Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park

A Wide Sandy Beach Park On Georgia Strait With Some Of The Lowest Tides On The Island, An Old Forest Campground, A Mile Long Walk To The Low Tide Line And A Spring Brant Geese Migration. One Of Vancouver Island'S Most Popular Camping And Beach Parks · Parksville, British Columbia

Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park lies on Georgia Strait just south of Parksville on the east coast of Vancouver Island, about 40 km north of Nanaimo and roughly a two-hour drive and ferry crossing from Vancouver (confirm distances). Its great draw is the beach: a wide, flat tide flat of fine sand that stretches hundreds of metres out at low tide, warms in the sun and leaves shallow pools that are some of the warmest swimming water in British Columbia in summer. Behind the beach, a campground sits among tall Douglas fir, arbutus and big-leaf maple, linked to the shore by short trails and boardwalks. In late March and April, thousands of Brant geese stop to feed on the estuary nearby, and children hunt for sand dollars and crabs year-round. It is one of the most popular parks on the island, so camping is booked months ahead through BC Parks Discover Camping (confirm all fees, dates and rules).

Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, on the east coast of Vancouver Island beside Parksville, about 40 km north of Nanaimo; coordinates approximate, Parksville, British Columbia, Canada

Rathtrevor is open every day for day use from about dawn to dusk, with the busiest services and a staffed nature house in the warm season from about May to early September (confirm). The campground runs from spring to early autumn, with a smaller winter operation in some years, so confirm dates with BC Parks before travelling. Tides rule the day here, because the beach is a wide tide flat at low water and a narrow strip of sand at high water, so check a tide table before planning a swim or a long walk out.

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