Pacific Marine Circle Route
This loop was touted as the best drive on the island if you have only have one day. It may give you a sense of what the island has to offer but as far as scenic coastal drives go you can’t see much of the coast from the road as the drive passes mainly through thick forest. Areas of clearcutting offer views as well as the occasional stop at French Beach or the Jordan River, but the real highlight for us was the coastal walk at Port Renfrew.
Port Renfrew
Port Renfrew is the southern end of the West Coast Trail. If you are thinking of doing the trail this is a fantastic spot to get a sense of the magnificent waves that hit this coast. It is well worth a stop and frankly if you are short on time I would skip the other coastal stop as they do not compare to the rocking action at Renfrew and further north.
Drive to Lake Cowichan
We took the inland road via Lake Cowichan back to Victoria hoping to see some of the vineyards and golf courses the area is known for and advertised on the website. We saw neither. However the drive crosses interior mountains with some vistas, albeit many of the hillsides have been clear cut.
Although the speed limit on much of this route is only 60kph there was little traffic and we made good time.
For links to all the posts in this series see the Pacific Northwest page.
May 21, 2019