Quadra Island, Canada: Planning Your Way to an Unforgettable Experience
When to Visit Quadra Island
We have visited Quadra Island in the fall and spring. This is the west coast so bring layers and expect a little bit of everything. Fortunately, we didn’t need to pull out the raincoats during our visit in May and enjoyed warm sunny days and cool, brisk evenings.
Getting There
Quadra Island is one of the Discovery Islands located off the coast of Vancouver Island directly across from Campbell River, British Columbia. Campbell River is about a 3-hour drive North of Victoria. A short 10-minute electric ferry will have you arriving at Quathiaski Cove on Quadra Island. Tickets can be purchased at the ferry terminal or through an Experience Card that must be loaded ahead. The Experience Card will give you a significant discount on your travel and can be used on many coastal routes, except for some of the longer ferries between Vancouver, Nanaimo and Victoria.
For those who wish to continue from Quadra Island to Cortes Island, you will need to drive 15 minutes across Quadra Island to Heriot Bay and catch a ferry to Cortes Island (Whaletown). We haven’t yet made this trip as we love hiking, beachcombing and getting out on the water on Quadra, which we are just able to do with a few nights on the island.
Local Holidays/Hours
This is a small island; many stores have limited hours and are open on the weekends catering to the influx of visitors but are closed during other parts of the week. Be sure to check the hours if there is somewhere specific you want to visit or eat.
Location, Location, Location
We have stayed at Taku on each of our visits to Quadra Island. We love the resort’s waterfront location, with a view across to Rebecca Spit. The accommodations are fantastic and incredibly affordable, particularly in the spring and fall. We have stayed in both their rustic A-frame beachfront cottages and terrace suites. It is a great place to visit with a group of friends and family. There is also a fantastic private campground on the beach at Rebecca Spit.
Day Trips
As we usually have just a few days when we visit Quadra Island, we go with the flow and see where the weather takes us. We always do some combination of hiking, beachcombing, watersports and relaxing.
Random Bits
Painted Rocks
Inspired by the Sooke to Sidney Rock Hunt we often take our paint pens with us on weekend getaways to leave rock art for other families to discover. Whatever your family prefers it is nice to have a few games or crafts in the back pocket in case it rains.
