Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
Take Pritchard Road north from Filberg Lodge and you'll eventually reach the Canadian
Forces Base, which doubles as the local airport for commercial flights. Cross Knight
Road to reach
Comox Air Force Museum
(Ryan Rd., 250/339-8162, 10am-4pm Tues.-
Sun., donation), at the entrance to Comox Air Force Base. The museum isn't huge, but
it is chock-full of Air Force memorabilia. Once you've gone through the indoor displays,
you'll want to wander down to the Air Park (10am-4pm daily May-Sept.), a five-minute
walk south, where around a dozen planes from various eras are parked.
Ontheothersideoftherunwayis
Kye Bay,
awidestripofsandthatisperfectforfam-
ilies. To the east, beyond the headland, are intriguing
white cliffs.
At the end of an ancient
ice age, as the sheet of ice that covered this region retreated, it stalled, leaving behind a
massive mound of finely ground glacial silt. Wind and water action in the ensuing years
have uncovered the silt, forming white cliffs that stand in stark contrast to the surrounding
bedrock. To reach Kye Bay from the airport, head east on Knight Road (past the entrance
to the main terminal) and take Kye Bay Road around the south end of the runway.
Another interesting spot is
Seal Bay Nature Park,
north of downtown along Anderton
andthenWavelandRoads.Theparkprotectsoneoftheregion'sfewundevelopedstretches
of coastline. Trails lead through a lush forest of Douglas fir and ferns to a pleasant, rocky
beach where bald eagles and seals are often sighted.
An enjoyable place to pitch a tent,
Miracle Beach Provincial Park
is about 3 kilometers
(1.9 miles) off the main highway, 23 kilometers (14.3 miles) north of Courtenay. High-
lights include a wooded campground, sandy beach, good swimming and fishing, and
nature trails. Look for porpoises and seals at the mouth of Black Creek, orcas in the Strait
ofGeorgia,black-taileddeer,blackbears,andraccoonsinthepark,andseabirdsandcrabs
along the shoreline. In summer you can take a nature walk with a park naturalist, parti-
cipate in a clambake or barbecue, or watch demonstrations and films at the Miracle Beach
Nature House. Campsites cost $28 per night.
A few kilometers north of Miracle Beach and 18 kilometers (11.2 miles) south of
Campbell River is
Salmon Point Resort
(2176 Salmon Point Rd., 250/923-6605 or 866/
246-6605,
www.salmonpoint.com
, campsites $35-47, cabins $120-225 s or d), also offer-
inggreatviewsoftheStraitofGeorgiaandthesnowcappedpeaksoftheCoastMountains.
Facilitiesareexcellent,includingarestaurantoverlookingthewater,acoupleofrecreation
