Ten FREE (or all most free!) things to do in the Comox Valley

I had a chance to spend almost two weeks in the beautiful Comox Valley recently and I was really pleased to see so many things to do - and many at little or no cost.

Here are a few of the ones I discovered - and there are lots more!

1. Explore the beaches! Miracle Beach has sandy beaches and if the tide is out, lots of shallow tidal pools. Bring a chair, sunscreen, book and snacks and spend the day!

2. Watch Canada’s own Snowbirds! In May, the Snowbirds migrate to the Comox Valley to practice their maneouvers in preparation for the many airshows they will perform at during the summer. Watch them from Singing Sands or Kye Bay – anywhere along the strait is a good place to see them.

3. Comox Valley Heritage Walking Tours give you a chance to learn more about the history of the valley as well as a chance to get some fresh air and exercise!

4. Visit Seal Bay Regional Nature Park! A network of trails on the Comox Pennisula, the paths are excellent for hiking and biking. A steep path leads to the beach where visitors sometimes see seals, sea lions and other wildlife (we didn’t L )

5. Visit the Courtenay & District Museum & Paleontology Centre. The first stop on the Great Canadian Fossil Trail, the centre offers year round fossil site tours ($$) but also has a permanent display of a fossillized twelve metre long Elasmosaur dinosaur. Centre also has local First Nations and early pioneer displays.

6. The Gardens on Anderton give you a chance to relax as well as offer hands-on activities. There is no charge, but donations to their program are gratefully accepted.

7. Visit the Comox Air Force Museum and Heritage Airpark. The history of the Comox Air Base is housed at the museum. There is an extensive photo and reference display to see inside before heading outside for a walk to the airpark where historic aircrafts are on display.

8. Check out downtown Courtenay, The city is filled with trees and greenery, and there are plenty of locally owned cafes and restaurants to have a cup of coffee or meal where you can sit and watch the world go by. One of our favorites is Hot Chocolate where you can enjoy a coffee or gelato (our favorite!)

9. Goose Spit Regional Park offers a great expanse of sandy beach when the tide is out and is the perfect place to enjoy a campfire on the beach at the end of the day. There is ample parking but it does fill up fast, so be sure to come early.

10. The Comox Valley Farmer’s Market is a great place to get your groceries - straight from the producers! Every Saturday from April to October at the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds, Wednesday mornings from 8:30 to 12:30 from July through August on England Ave. between 5th and 6th Streets, and October - April inside at the Native Sons Hall.

So many things still to do - will have to visit again soon!

North Island Circle Tour

Today we decided to check out Annandale Waterfalls and Grand Etang National Forest. 

We headed northwest from Woburn and then east from St.Georges. It is a narrow, winding road - but in good condition - just watch out for the buses!!

The waterfalls are very pretty - and there is a tropical garden as well. Our guide took us through the garden and to the waterfalls, where we watched some local young men jump off the top of the falls.

From the falls, we made our way to Grand Etang Forest and Grand Etang Lake.  The visitor centre is very pretty and has history of the area. The lake is more like our Otter Lake than Okanagan Lake, and due to the heavy rainfall in the last few days, the trail around the lake was not accessible.

Grand Etang is a bird sanctuary and forest reserve with miles of hiking trails, lookouts, and fishing streams, and home to the Mona Monkey. Unfortunately, like the elusive Grenada Dove, the Mona Monkeys were no were to be seen when we visited.  Grand Étang Lake is an expanse of water that fills the crater of an extinct volcano 1,740 feet above sea level. Although legend has it the lake is bottomless, maximum soundings are recorded at 18 feet.
 
From Grand Etang, we headed east to Grenville, then north to Pearl. Pearl has important historical significance as it is the site of the first airport in Grenada. It was used until 1984, and now serves several purposes - it is used as a roadway linking Upper and Lower Pearl; on Sundays, it a race track (Barry says it would be a great demo track); locals use the airstrip and surrounding area to graze their cattle and goats. Talk about a multi-purpose facility!

The wreckage of a Soviet and a Chinese plane are also located in Pearl, a reminder of the 1983 conflict - or Revolution as Grenadians refer to it.

Next stop, River Antoine Rum Distillery. This is the oldest distillery on the Island, and is the only Organic distillery. The tour was very good - showed us all the steps from crushing the sugar cane right down to testing for quality - and I tried two different rum punches - both very good. Unfortunately, you can only buy this rum on the Island - as they sell it all to locals and visitors. I guess I will have to bring home a bottle to let you taste it:)

From here, we were pretty much done with tours for the day, but decided to follow the sun and take a scenie route back to Woburn. From River Antoine, we headed north to Sauteurs stopping at Conference Bay, Bathways Beach and Levera Beach on the way. We also took a break in Sauteurs at their beach before heading south towards Gouyave and then to St.George's and Woburn. It was a long day - but so much to see!

Conference Beach aka Conch Shell Beach!