Destination Comox Valley for Vancouver Island Activities
So much to see and things to do
Royston BC - A Seaside Retreat on Comox Bay
"Thank you for a lovely 2 days. Beautiful Home, scenery & hospitality. Lots of thoughtful touches. Great area to explore." S & P ~ Toronto, Canada
Comox Valley - Events
Majestic Strathcona Provincial Park
Great Summer in Strathcona Park. One person's story March - October 2012. Awesome photos too!
Explored in the 1860's and designated a park since 1911 Strathcona Provincial Park has been a main attraction to visitors on central Vancouver Island. Nearly 250,000 hectares of mountains, lakes, trails, snow, native plants, wild berries, flowers, birds and wildlife - enjoy this amazing wilderness. Here is a MAP(pdf) for Strathcona Provincial Park - Forbidden Plateau and Paradise Meadows Trail.
The Comox Valley is access to Strathcona Park and Premier Alpine Guiding in the Vancouver Island Alps. Certified mountain guides help you find hidden scenic photo gems nearby. There are a number of different one day or multi-day guided hikes available including Ski Touring. View Photos and for more details see Island Alpine Guides.
Visit Friends of Strathcona.
Mount Washington BC Alpine Resort
Summertime trails and biking. Winter cross-country , downhill skiing and snowboarding (snow season starts end of November) Snow at Mt. Washington is comparable to Whistler - Olympic quality cross-country trails and only 30 minutes from Royston House to Mount Washington Alpine Resort for web cam view of alpine lodge, whisky jack and nordic cams Click Here, for alpine snow report Click Here.
Raven lodge at Mount Washington is the starting point for over 50 km of groomed trails appealing to all level of skiers. To make a connection with the Vancouver Island Cross Country Ski Club Click Here.
Snow phone 1-888-833-1515.
The Parks and Trails of the Comox Valley
The Comox Valley is known for its outdoor adventure opportunities, including incredible hiking and mountain biking and more than 30 parks and trails to experience.
- 12 Places to Get Active in the Comox Valley (pdf)
- Another 12 Places to Get Active in the Comox Valley (pdf)
- 12 MORE Places to Get Active in the Comox Valley (pdf)
- Royston Seaside Trail
- Comox Valley Trail Maps
Comox Valley Heritage Tours
For more information about the history of the area you can embark on the Comox Valley Heritage Experience - a series of self-guided driving and walking tours that offer a glimpse into the rich social, cultural, natural and industrial history of the Comox Valley.
Museums
Make a day of touring the Museums in the Comox Valley.
- Courtenay Museum - with it's Palaeontology Centre, Native, Cultural and Natural Heritage. (downtown at 4th and cliffe (19A)
- Historic Cumberland Museum - Japanese photography, Chinatown 1935 model and Historic coal mine artifacts.
- Comox Archives & Museum - Historic photos of the Comox waterfront and notable ships
- Comox Air Force Museum - memorabilia, artifacts and military heritage. Some of the best in Canada.
Golf
Six Comox Valley Golf courses, some playing year round are within a 15 minute drive from Royston House. Visit Comox Valley Golf.
Comox Valley Summer Music and Festivals
Known as the Valley of Festivals, the Comox Valley is a vibrant cultural community. During the summer special events take place almost every weekend, and local art and culture is a big part of Valley living. These include: Summer weekend Music in Filberg and Simms parks, The Bigtime Out in Cumberland, Filberg Festival and Nautical Days in Comox, Vancouver Island Music Fest in Courtenay bc, Originals only Art in Comox and the Woodland Gardens Art Festivals
Ecotourism on Vancouver Island
Royston House is a Naturescape participant and is habitat certified by the Canadian Wildlife Federation.Eco-friendly accommodation and habitat in the Comox Valley and Vancouver Island.
To read a feature article about Royston House by Kristin Mulholland:
Click Here (pdf)
See our Links page for EcoTourism resources.
BC's spectacular wilderness awaits you in search of orca whales and bears.
Tour around the immediate Royston area
From your carriage suite you can stroll the woodland trails and enjoy the natural habitat, featuring more than 200 rhododendrons. Trails lead to the oceanfront, where you can view and learn about the historic graveyard of ships, remnants of several old ships that were once used as a breakwater to protect the log booming grounds of Comox Harbour. For an up close view of the ships, launch a kayak and paddle around the bay. Around the Comox Bay and the Courtenay Estuary you might see black tail deer and occasional bear, hummingbirds, seasonally over 25 species of small birds, ducks, herons, wintering trumpeter swans, endangered purple martins and bald eagles. Two eagle nests are located nearby.
Royston Wrecks - Historical Ghost Ships
At Royston House B&B our oceanside is right next to these Historical Ships. Long before we moved here the Comox Logging Railway brought logs along the foreshore from Courtenay to load on ships that were destined for lumber mills on the mainland.
To protect against our South-Eastern winter storms, an extensive breakwater was built with log booms. This was extended in the late 1930's to include Old Ship Hulks. A total of 14 Ships were laid to rest over 20 + years. Some of these included wooden hull Sailing Ships build in the 1800's.
In the last 10 years that we have owned the Royston House property, the steel hulled Ships have mostly collapsed from rusting away.
Divers and Kayakers still enjoy visiting this site . A Diver organization has GPS mapped all the Royston Wrecks as part of an application for National Historic Status.
The Ships provide a protected location for the re-growth of eel grass beds and a protected habitat for all kinds of sea life.
1989 Photos of the Royston Wrecks
Thanks to Henrie who lived in Royston at the time. These are copied from the original colour prints. Visit our Oceanside Gallery page to see more recent Royston Wreck photos.
See Photos HERE
List of ships: Comet - 4 masted barque, Dunver HMCS - frigate, Eastview HMCS - frigate, Forest Friend - 5 masted barquentine, Gatineau HMCS - destroyer, Harpoon Boat, Lauren Whalen - 5 masted windjammer (first boat), Melanope - 3 masted windjammer, Nanoose - steam tug, Prince Rupert HMCS - frigate, Qualicum - steam tug, Riversdale - 3 masted windjammer, Salvage King - tug, Tattnall USS - destroyer.
Royston by the sea on Comox Bay
Royston House is located in the seaside town of Royston 5 minutes south of Courtenay, BC, named after William Roy, an English miner who bought property along the waterfront. Royston became the summer residence for many of the workers and professional families from historic Cumberland. In the early 1900s, Royston was the main location for log-booming operations for the logging industry in the Comox Valley. Logs were shipped to Royston by rail, boomed in the harbour, then towed across Georgia Strait to the lumber mills on the British Columbia Mainland.
Royston Greenway - Comox Valley Naturalist
Birding in the Comox Valley and Vancouver Island
Birding in one of the important Winter Bird areas of Canada The Royston House location on the K'omoks Estuary is right in the heart of this exceptional Vancouver Island Bird Habitat.
Thousands of Trumpeter Swans choose the Comox Valley for their winter home. Many Bird Species choose this warmer climate on their fall flypast from Alaska.
See our collection of Vancouver Island Bird Photos.
