Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
west of Nanaimo. Before moving inside the market building, you'll want to stand out front
and look upward, where several goats can be seen contentedly grazing along the roof line,
seemingly oblivious to the amused, camera-clicking visitors. Inside is a selection of goodies
of epic proportions—a bakery, a deli, an ice cream stand, and a wealth of healthy island-
made produce. Behind the main building and in an adjacent property are rows of arty shops
selling everything from pottery to jewelry to kites.
This 440-hectare (1,090-acre) park lies along the north side of the highway, 10 kilometers
(6 miles) west of Coombs. The park's main hiking trail leads alongside the Little Qualicum
River to a series of plummeting waterfalls. Take your fishing pole along the riverside
trail and catch a trout, stop for an exhilarating dip in one of the icy emerald pools,
and stay the night in a sheltered riverside campsite (519/826-6850 or 800/689-9025,
www.discovercamping.ca
,
May-Sept., $21). The source of the Little Qualicum River is
Cameron Lake,
a large, deep-green, trout-filled body of water just outside the western park
boundary.
At the west end of Cameron Lake, Highway 4 dives into one of the last remaining easily
accessible stands of old-growth forest remaining in British Columbia. The tallest trees are
protected by
MacMillan Provincial Park.
The road through the park is narrow, so take ex-
tra care pulling into the main parking lot. From this point, a 500-meter (0.3-mile) trail leads
through a majestic stand of 200- to 800-year-old Douglas firs that rise a neck-straining 70
meters (230 feet) from the forest floor.
If you hit Port Alberni on a cloudy day, you won't know what you're missing—until the sky
lifts! Then beautiful tree-mantled mountains suddenly appear, and Alberni Inlet and the So-
mass River turn a stunning deep blue. Situated at the head of the island's longest inlet, Port
Alberni is an industrial town of 19,500 centered around the forestry industry. The town's
three mills—lumber, specialty lumber, and pulp and paper—are its main sources of income.
The town is also a port for pulp and lumber freighters, deep-sea vessels, and commercial
fishing boats.
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