Top Places to Picnic on Vancouver Island

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Nothing beats a good picnic—your favourite foods eaten outside surrounded by gorgeous views, chirping birds and quality connections with the people you love.

Whether you are looking for a view of the ocean, to be engulfed in a forest or nestled in a meadow blooming flowers, there is a place for you to park your picnic basket on Vancouver Island.

Don’t forget your picnic necessities:

• Blanket

• Garbage bag

• Sunscreen and sunglasses

• Towels (if it’s a beach picnic)

• Supplies—of course the food you pack is the star of the show, but you don’t want to be caught without utensils, napkins, cups, etc

• A great book!

Greater Victoria

Holland Point Park: The breakwater offers stunning views and refreshing saltwater mist. Watch the sailboats and enjoy some great food or a good book.

Gowlland Tod Provincial Park: This is your place for a magnificent view of the water. There are also more than 25kms of trail to hike, from Goldstream to Brentwood Bay, with scenic viewpoints dotted throughout and plenty of wildflowers along the way.

Gonzales Beach: If you visit this beach with shallow water and gorgeous water-front homes, don’t forget to bring your camera!

Sidney

Lochside Waterfront Park: Pull up a log or lay down a blanket and watch the boats skim along the water. You may even spot the dorsal fin of an orca or see a friendly seal.

Robert’s Bay: The bay is surrounded by residential homes yet the waters and shoreline are a terrific place to observe migratory and resident birds and wildlife. Don’t forget your binoculars and keep any eye out for sea otters.

Gonzales Beach: If you visit this beach with shallow water and gorgeous water-front homes, don’t forget to bring your camera!

Cowichan Valley 

Cherry Point: Located in Cobble Hill, Cherry Point Nature Park is an ocean waterfront park with stunning views across the channel to Separation Point and Saltspring Island. This beach is teeming with life and offers many nature viewing opportunities.

Bright Angel Park: Experience the subtle rumble of the Koksilah River and the surrounding woods that lend some shade on a warm day. Once you’ve finished picnicking, pack up and check out another feature of the park—the suspension bridge!

Bamberton Provincial Park: A scenic spot to sit down for a bite to eat with friends and family. The Bamberton beach offers plenty of seating making it easy to find a table or bench to enjoy the picturesque view of the Saanich Inlet.

Nanaimo

Neck Point Park: Visitors will find rugged rock cliffs, with pebble bay beaches, and winding trails through Garry Oak groves. The park is a great location for photographers wanting to capture the essence of Nanaimo and the west coast lifestyle.

Beach Estates Park: The ravine is not to be missed! There are huge big-leaf maple trees and tall conifers leaning out, or fallen across Northfield Creek, as well as a waterfall. There are boardwalks and stairs, adding to the woodsy atmosphere.

Moorecroft Regional Park: The previous site of “Camp Moorecroft,” this park is a beautiful example of the seaside ecosystem common to the area. There are gentle walking trails through an impressive forest, leading to a protected bay that’s great for swimming.

Parksville & Qualicum Beach

Qualicum Beach—East Beach: When it comes to picturesque West Coast beaches, Qualicum Beach might be the best of the bunch. The beautiful views of the Coast Mountains on the mainland are unbelievable and make this the perfect place to spend a day.

Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park: Impressive waterfalls cascade down a rocky gorge in a beautiful forest setting bordered by steep mountain peaks, making this one of the area’s most beautiful parks.

Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park: Smuggler Cove is a small, picturesque all-weather anchorage on the south side of Sechelt Peninsula near Secret Cove. To access this park by land, visitors can hike 4km from a parking lot off Hwy 101.

Comox Valley

Kyle Bay Beach: Kyle Bay offers beautiful sandy beaches and many shallow tidal pools. If you plan it just right, the water is incredibly warm as it passes over the hot sand. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a picnic and spend the day at the beach.

Goose Spit Park: This is the best picnic place for the bird lover in your group! The oddly named park offers excellent views to the south, east and west. On the inside is a sheltered lagoon that provides food and habitat for many migratory and resident waterfowl, and is home to a number of beautiful plants and interesting animals.

Lewis Park: Spread out under the shade of one of the park’s gigantic trees, bring a lunch or order take out, and enjoy it on one of the many picnic tables overlooking the river. On a hot sunny day, you may feel tempted to take a dip in the cool, refreshing water, go the extra mile by renting a kayak or paddle board to explore the Courtenay River and estuary.

*Editor’s note: These descriptions use information gathered from
tourismcowichan.com, nanaimo.ca, nanaimoinformation.com, experiencecomoxvalley.ca and bcparks.ca.

Stacie Gaetz
Stacie Gaetzhttp://grandmag.ca
Stacie is the managing editor of GRAND. She runs on exploring new and exciting places and getting to the heart of people's stories. If you have a story she should know about, reach her at [email protected]