WEATHER

Canada’s only maritime Mediterranean climatic zone, Central Vancouver Island (aka Cowichan Region) boasts the warmest mean year-round temperatures in Canada and the country’s longest growing season. Summer temperatures average 23°C (73°F), while winter months average 6°C (42°F). Cowichan logs 1,845 average annual hours of sunshine, making this a prime Vancouver Island wine region. Cowichan  means "land warmed by the sun"

BUSINESS

Historically, logging and forestry operations were Cowichan’s economic mainstays; however, in recent years, the local economy has diversified with the growth of the marine, tourism, agricultural and manufacturing sectors.

THINGS TO DO:

• Best Hiking/Biking Trails: Cowichan Valley Trail (an extension of the Trans Canada Trail), Cobble Hill Mountain Recreation Area, the Kinsol Trestle, Spectacle Lake Park, the Cowichan River Footpath, Mount Tzouhalem, Mount Prevost and the West Coast Trail. Heart Lake Trails and Secret Trails abound in these beautiful land. 
• Swim at many beaches from Chemainus to Parksville
• Youth and Recreational Sports: hockey, soccer, baseball, football, and tennis everywhere in the region.

Information Sourced From Tourism Cowichan

Chemainus: 

More than 250,000 visitors a year flock to this picturesque seaside community to follow the yellow footprints on a self-guided tour of more than 40 outdoor murals and 13 sculptures depicting the local history of the First Nations and early pioneers. The number of murals has been growing since 1982 and today visitors can tour the world’s largest outdoor art gallery on foot, in a horse-drawn carriage or trolley, or aboard a simulated steam train. The town’s quaint core is lined with art galleries, antique malls, gift shops and cappuccino bars – along with old-fashioned ice cream parlours. The Chemainus Theatre Festival offers year-round professional musical theatre and comedy, along with a gallery showcase for BC artists and artisans. A passenger-only ferry leaves from here to Thetis Island and Kuper Island. The world’s only artificial aircraft reef was created in local waters when a Boeing 737 was sunk in Stuart Channel in 2006, attracting scuba divers from around the world. Waterwheel Park is a popular place to picnic and offers a playground where children can climb in a tall ship and paddle a canoe. There are several original mill houses along Chemainus Road, as well as historic character homes in the Old Town.

• www.chemainus.com;
• www.muraltown.com;
• www.tourismchemainus.com 

Cobble Hill:

The slow pace and old-fashioned country life in this tiny agricultural village has attracted an influx in recent years of skilled winemakers, chefs, organic farmers, and artists and artisans. Visitors can spend a night in a yurt here, have a pedicure in the vinegar room and dine on fresh local cuisine on the bistro deck. Horseback riding is a popular pastime along the Koksilah River to the Kinsol Trestle. There is scenic hiking and mountain biking on the network of trails criss-crossing Cobble Hill Mountain, offering lofty views at the top across the Cowichan Valley to the Gulf Islands. The Cobble Hill Fall Fair is a showcase for local farmers, food-producers and artisans each August. Cobble Hill is also home of the Arbutus Ridge Golf Club, awarded four stars for “Best Places to Play’’ by Golf Digest 2009.

• www.tourismcowichan.com 

Cowichan Bay: 

When Europeans sailed into Cowichan Bay in the 1850s, they discovered waters teeming with steelhead and salmon, sheltered deep bay harbours for their ships, rich forests for timber and a warm microclimate ripe for farming. The seaside village of Cowichan Bay became internationally famous in 2009 when it was designated as North America’s first Cittaslow town. Cittaslow, meaning Slow City, originated in Italy, but is now a worldwide movement rating eligible towns on everything from friendliness to environmental policies. Cowichan Bay is a hub of boutique cheese, seafood and ice cream shops, cafes and artists’ showrooms, including the well-known Arthur Vickers Shipyard Gallery. Visitors can dine with a view of the fish boats, floating homes and buildings on stilts on “Cow Bay’s’’ historic pier and Fisherman’s Wharf. Local maritime history is celebrated at Cowichan Bay Martime Centre where wooden boat and model tall ships are on display, and visitors can meet a Coast Salish carver, the artist-in-residence. Ocean kayaking, whale watching and float plane sightseeing charters can all be arranged here. Close by is the South Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club, built in 1887, a reminder of a British pioneer past. Also in the area are the hiking, mountain biking and nature trails of Hecate Park, Mount Tzouhalem and Kingscote Heritage Trail. Bird watching is big at the Cowichan Bay Estuary, home to an estimated 220 species of migrant shorebirds and waterfowl. 

