Coombs

• Lodging in this community
• Camping in this community 

History

During the early part of the twentieth century, nearly a quarter of a million poor English and Welsh immigrated to Canada as part of the Salvation Army's immigration program. A handful of families settled in the Coombs area around 1910 under the leadership of the Salvation Army's Ensign Cargo. The community was named after the Army's Canadian Commissioner, Captain Thomas Coombs.

Location

Coombs is located on the Port Alberni/Tofino Highway 4, 5.5 miles (9 km) west of Parksville on Vancouver Island.

Places to See

• Coombs Old Country Market

Famous for its family of goats grazing on the grass rooftop, the Coombs Old Country provides the freshest local produce, a selection of gifts from the farthest reaches of the world, and a delicatessen that specializes in a variety of international meats and cheeses. There are also selections of groceries from many European countries, a scratch bakery, and a restaurant featuring a wide selection of mouthwatering burgers, wraps, and sandwiches.

• Coombs General Store

Established in 1912, the Coombs General Store has the original wood floors and shelves of memorabilia and old photos that add to its historic charm. There is also a huge selection of penny candy.

• Coombs Emporium

Located next to the Old Country Market, the Coombs Emporium resembles an old western town and is filled with tiny shops.

• Butterfly World

Imagine strolling through tropical gardens filled with trees, plants flowers, and butterflies from around the world. Enjoy rare tropical plants with their exotic aromas and flashes of color. Share the world of the butterflies as they fly, sip nectar, court or simply bask in the sunlight, showing off their glorious colours. They're everywhere- hundreds of them, all sizes, shapes and colors, ranging from the Giant Atlas Moth (10" wing span) to the tiny Red Periot Butterfly (1/2" wing span). As they fly from flower to flower, they sometimes mistake people for flowers and alight on their shoulders, heads and arms searching for nectar.

• World Parrot Refuge

The World Parrot Refuge is an educational facility that provides a "Home for Life" for previously owned pet parrots, and is operated by the "For the Love Of Parrots Refuge Society" (FLOPRS). The Refuge has over 600 parrots, a dedicated team of staff and volunteer carers, and 23,000 square feet of heated indoor free-flight aviaries with plans for 16,000 square feet of easily accessed outdoor flights for the warmer months.  

• Hamilton Marsh

Hamilton Marsh provides a natural habitat for marsh birds and is particularly active in spring and fall with migrations of ducks and geese. Woodland trails from the small parking lot lead you to and around the marsh, with a viewing platform for closer observation of the marsh inhabitants. Hamilton Marsh is located approximately 4 km north of Coombs on South Hilliers Road, just off the Alberni Highway 4.

• Little Qualicum Spawning Channel

Over 4 million chinook salmon are raised annually at the Little Qualicum Spawning Channel, with the best visiting times being February to June and October to November. This hatchery is not to be confused with the big Qualicum Falls Hatchery, located on the Qualicum River north of Horne Lake.

• Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park

Impressive waterfalls cascade down a rocky gorge in a beautiful forested setting bordered by steep mountain peaks at this park, one of the most beautiful parks on central Vancouver Island. The falls, lake swimming, shaded riverside trails and picnic facilities make Little Qualicum Falls a very popular family recreation destination. A number of walking trails are available in and around the park, offering picturesque views of the river and providing access to the upper and lower falls.

Cameron Lake is an ideal spot for swimming and fishing, as well as sail boarding, due to a wind funnel created by the surrounding mountains. The Cameron Lake and Beaufort day-use areas are located 10 minutes west of the campground on Highway 4.

• Englishman River Falls Provincial Park

Situated along the pristine Englishman River north of Nanaimo, Englishman River Falls Provincial Park features two stunning waterfalls cascading along the descending riverbed into a deep canyon.

This picturesque destination, set amid a lush old-growth and second-growth forest of Douglas fir, cedar, hemlock and maple, is an ideal location from which to explore and appreciate the incredible diversity of south central Vancouver Island, including nearby Cathedral Grove, the Pacific Rim, and the sandy shores of Parksville and Qualicum.

The park has a large day-use area and campground and contains several hiking trails that meander through the forest and along the river. Visitors can expect spectacular views along the way, particularly from two bridges that cross the river where it plunges down the narrow rock canyon toward quieter waters below. The lower falls end in a deep crystal-clear pool - an ideal swimming hole in the summer when river levels are low and a great place to view spawning salmon in the fall.

Things to Do

• Fishing

The Englishman River provides excellent bank casting for rainbow, cutthroat, and steelhead trout. A number of the rivers on Vancouver Island also carry brown trout.

• Hiking

Excellent hiking trails can be found at both Englishman River Falls and Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park.

• Golf

Six world-class golf courses can be found in the nearby Parksville and Qualicum Bay area. There's the Morningstar Golf Club in Parksville, or Arrowsmith Golf and Country Club, Eaglecrest Golf Club, Glengarry Golf Links, and the Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Course in Qualicum Beach.  

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