Courtenay Vacation Rentals

Whether you stay at a cozy waterside bed and breakfast or secluded vacation house in the forest, accommodation in Courtenay lets you enjoy the best that Vancouver Island has to offer. From learning about local history and enjoying good restaurants, to whale watching and exploring provincial parks, Courtenay offers visitors plenty to do all year round.

Uncover Courtenay's Human History and Prehistoric Past

Since the discovery of marine dinosaur fossils in the 1980s, Courtenay has emerged as a centre for archaeology and paleontology. Vancouver Island used to be underwater and supported a rich collection of marine life before the extinction of the dinosaurs. Since then, tectonic plate movements, volcanic activity, and glacial erosion along the Trent and Puntledge rivers have raised the 80-million-year-old sea floor to its current levels. The Comox Valley is regarded as the start of the Great Canadian Fossil Trail.

The Courtenay and District Museum & Paleontology Centre hosts exhibits detailing this fascinating local prehistory. They also organise fossil tours of the ancient sea bed around local rivers. Courtenay's human history is extensive, with evidence that a Coast Salish fishing settlement existed here for over 4,000 years. Learn about the history and rich culture of the K'ómoks and Pentlach First Nations peoples at the I-Hos Gallery, run by the K'ómoks First Nation.

Family Ski Vacations and Summer Escapes

Courtenay is known as the "Gateway to Mount Washington." That's great news for skiers and snowboarders. Mt. Washington Alpine Resort, the biggest ski area on Vancouver Island, is only 30 minutes away. In addition to hundreds of ski and snowboard trails catering to every level, they offer family-friendly winter activities like snow tubing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and sledding.

Mt. Washington is popular in summer, too, with lots of mountain biking and hiking trails to explore. There are many places in and around Courtenay for walking and bird-watching. Take to the walking trails in Nymph Falls Nature Park and Seal Bay Nature Park, both less than 10km from Courtenay. Woodhus Slough is a renowned wildlife area, and the Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens are especially beautiful with its rhododendrons in spring bloom.

Explore Vancouver Island's Provincial Parks and Wildlife

Vacation rentals in Courtenay let you easily explore some of Vancouver Island's most beautiful provincial parks. Mitlenatch Island Nature Provincial Park and Tribune Bay Provincial Park are both about 30km from Courtenay. Fillongley Provincial Park, 23km southeast of Courtenay on the eastern side of Denman Island, offers spectacular views across the water towards Hornby Island and the British Columbia mainland.

A bit closer to town, Kitty Coleman Provincial Park is only 6km northwest of Courtenay, providing refuge to mature forests and the Kitty Coleman estuary. You can also go on whale-watching and seal-watching tours from Courtenay, including fun kayaking encounters with orca whales.

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