Campbell River Travel Guide, British Columbia

There are few places more soul healing than Campbell River, a natural destination, a world of mountains, coastlines, and islands waiting for you to discover. It is a popular destination for all those who love salmon and it known by many as being the Salmon Capital of the World.

Here you are sure to find the freshest salmon of the east coast of central Vancouver Island. Here salmon is king and guides the lives of those who chose to live here being the cornerstone of the local economy. The locals pride themselves with such a heritage and are happy to share it with the visitors.

There are a great number of attractions: wildlife; picturesque landscape of the lakes, forests, the rugged Coast Mountain range, Discovery Passage, Quadra Island and other small islands that are just a short ferry ride across the water. Nature is all around and you can enjoy and explore any of them.

The seaside walkways are excellent opportunities to watch Alaska-bound cruise ships, yachts, fish boats, tugs, and freighters, they are a beautiful sight.

Outdoor lovers will have nothing to complain about as they will find Campbell River the perfect gateway to outdoor recreation with plenty of appealing wilderness destinations like Quadra Island, Vancouver Island, the Discovery Islands and Strathcona Provincial Park. This last destination is where tourists flock every time of the year for day hikes, but winter is the favourite among skiers and other winter sports lovers.

Another park is Elk Falls Provincial Park with trails that lead you to a fish hatchery and let you explore a stream with beaver ponds. From the park, you can also join the Canyon View Trail.

Discovery Islands is the place to go if you want to see some whales. The passage bearing the same name Discovery Passage is another place perfect for salmon and whale watching and there is plenty of other wildlife to see around these places besides marine animals.

Of all the wildlife you can see the salmon is the most important. Being here you can witness the life cycle of Campbell River's magnificent salmon that attract and sustain not only the other animals around but people, too. It’s magnificent to see how they come through Discovery Passage to make their final journey to their birth river making the other animals join. This gives the visitors the opportunity to see most of the wildlife in one place and they can watch this wonder from different places. People hope this cycle will go on forever, though some fear that it can be damaged by the abusive fishing. The number of salmon has dropped dramatically in the last period and the local authorities have done something about it, so if you think you might fish wherever you please and take with you how much you want, think twice! Fishing isn't what it once was in Campbell River, there are strict rules for fishing, but sport fishing continues to attract visitors to the region due to the specific programmes. To fish here, you need non-resident saltwater and freshwater licenses, available at outdoor-recreation stores throughout Campbell River.

If you’re not into fishing you can still taste some of the fresh-caught fish and other specialties at one of the many restaurants welcoming its customers with delicious cuisine.

Campbell River’s arts and cultural scene is a busy one. There are a great number of venues: Wei Wai Kum House of Treasures, the public art gallery, the Campbell River and Kwagiulth museum, the community theatre and plenty of local shops that feature works by local artists. The two captivating museums host world-class collections of Native carvings and artefacts including contemporary carved masks.

In a nutshell, Campbell River is worth visiting to discover the nature-and spirit of the place, for the cultural events and family activities that focus on specific species of wildlife, for adventures on a wildlife-viewing boat tour and much more.

So come and discover Campbell River, an oceanside community where salmon is king!