We came here for camping and also to check out the caves here. It cost $30 to $50 a night to camp…read more The campsite was busy on the weekend and not so much on the weekdays. The campground is quite big. The outhouse was not bad. We also explored the caves. The tours take 2 hours approx. You can do a self-guided tour but if you do than you don't get to go inside past the gates in the caves Note that in the areas there are lots of dangerous wild animals. We heard that there was a deer that got taken out by a cayote.

This was my first time cave exploring and I had such a wonderful and memorable experience! This is…read moredefinitely one of the best highlights of the entire trip! We went on the guided 3 hour "Ice Age Adventure" tour. Our tour guide was amazing!! She was very educational with the history, facts, and preservation efforts. She was experienced, attentive and overall fun to be with. We explored a series of marble passages and crystal caverns created by the power of "The Ice Age". The experience was amazing! We were crawling and schootching through tight passage ways. We even climbed an underground waterfall!! Wow, the amazing crystals formations were breathtaking. My pictures do not do them justice; you simply just have to see it for yourself!! Dress warm, as it does get a little chilly inside the cave, wear boots or sturdy shoes and know you are going to get a little wet! Take a waterproof durable camera! Also, if possible some gloves can be very helpful. They provide the helmets with a light. Hydrate and have a balanced meal, you will be hiking to the cave as well as climbing and crawling inside. They offer an education center featuring geology information, a small museum and fossil display. They have a small theater, so visitors can learn more about this unique environment without having to enter the caves. Snacks and souvenirs can also be purchased. Other above-ground opportunities include a self-guided walk through the amazing surface geology on the new "Phil Whitfield Interpretive Trail" that highlights interesting surface features explained in a self-guiding brochure. The drive to Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park takes you on an unpaved road for a few miles; don't be worried, it is part of the adventure!! Great price for the experience, this is a MUST DO when visiting Beautiful Vancouver Island!!

An amazingly peaceful and serene spot to anchor or stern tie. To get in or out of the chain of…read moreislands you must time the currents perfectly for the time of day or it will be too strong to get in or out. Once in its spectacular. You can hike up to Newton Lake, an elevated lake on one of the mountains with fresh crystal clear blue water to cool off! Warmer than the ocean. We took some time to drop the crab traps and enjoyed watching an abundance of wildlife.

Cathedral Grove; if short hikes or anything to do with nature basically is your thing, than this…read moreshould be on your "must see" list. Huge trees both alive and dead (some around 800 years old) await for you in a dense forest on both sides of a highway. Great picture (selfie?) opportunities abound. We went on a misty day; cool but be sure you have proper footwear, as it gets muddy in some parts of the trail. And the bathrooms are clean for that outhouse-kind-of-thing. Worth the stop. Cathedral Grove; with the historic signs around the trails you might learn a thing or two if you're not careful (hey hey heeyy!)!

If you enjoy long walks in old growth forest Cathedral Grove, is a beautiful location in MacMillan…read moreProvincial Park, close to Quallicum Beach on Vancouver Island. You can easily spend several hours wandering through scenic forest with 800-year-old giant Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock and Grand Firs to name a few. On the north side of the highway, trails connect to the beautiful Cameron Lake where you can swim or fish. A wonderful outdoor experience.

As an offshore fisherman in NC, and as a person whose been fishing my entire life, I want to…read morerecommend this charter to anyone who wants have a great time on the water, be educated on what's going on, and most importantly, catch fish! Captain Patrick was amazing and by far, the most experienced and awesome captain. We caught our limit in huge salmon in only a few hours and had so much time left that we went for halibut! Best fishing charter I've ever been one. I will be taking my family back. Thanks again!

My family enjoyed an amazing day of salmon and halibut fishing with Captain Patrick. We caught 12…read moresalmon! Captain Patrick was professional, patient with our two boys and explained all about the area and fisheries. It was an experience we will cherish. If you're looking for a fishing charter, this is the company to use.

We have stayed at the hotel, eaten at the restaurant and gone on a 3 hour whale tour. It is…read morehighly recommended. We saw not just whales but otters, seals, bears, wolves and more.

The Zodiac Whale watching trip was the highlight of our trip! So much fun!!! We saw Orcas, Whales,…read moretons of Sea Otters and a awesome joyride on the boat!!!

Rather than drive down island this year, my husband and I were looking for a Christmas Lights…read moredisplay closer to home. So, we decided to check out Woodlands Garden.There were tons of lights, but, they we're mismatched, long strands of one type attached to short strands of another type, all rather haphazardly put together. The display didn't really make sense, other than a bunch of strands strung up. Nothing Magical about the display at all.

