If You Are Ever On Vancouver Island, Please Visit Here….

There are many, many spectacular parks, beaches and mountain vistas to see on Vancouver Island but one place has always been a favourite of mine ever since I first visited it as a 12 yr. old visiting from Winnipeg. It’s Little Qualicum Falls which is about a 2 hr. drive north of Victoria and just a little over an hour from Cowichan Bay. If you haven’t been to Vancouver Island before but plan to visit some day be sure to put Little Qualicum Falls on your agenda – you won’t be disappointed.

A few of my favourite photos of beautiful Little Qualicum Falls

It was the summer of 1956 when I first visited Victoria during our summer holidays with my parents. My Grandmother and Grandfather had retired and moved from Winnipeg to Victoria 3 years earlier. We stayed with them for about 3 weeks and my parents were so taken by the beauty of Victoria that we ended up moving there from Winnipeg the next year.  My Dad was a letter carrier in Winnipeg and it didn’t take him long to figure out Vancouver Island was paradise compared to the frozen tundra!

Victoria seemed like a fantasy world to me in comparison to Winnipeg. There were hills, the ocean, forests, lakes and beautiful scenery everywhere we went. It was small too. We could walk right downtown without having to worry about catching a bus. The summer that year was perfect and one of the first things we noticed was that we could sit outside at night and not get bitten alive by mosquitos.  That’s right, there really aren’t any mosquitoes on lower Vancouver Island. It’s true!!

About halfway through our summer holiday, my grandparents, parents and another uncle and aunt decided we should take a drive up to a place called Little Qualicum Falls for a family picinic. What an eye-opener that was for me.  I don’t think I’d ever seen a waterfall before. Never had we been able to run along forest trails beside a fast flowing crystal clear river.

Best of all, we got to swim in the deep, clear pools of ice water!  Yup, that water was ice cold coming down off the mountains but at 12 yrs. old it never seemed to bother me at all.  Our family picnic at Little Qualicum Falls was definitely a highlight of our summer vacation on Vancouver Island.

For over 50 years now, I’ve continued to visit Little Qualicum Falls and have probably taken more photos there than anyplace else on Vancouver Island. I’m sure there will be many, many more to follow.

Thanks for visiting!