• www.cowichanbay.com; 
• www.slowcowichan.com 

Duncan:

The commercial centre of the Cowichan region, Duncan is a city of contrasts. Along the highway, the new Cowichan Commons, BC’s first Walmart Supercentre, has become a prime central Island retail destination. Off the Island Highway, are the trendy boutiques, art and antique galleries, fashionable restaurants and local brew pub in historic downtown Duncan, known as the City of Totems. Up to 80 carved totem poles erected around Duncan depict the proud legends of the Cowichan First Nations. At the beautiful Quw’utsun’ Cultural and Conference Centre, visitors can experience First Nations’ culture, crafts, ceremonies and cuisine firsthand, and visit a gallery showcasing up to 100 Coast Salish artists. A popular stop on the E&N railway line from Victoria, the Duncan train station, built in 1887, is a National Historic Site. Major area attractions include the BC Forest Discovery Centre, the Somenos Marsh Bird Sanctuary, and the birds of prey demonstrations at Pacific Northwest Raptors. The world’s largest hockey stick and puck are on display at Island Savings Centre, a recreational multiplex. Northwest of Duncan, Chemainus River Provincial Park provides a river corridor for protected Roosevelt elk, and is where anglers head for abundant spring and summer runs of steelhead. The clean Cowichan River, a designated Canadian Heritage River, flows from Cowichan Lake through Duncan, offering excellent “source to sea“ whitewater kayaking year round. 

• www.duncan.ca; 
• www.duncancc.bc.ca; 
• www.downtownduncan.ca; 
• www.hellobc.com/en-CA/RegionsCities/Duncan.htm

Ladysmith: 

Historically preserved Ladysmith has won a lot of beauty contests over the years, including first place in its category in the national “Communities in Bloom’’ contest in 2003. Before that, it was named one of the 10 prettiest towns in Canada by Harrowsmith Country Life Magazine. The town’s turn-of-the-century Edwardian architecture can be toured free, aboard the San Francisco-style Ladysmith trolley. A year-round schedule of events focuses on the vibrant local arts scene, as well as Ladysmith’s maritime history. The Christmas light-up ceremony and parade, the last Thursday in November, kicks off the annual Festival of Lights, a spectacular 250,000-light display that in 2009 attracted an estimated 20,000 spectators and a visit from home-town celebrity Pamela Anderson. The self-guided Ladysmith Heritage Artifact Route takes visitors to see old shipping, mining and logging artifacts, inluding a 1900s steam donkey and a 1923 logging locomotive. Transfer Beach is the popular swimming beach, a launch point for Gulf Island kayakers and the place to watch summer fireworks on Ladysmith Days. Ladysmith extends to the Yellow Point and Cedar countryside, whose rural attractions include Hazelwood Herb Farm, McNab’s Corn Maze, Yellow Point Cranberries, the Cedar Farmers’ Market at the Crow & Gate Pub, and the Cedar Yellow Point Artisan Association’s annual self-guided tours. 

• www.tourismladysmith.ca 

Lake Cowichan: 

Cowichan Lake or “Kaatza’’ (the Big Lake) is the second largest lake on Vancouver Island and a major recreational hub in the Cowichan region. Located where the lake meets the Cowichan River, the town of Lake Cowichan is the largest of several small lakeside communities in the area that include Honeymoon Bay, Mesachie Lake and Youbou. The town is a gateway to some of the best hiking, camping and fishing on the Island and a terminus for the Trans Canada Trail, which follows the Cowichan River into Duncan. En route, hikers can see the restored 66-Mile and Holt Creek train trestles. Lakeview Park Campsite is ideal for picnics, swimming and boating. Visitors can rent everything here from kayaks and wakeboards to houseboats. For a sense of walking on water, the floating boardwalk from the campsite leads to the Cowichan Lake Education Centre, an outdoor learning and vacation centre in a 42-acre forest of Douglas fir. The local Kaatza Station Museum’s permanent pioneer displays include a store, post office, mine shaft and 1925 schoolhouse, as well as historic logging and rail exhibits, including rolling stock from the 1920's.

