Saysutshun (Newcastle Island Marine) Park

For an experience rich in history, culture and entertainment, do what people have been doing since the 1930s - hop a boat to Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park, one of the most intriguing parks in BC. Bring your own boat or take the passenger ferry from Nanaimo - a 10 minute ride that deposits passengers on Newcastle Island, located just a few hundred meters offshore from Vancouver Island. From a distance you'll see an island shoreline dominated by steep sandstone cliffs and ledges, interspersed with sunny beaches. Up close, you'll discover rocky caves and caverns - a marked contrast to the interior of the island, which is studded with mature Douglas fir, Garry oak, arbutus and dogwood trees.

Newcastle Island is accessible by boat only. Once you've reached Nanaimo (mainland visitors can ferry over via Horseshoe Bay), take the foot passenger ferry for the 10 minute ride from Maffeo-Sutton Park, just north of downtown Nanaimo on Hwy 1.