Road trip

Route 8 · Comox Valley & Mount Washington

Driving: ≈ 170 km each way, 1 h 45
Day: Long day; leave by 7:30
Terrain: Highway 19; mountain road to the resort
Season: Dec–Apr skiing; Jul–Sep alpine hiking

Schematic map of the route with numbered stops — Open this route in Google Maps ↗Schematic map; numbered stops match the list below. The link gives turn-by-turn directions.

A big day north for the Island's only alpine resort, the Comox Valley's farm country and a mountain-biking village in an old coal town. Winter and summer are different trips; both are long but straightforward on the Inland Island Highway.

Cumberland — A coal town founded by Robert Dunsmuir in 1888 with a well-preserved Dunsmuir Avenue, a museum of mining and the once-large Chinatown, and a celebrated mountain-bike trail network. Coffee and bakeries on the main street.
Courtenay — The Courtenay & District Museum holds the elasmosaur fossil found in the Puntledge River; the downtown has galleries and lunch. Saturday farmers market at the fairgrounds.
Comox — Marina, Filberg Heritage Lodge & Park (1929 Arts & Crafts lodge and gardens on the water), and Goose Spit for a shore walk.
Mount Washington Alpine Resort — Skiing and snowboarding December to April with Nordic trails and snowshoeing from Raven Lodge; in summer, the Paradise Meadows boardwalk into Strathcona Provincial Park's alpine lakes (easy, 2–4 km loops) and lift-accessed hiking. Bring your own gear; rentals exist but are busy.