Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Beyond Victoria, the rest ofVancouver Island beckons. Stretching for450kilometers (280
miles) off the west coast of mainland British Columbia, it is dominated by a chain of
rugged mountains that effectively divides the island into two distinct sides: dense, rain-
drenched forest to remote surf- and wind-battered shores on the west and well-populated,
sheltered, beach-fringed lowlands on the east. Backcountry enthusiasts head west from
Victoria to Port Renfrew, the starting point of the West Coast Trail. Island hoppers take
Highway 17 north up the Saanich Peninsula to Swartz Bay, jump on a ferry, and cruise the
scenic Southern Gulf Islands. Other explorers head north, following the Strait of Georgia
all the way to the island's northern tip. The old highway has mostly been replaced by the
