Love is in the Saltwater Air

The Long Wait

We continue along the often narrow, but exceedingly lovely road to Port Renfrew. First, we drive through a sprinkling of rain. Then, big flakes of snow drop down. Just as we are beginning to wonder when we’ll arrive, a 'Welcome to Port Renfrew' sign appears, and a misty fog rolls in.

Indigenous communities have been there for centuries, whaling and caring for the land. Settlers began to arrive in the mid 1880s, attracted by the fertile San Juan Delta and the promise of a road. Ships from Victoria, coming every 10 days, were lifelines to the outside world, but the promised road wasn’t completed until 1975, more than 80 years later.

Even with the road, Port Renfrew still has a frontier feel to it, attracting visitors who come to fish, hike, and surf.

People of the Sea Foam

The hiking is gorgeous everywhere on Vancouver Island. But for a short hike taking in rugged coastal beauty, the Botanical Beach Loop Trail is hard to beat. We head there even before checking in to our accommodations at Wild Renfrew.

We navigate the root maze trail while golden-crowned kinglets flit in the shady old-growth forest. The air wafts with earthy, peppery aromas. 

At the beach, tangles of bull kelp line the shore, once used by the nearby Pacheedaht First Nation as fishing line for trolling salmon. The ocean and rocky beach bubble with sea foam, after which the Pacheedaht, or “People of the Sea Foam,” named themselves. 

Waves land spectacularly on basalt cliffs, but tide pools are the stars here. At low tide, gooseneck barnacles cling to rocks, and pools teem with anemones, mussels, red and purple sea stars and spiny sea urchins. Touching the marine life is not allowed.

Beyond the pools, one might spot harbour seals, sea lions, humpback whales, grey whales or orcas.

Doug Needs a Hug

The 40-minute drive out to Big Lonely Doug can be rough, potholed for the first section or slick with wet weather. But, once there, Canada’s second-tallest Douglas Fir, at 66 metres, stands on its own amid a sapling-filled clearcut. You can put your hands around this giant 1000-plus-year-old beauty, but to give Doug a proper hug, you'll need at least seven people in your group — he is twelve metres around.

To see the largest living Douglas Fir, you will need a high-clearance vehicle. Ask locals about road conditions and for directions to the Red Creek Fir. It’s about 25 feet taller than Doug.

Note: If you're hesitant to tackle the region's logging roads on your own, Landsby can arrange a local guide who knows where to find the area's most impressive giant trees. They'll pick you up directly from your accommodation and lead you on a full-day exploration of the region's ancient forests.

Love at the End of the Road

Doug isn’t the only one getting hugs. Unbidden, locals we meet all have a recent love story to share. 

Brad, our friendly server in Renfrew Pub, points out the power-outage chalkboard sign, now reset to zero. He explains how his girlfriend from England stuck around during a rare 10-day power outage. “That’s love,” he said.

A young handholding couple on Botany Bay make small talk with us before sweetly gushing, “We just got married!” 

Chelsea, in the Wild Renfrew Gift Shop, happily reveals her story. “I met a guy here three years ago when I came from Edmonton to help my sister set up a B&B — now we’re engaged!” 

Maybe it’s the end-of-the-road feeling of the town that makes people fall in love here, both with the place and each other.

“It is the end of the road,” says Chelsea. “Visitors ask, ‘where’s the town’ and I’ll say, ‘you’re in it — this is it.’” 

Mark and I are part of the already smitten club — for each other — but our new love for Port Renfrew is real, lights on or off.