Vacation rentals in Port Renfrew

Located on southwest Vancouver Island on the Juan de Fuca Strait, the tiny town of Port Renfrew attracts nature lovers to its black-sand beaches, tidal rock pools, and ancient rainforests. The area is renowned as Canada’s tall tree country, home to some particularly massive and gnarly trees that can be 2,000 years old, as well as hidden creeks, streams, and grizzly bears. You’ll find several hikes leading to these wooded giants, including the Red Creek Fir, one of the tallest Douglas firs in the world.

Port Renfrew also has a thriving artistic and cultural community, and throughout the year you can visit galleries and creative studios and take in festivals, workshops, and concerts. The surrounding parks and mountains offer plenty of hiking and biking opportunities. There are some renowned trails nearby, including the 75-kilometre West Coast Trail, which is open from May until September. You’ll find access in Port Renfrew at the Gordon River Trailhead.

Port Renfrew generally has a mild climate, with warm summers and some of the mildest winters in all of Canada. The best time to stay in Port Renfrew rentals is usually over the summer months, when you can surf, swim, and make the most of the long, warm days to spend time outdoors. Even at this time of year, the water is cold, however; if you’re surfing, you’ll need a thick wetsuit or drysuit. While June can bring rain, July and August are usually hot and dry, and popular months for festivals and outdoor concerts.

Autumn brings sunny skies and milder weather, as well as lower humidity. It’s also an excellent time for hiking and cycling and to admire the changing colours of the island’s landscape. Rainfall is typically highest in spring, though this can still be an optimal time for outdoor recreation or enjoying the town’s cafes and shops. Winter can get cold and wet, and you’ll want to dress accordingly, though it only snows in Port Renfrew for a few days a year.

Avatar Grove

Situated just 20 minutes from Port Renfrew, Avatar Grove is where you’ll find some of the country’s tallest and most impressive trees. Take the 1.2-kilometre boardwalk through the grove, which is populated by western red cedars, Sitka spruce, and Douglas firs, many of them hundreds of years old.

Botanical Beach Provincial Park

Trees and craggy rock formations hug the quartz-and-shale beaches along the western shore of Vancouver Island. In Botanical Beach Provincial Park, at the southern mouth of Port San Juan, you can clamber along the rocky shoreline to peer into tidal pools at a diversity of resident mussels, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and anemones. Visit during low tide to see the pools at their best.

Galloping Goose Regional Trail

The Galloping Goose trail was originally a railway line built during World War I. It now has a new purpose as part of the Trans Canada Trail, a connected series of paved trails that run from coast to coast. The Galloping Goose section runs for 50 kilometres across Vancouver Island, from nearby Victoria to Sooke. You can cycle, walk, run, or even ride a horse on some parts of the trail.