you can get creative. After spending too much time scrolling Instagram, I happened upon a relatively new startup, Vancouver Island Overlander. With photos of this badass overlanding truck parked in remote locations, I decided this was the way we should spend our week.

We settled on renting a 2022 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X—a beast that the startup owner, Taylor Smith, named Strathcona. Equipped with everything we’d need to camp, from sleeping bags and pillows to dishes and a cookstove, our ride had a large awning (you know, because sometimes it rains on the island) and a sleeping space just big enough for myself, my husband and our teenage daughter. We’d definitely be spending some quality time together in the rooftop camper.

When we got to the coast, we headed into Tofino. Although the town doesn’t allow motorhome parking, we flew under the radar and drove through the heart of this tiny tourist town with ease. Then we headed back to the junction and our campsite at West Coast Campground. It was pouring rain, as it is wont to do here, and while the campground was nothing to write home about it did have Uke Poke, a restaurant with world-renowned poke bowls, and we were able to experience open-air showers under giant hardwoods and wash our dishes in a real sink.

We didn’t have a set itinerary in Tofino, minus a family surf lesson booked with Swell Tofino. We headed to their shop at Hotel Zed to get suited up and then met our instructor, Ali. The Cox Bay Beach was packed with lessons, but Ali had staked out our own little area. That afternoon spent in the water together as a family, all of us successfully catching a few waves, was the highlight of the trip. We left exhausted and happy, with our teenager proclaiming that she’d one day be a surf instructor in Tofino. We all agreed there are worse life goals.

We spent much of our Tofino time exploring Pacific Rim National Park, hiking in the rain and picking our way along the shorelines in search of starfish. We started ignoring forecasted rain, instead planning our days around low tide. We hit Tofino Brewery and later watched the surfers from the swanky Wickaninnish Inn dining room. For our last night on the coast, we moved to Ucluelet. A much quieter vibe met us there, and we enjoyed exploring the beaches and the trails around the lighthouse.

We were out of time on the coast, but we’d saved ourselves one more night to camp away from the beaten path. Cell service on the island is spotty at best, but we were able to navigate logging roads with confidence as we explored the old-growth forests of Nahmint Valley.

We drove for hours, following the map until we found an epic spot for swimming in another crisp, turquoise river, then made our way down a narrow gravel road with tight switchbacks to a BC Forest Services campsite. Coming from Ontario, it seemed crazy that a campground like this would be so well-maintained and yet completely empty. We chose a site among old-growth hemlock and had dinner by Nahmint Lake all by ourselves. We woke up, packed up and prepared to return Strathcona to Taylor the next day before continuing to the wedding and the rest of our adventures in Campbell River.

While Tofino and Ucluelet were on our bucket list, next time we’d head north for even quieter parts of the island—for now, we’ll keep our memories of family surf sessions, starfish at low tide and towering trees.

We drove for hours, following the map until we found an epic spot for swimming on another crisp, turquoise river, then made our way down a narrow gravel road with tight switchbacks to a BC Forest Services campsite.