Coastal Walking Trails in the Comox Valley- Salmon Pt to Oyster River

By Keith and Heather Nicol

   With the good hiking weather getting more sporadic we took advantage of the good weather on

There is lots of driftwood along the shore

Tuesday, October 17 to walk between Salmon Point and the Oyster River. This ocean walk is one of our favourites and is located roughly ½ between Comox and Campbell River. This hike is sometimes known as the “Pub to Pub” walk since it happens to connect 2 nearby pubs. We like this walk since it offers scenic views across Georgia Strait and to the mountains beyond. Also the backshore consists of open fields with some trees which is also aesthetically pleasing. We usually do the walk from the Oyster River Nature Park but this time opted to start at the Salmon Point RV park (watch for signs off the highway 19A). There is a prominent sign that points to the nature trail and there is a small parking area nearby at 49 53.307N, 125 07.565W.

Heather checking out the Harlequin Ducks near the shore

    We saw many people on the trail (many with dogs) and it is easy to follow. It winds through shore line trees and in some places you can get down to the stony shoreline if you want. There are large amounts of drift wood and we brought our binoculars along to see what ducks were in the area. We saw many colourful harlequin ducks as well as mallards closer to Oyster River. The trail is about 3.5 km one way so you can either drop a car at each end or return via the way you walked to return to your car. We opted for the later. Once you reach the Oyster River estuary the trail leaves the ocean and winds through the trees to the Oyster River Nature Park parking lot. Please respect the private land which the trail crosses. 

The trail is broad and easy to follow