A Weekend in Parksville and Qualicum Beach: Beaches, Falls, Caves and Shows

Plan my Parksville weekend · What's on this weekend

Find a place to stay in Parksville

Parksville and Qualicum Beach sit a short drive apart on the east coast of the Island, and two days cover a beach that empties out to the horizon, a museum, a cheese farm, two waterfalls, a cave and a night at the theatre. Day 1 stays around Parksville. Day 2 starts underground and ends in Qualicum Beach. It suits a couple or a small group who want walks by day and a show or a good table at night.

Start with breakfast at Pacific Prime Restaurant at The Beach Club Resort at 181 Beachside Drive. The menu changes with the season and draws on Island producers, and the chowder holds wild salmon, ling cod, mussels and clams. The restaurant takes reservations online.

Walk it off at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park. The beach runs about 2 km, and at low tide the ocean pulls back almost a kilometre and leaves sand to walk on. About 5.5 km of easy trails run along the shore and through mature forest. From February to April, migrating Brant geese gather here.

Next is the Parksville Museum on Island Highway East. You can walk through the heritage buildings and try hands-on exhibits that cover blacksmithing and canoe building, and the archive holds more than 6,000 historical photographs.

For the afternoon, head to Morningstar Farm at 403 Lowrys Road, a working dairy farm that makes cheese. Take the self-guided tour past the farm animals, then browse the farmgate store. A self-serve dispenser fills your bottle with cream-top milk.

Then drive out Errington Road to Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, 13 km southwest of Parksville. About 3 km of trails follow the river to the upper and lower falls, and in the fall salmon spawn in the pool below the lower falls.

Dinner is at Mount Arrowsmith Brewing Company on Stanford Avenue East. Core beers pour on tap and come in cans, limited releases are sold only in the tasting room, and the Arrowsmith Smokehouse cooks Southern-style barbecue, sandwiches and pizzas.

Finish at the McMillan Arts Centre, 133 McMillan Street. It holds a gallery and a gift shop stocked by more than 180 local artists, and its box office sells tickets for shows at several Parksville venues. Tickets for upcoming shows are on its page.

Find a place to stay in Parksville

Start underground at Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park, 3905 Horne Lake Caves Road. Guided tours run all year. The Riverbend Cave Explorer is the easiest: crystal formations and fossils, with no squeezes and no vertical climbing. Tours book online.

Head into Qualicum Beach for the Old School House Arts Centre at 122 Fern Road West runs a gallery and an intimate concert series in a room of 65 seats. Tickets for upcoming shows are on its page.

Lunch is at Fern + Cedar Brewing Company, 680 Berwick Road South, which brews its own lagers, ales and IPAs and cooks a West Coast gastropub menu. It does not take reservations, so put your name on the waitlist at the door.

In the afternoon, drive Highway 4 west to Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park, 19 km west of Parksville. An easy loop from the day-use area reaches the lower and upper falls and passes a lookout over the river.

Back in town, end the weekend at the Village Theatre at 110 West 2nd Avenue, home to the ECHO Players, who stage plays through the season. Tickets for upcoming shows are on its page.

Find a place to stay in Qualicum Beach

See what's on this weekend across both towns before you go.

• Englishman River Falls and Little Qualicum Falls are both off Highway 4 to the west, so pair them on the same loop if you want to see them together.
• Check a tide table for Rathtrevor Beach: the walk out is at its widest at low tide.
• Horne Lake Caves tours sell on the caves' own website, and the easiest tour suits ages 6 and up.

Start from this plan, set your dates and swap any stop you like.

Make this my trip