This Map of Central Island and the Sunshine Coast contains many links to our pages on Towns, Lakes, Rivers and Parks. Click on a live area of the map to link to the desired page. One such scenic view is the profile of Howe Sound Crest as revealed when you look back towards the city of Vancouver from Parksville. The farther north you head towards Courtenay and Campbell river, however, the more the peaks and glaciers of Vancouver Island's ranges, principally the imposing Comox Glacier, Forbidden Plateau, and Mount Washington, rise in the west and vie for equal attention. As the highway winds past well-kept farms, this is a serenely rural part of the journey.
Flowers abound in the gardens that front many of the homes along the way.
Small rivers such as the Little Qualicum and the Englishman , as well as the mightier ones such as the Puntledge and the Campbell , empty into the strait. From the highway you catch glimpses of quiet green forest settings on the banks that line each river's course. Come late summer, these streams teem with spawning salmon. For much of the way between Courtenay and Campbell River the Island Highway runs beside Qualicum Bay, an area rich in seafood. Pullouts beside the road give easy access to the bay's sand and pebble beaches.