Make Parksville your outdoor playground
Credit to Author: Dave Pottinger| Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2019 22:21:17 +0000
My heart races as I try to find my footing while trekking through the dark and unfamiliar underworld. I balance carefully along the raised ridges of the cave’s crevices, while firmly grasping the hand of my youngest child. I can tell that she’s as nervous as I am to proceed, as she hasn’t spoken a word.
Up ahead, I see the flickering lights of the headlamps of my husband and two older children who are rushing ahead. Their voices echo as they call for us to “hurry up!”
But we are in no hurry, we stop hand-in-hand, and tilt our headlamps up towards the ceiling. The crystal formations look as though they are dripping down towards us. Caving has taken me completely outside of my comfort zone, but the sight of the fascinating formations calms my nerves, and we continue deeper into the darkness.
What we’ve discovered is that Parksville is a paradise for those who love to explore the outdoors, whether you’re looking try spelunking, or play along the water’s edge, or biplane from the top of the trees.
The Horne Lake Caves offer a chance to explore underground.
Horne Lake Caves
Get suited up in headlamp-equipped helmets and oversized gumboots, and hit the tree-lined trails of Horne Lake Provincial Park to embark on a spelunking exploration through Horne Lake Caves. There are enough caves that you can choose from varied tour levels depending on your interest and skill set.
My family opted for the Riverbend Cave Explorer Tour – the easiest tour available, which doesn’t require any crawling on all fours or difficult vertical climbing. The gumboots are to keep you from getting your feet wet as there’s a stream that flows along the cave’s floor during the wetter months.. For those of you who are uncomfortable in dark spaces, beware of the short “lights out” session that takes place during the tour, in which everyone turns off their headlamps and stand in complete darkness.
For those wanted a bigger adrenaline rush the Extreme Cave Rappel Tour, includes a descent by rope down a 7-story “Rainbarrel” waterfall, where you can marvel at the incredible “China Shop” room, completely surrounded by beautiful crystal formations.
Wildplay Nanaimo
Only a 40-minute drive from Parksville, you can take tree climbing to new heights, with a trek through thrilling aerial adventure courses.
My two older children ascended a log ladder and climbed onto a small platform that sits 50 feet above the ground, before whizzing down a zipline to the next stop on the course which included teetering along swinging logs and wobbly bridges.
WildPlay Nanaimo also offers bungee jumping.
At WildPlay, you can choose your thrill based on your comfort level, with 19 ziplines, 67 aerial games, a 40 foot jump, or giant swing to enjoy. Kids (5 and up) can choose from a smaller kids’ course, or tackle one of the more advanced courses – and grownups are encouraged to give it a go, too!
If your family wants to up the intensity, you can opt for a 150-foot-high bungee jump off the steel bridge with Bungee Jump or Primal Swing.
If you’re not really gung-ho about heights stroll along the scenic trails and watch from below.
The scenic shores
Parksville is best known for its long-stretching, low-tide beaches, with the warmest ocean swimming water in Canada, so a day spent playing along the shore is a must. On the last day of our visit we chose to sit on the sand and watch as our children wandered further and further towards the horizon in search of seashells and sand dollars.
Exploring at Parksville Beach.
At low tide, the water meets the sand nearly a kilometre from the shore. My youngest opted to stay closer to us on the dry sandy beach, and spent hours collecting a treasure trove of goodies.
In July, this beach is the official site of the annual Parksville Sand Sculpting Competition & Exhibition, a world-class event that welcomes over 120,000 visitors.. The beach is also the ideal spot for kite-flying, and if you’re ready to take a break from your busy day of outdoor play, you can settle in on the sand and enjoy a quiet picnic lunch while you take in the breathtaking beach views that surround you.
Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort
While Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre is best known for its adults-only Grotto Spa (named the #1 spa in Canada), and its proximity to Parksville’s renowned warm-water ocean beach (the property sits right on its shore), the spot offers a slew of summer recreational programs for kids as well.
A room at Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort.
Craft classes, scavenger hunts, sand sculpture contests, and movies under the stars are just some of the summer offerings available. Fuel up at the on-site Cedars Restaurant & Lounge, where you can dine on local, regional, and international dishes made by award-winning Executive Chef Eric Edwards, and then soak your muscles in the soothing mineral pool at the spa, and rest your head in one of the spacious spa bungalow rooms (perfect for larger families or groups).