The key word to read in Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens is "woodland." Because if you arrive at time…read moreother than peak rhododendron blooming season, woodland makes up the majority of what you'll see here. But that's the whole point, right? Spread over many acres, there are some fantastic forest trails to be walked (but take one of the trail maps at the honour-system entrance area - it's super easy to get lost!), leading through prehistoric-looking glades overgrown by natural flora, bypassing huge driftwood logs stuck unnaturally into the earth along the way. Pretty little lakes and ponds reflect perfect skies and trees in their still waters, and birds are abundant. For a civilized taste of northern Vancouver Island's forests, look no further.

stop in and was pleasantly surprised, across the street from the ocean, little man-made pond/Lake…read morefor the kids to swim in. would defiantly recommend

For the last 8 years we have gone to Bates. Over the 8 years for the most part it was positive with…read morea few issues. However our 2018 year was horrible. It started even before we arrived. We got a phone call as we are traveling from Alberta to the campground, the owner informed us that for our first night at the camp we wouldn't be in our reserved and prepaid for site that we book each year usually before we leave the site for the next year. So we would spend one night and then need to move the next day to the actual site we paid for. So that was the beginning of this trip..The night of our arrival we needed some firewood for the night so I went down to the office to pick some up but the office was closed. Like I have done on multiple other occasions I pick some up and would pay in the morning. The issue was when I went down to pay for the firewood and get some change for the showers. I paid by debit the 10.00 in wood I took and got 20.00 change for the shower I was charged tax on the 20.00 in change and the wood. I let that go as well. The next night I found that a 6yr old had filled the toilet up with water by pressing on the but it was too late to ask if I could use another site to dump (the site we normally stay at only has water/power) the next morning when I got back from an appointment with my surgeon (I had my shoulder replacement done a few months ago) I stopped at the office and spoke with the owner and he reluctantly agreed to let me but for a charge of 20.00. I didn't have much choice as setting up and tearing down is challenging with my shoulder still in Recovery. The other option was to hook up and take it to Courtenay to dump. So I was in a bind to say the least. The next issue was when my 8.5 month pregnant daughter showed up and parked at our site. It wasn't an hr before she/us got told she had to park at the office. When we said she was pregnant and walking distance was an issue the reply we got was "it still needs to move". I understand why he needs parking control my issue is in how it was done. My other daughter decided to come camp with us over the Canada Day weekend. She had her own trailer and was put in the overflow. She with her dogs came to visit our site but she drove down to unload her chair,dogs and other things for our visit. The dogs were off leash for a short time and when asked were immediately put on a tie out. But again the parking was an issue for the owner. Again rude we were told she had to move. A night or two after that we had a large family in the next site that had multiple vans and cars. Not once were they told to move any of them but I was blocked from getting my truck in my site. When we were leaving I asked what did we do that he didnt want our business again, this is where things got fun....... I went over the above issues with him and had to ask him several time to let me finish what I had to say as he kept interrupting me. I told him the he might as well put up neon signs the we aren't welcome back after 8 years. At one point I had to ask him 3 times to step back and stop with the finger in my face. He was trying to make the point that he is on his sewer system so he has to charge more and I wasn't paying for a site with Sewer My point was everywhere else is 2-4 dollars and he was charging me 20.00 for 1 dump and I felt that I was being taken advantage of because I was in a bind. Keep in mind I always dumpthere for free every year but this year I didn't know till now that it was an issue. I guess I shouldn't have asked and been honest. I was shocked he got in my face I didn't think I was being aggressive. But apparently I was pissing him off because I was pointing out the price difference. I refused to pay it. As far as I'm concerned it's Compensation for being bumped out of our site the first night. The first clue for me should have been the year I got called back to work early. Bates gives a 10% discount for over a certain amount of days stayed. But the policy is no refunds for leaving early that I understand. However I was asked to pay for the 10% discount as I was no longer staying for the amount of days to qualify. But I didnt get a refund on the days not used. His attitude was oh well and definitely not one of a business owner trying to keep a happy client. This year was a sad year because we do like "our site" each year. But I can't justify giving them more of my hard earned $$ with the attitude we got this year. I'm still shocked he got in my face doing the finger in the chest thing. Wow who acts like that when a good customer is brining you issues. We would consider going back if an apology was given and a attitude change from the owner. But it would need to be one hell of an apology.