Population: 36,096

Campbell River, British Columbia, is located on the east coast of Vancouver Island. It is 3.5-hour drive from Victoria and less than 2 hours north of Nanaimo. Campbell River is accessible from the Vancouver Island Highway.

Visitor Information

Campbell River Visitor Centre and Campbell River Art Gallery are both located in the Centennial building in Tyee Plaza at 1235 Shoppers Row; phone 1-877-286-5705. There is free parking as well as 2 EV plug-in parking stalls.

All visitor services are available including accommodations ranging from budget hotels to B&B’s and vacation rentals to the world-famous Painter’s Lodge. There are several campgrounds close to downtown, including the Thunderbird RV Park and Elk Falls Provincial campground. The downtown core offers a wide variety of dining options and has a number of major chain stores as well as local boutiques.

Climate

Moderate, with an average winter temperature of 9°C/48.2°F. The average annual precipitation of 140 cm/55 inches.

Attractions

Campbell River is located at the entrance to the Discovery Passage. This is a popular route for marine traffic. Cruise ships, deep-sea freighters and barges in transit to Alaska are a common sight. The city has a busy waterfront with multiple marinas, a fishing pier and the Rotary Seawalk which is a multi-use trail that runs 6 km/3.7 miles along the coast of Campbell River.

The waterfront Robert V. Ostler Park is several blocks from the Tyee Plaza and has beautiful gardens, totems and walkways. Continue along the harbor front to see the Discovery Fishing Pier, Discovery Passages Aquarium (open May–August) and Maritime Heritage Centre. Pier Street Farmers Market is here on Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., May to September.