• www.town.lakecowichan.bc.ca 

Mill Bay: 

The panoramic views of the Strait of Georgia from this coastal South Cowichan village rival anything on Vancouver Island. The cozy waterfront community of Mill Bay is the first stop north over the 25-km (16 mi) portion of the Island Highway known as “The Malahat.’’ It’s also the site of the ferry to and from Brentwood Bay (home to world famous Butchart Gardens), offering drivers and cyclists from the Saanich Peninsula and Victoria a quick and scenic way to access Cowichan’s attractions, without having to drive The Malahat route. BC Ferries calls it “Vancouver Island’s most beautiful shortcut.’’ Bamberton Provincial Park in Mill Bay offers excellent saltwater fishing and a 225-metre (738-foot) long sandy beach ideal for families and beachcombers. Mill Bay Nature Park is a great place for bird watching and to explore intertidal life along the shore. The private Brentwood College School, host of the Brentwood International Regatta, has been located in Mill Bay since 1961. 

• www.tourismcowichan.com 

Nanaimo:

Officially known as Harbour City for good reason.

Stretched like a long, lean finger along the east coast of south-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia's sixth-largest city gets its identity, history and a wealth of recreation from a lovely, island-sheltered harbour right in the heart of town. Hiking, boating, kayaking, biking and world-class scuba diving and snorkeling are everyday activities at the bustling waterfront, as seaplanes take flight from sparkling blue waters.

Today, Nanaimo (population 84,228) is a fast-growing urban centre that is no longer merely the premier gateway to Vancouver Island. A boldly revitalized downtown core, delightful harbour front walkway, sparkling new museum, affordable art galleries, and a wealth of cool shopping and dining alternatives are good reasons to live here.

• www.hellobc.com/nanaimo.aspx

Parksville/Qualicum Beach

The beaches here on the south-central coast of eastern Vancouver Island are the stuff of a California dream vacation. However, there is a difference: Parksville's postcard crescents of golden, hard-packed sand beaches are smoother, broader and caressed by gentle Pacific rollers, not pounding surf. 

While summer by the sea is a major lure here, Parksville is a four-season outdoor destination. Golf, hiking, and mountain biking enthusiasts are well served in a rare, splendidly protected UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This area is notable for its pristine watersheds, deep lakes, extensive parkland, forested tracts (notably the old-growth treasure at Cathedral Grove), and challenging trails leading to Mount Arrowsmith's see-forever viewpoints. A great home awaits here for your retirement!

• www.visitparksvillequalicumbeach.com

Youbou:

Youbou is the second largest community on Cowichan Lake. A former mill town, this pretty village on the lake’s north shore – about 25 minutes west of the larger town of Lake Cowichan – charms visitors with its natural beauty and historic buildings. The local church and community hall were both built in 1937. Boating and fishing on Cowichan Lake are major draws, as are hiking, sightseeing and camping along its shores. Boat launches and camping facilities can be found at Pine Point and Maple Grove recreation sites, west of Youbou. On the second Saturday in August, lakeside Arbutus Park plays host to the Youbou Regetta that starts with a pancake breakfast and carries on throughout the day with a parade (some call the world’s shortest), canoe races, a boat flotilla, live music and BBQ concession, winding up with a sunset cruise and dance in the Youbou Hall. The annual 56-km (35 mi) Great Lake Walk and Marathon in September starts in Youbou and continues to Honeymoon Bay and Mesachie Lake, ending in the town of Lake Cowichan. 

• www.greatlakewalk.com
• www.tourismcowichan.com 

Information Sourced From Tourism Cowichan and HelloBC Website

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