I figured I would post this here since many Vancouverites might be looking for a day trip this summer... and I think this particular route would make an excellent day trip.
The road in question is the new "Pacific Marine Circle Route", and it's on southern Vancouver Island. I drove it for the first time last week, and loved it so much that I felt compelled to recommend it to others.
For those unaware, this route is a "circle" that connects Victoria, Duncan, Cowichan, Port Renfrew, Jordan River, Sooke, and then finishes back in Victoria. (The only "new" portion is the east-west connection from Cowichan/Youbou to Port Renfrew... it was previously unpaved and treacherous.)
Personally, I wanted to ensure minimal traffic, so I left from Victoria around 8pm on Sunday evening. I drove north over the Malahat and directly to the highway 18 junction just north of Duncan. Turn left onto highway 18 (signs will direct you), and you'll be on a long and straight highway headed towards the summer vacation town of Lake Cowichan.
I've driven to Lake Cowichan many times, so this wasn't exciting... although Highway 18 itself can be a very fun road when there's no traffic. It's 4 lanes wide in most sections, it's extremely well paved and maintained, and it contains several long straight stretches. I would never condone "top speed runs" but if one were looking for a place to do so this would be as safe a spot as any. (
Interesting unrelated note: BMW's "speed limiter" is underrated by about 15 km/hr.. 
).
As with anywhere else, keep your eyes peeled for wildlife. Also, if you drive this road during sunrise/sunset, expect huge amounts of bugs to be plastered on the front of your car and your windshield.
After Cowichan, the road passes through Youbou. It's a tiny little town on the southwest side of the lake. Feels like it could be the setting for a horror movie... After Youbou, follow the signs and turn left onto highway 18 and you'll enter the new stretch of paved highway. It's 52km to Port Renfrew, and the whole drive is fun... but the first 30km of this highway are exceptional.
The paving is not perfect, but the first 30km past Youbou is in great shape since it's new. There are very few dips and bumps in this section. Since both sides of the road has been logged, visibility is excellent in most places, and you can often see up to a km ahead. In some sections you are able to see the road's switchbacks for a mile or two in front of you, which is quite fantastic as it allows you to watch for wildlife and oncoming traffic.
At the time of day I went, there was almost no traffic whatsoever. Even on a sunny Saturday you probably wouldn't see too many cars, although the route is popular with motorcyclists. I encountered six vehicles over the entire 52km route: four were oncoming, and I passed two.
The lack of traffic and wide open views allow you to take a "racing line" in most areas. This makes the switchbacks, hairpins, and sweeping turns an absolute blast to drive. Of course, keep an eye out for loose gravel, wildlife, and dips in the road... but for the most part it is a relatively safe higher-speed route. (I only encountered a few dodgy areas, mostly thanks to some scattered gravel in a heavy braking zone.)
A word of warning: obey the signs that say an upcoming turn should be taken at "30km/hr" or less. Obviously you
can go faster than that, but in many cases you can't safely go much faster than the posted speed. Signage overall is excellent for the entire route, with all sharp turns marked in obvious fashion. The only unmarked road hazards are dips in the pavement, but they shouldn't present a real danger unless you're traveling very fast.
As you approach Port Renfrew - for the last 15-20km of Highway 18 - the scenery on the sides of the road turns from clear-cut logging ground and thin underbrush to thick and heavily wooded old-growth forest. The road quality decreases in this section, partly thanks to decreased visibility ahead, although it's still a lot of fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this section although it wasn't as heart-pounding as the first 30km.
The entire route is two-lanes except for a few wooden bridges and a few sharp hairpin turns, where westbound traffic must yield to oncoming vehicles. I never had to yield as there were never any oncoming cars, although I always gave my horn a few taps before approaching the corner.
Once you reach Port Renfrew, you may want to stop at Botanical Beach. It is a fantastic west-coast experience, where you can see a boatload of marine life in the tidal pools.
To continue driving the route, follow the signs that tell you to turn left towards Sooke/Victoria. This portion of the drive is windy and bumpy, but it's also the most beautiful. It is non-stop switchbacks and elevation changes, and in most places it skirts the shoreline.
You'll drive along this bumpy but fun route for quite a while before you reach anything resembling civilization. Worthwhile stops include Sombrio Beach and China Beach. Surfers may also want to stop at Jordan River. There's plenty of wildlife to be seen in this stretch - I almost hit a black bear when I drove it last week. Ironically, that bear was the only wildlife I saw on the entire route (not a single deer until I was back in Victoria...).
Eventually, you'll reach Sooke, where the road becomes much busier... although it's still windy and a lot of fun to drive, skirting the shoreline and providing breathtaking scenery.
The entire route, according to Google Maps, takes about 5 hours. I did it in about 3.5 hours, but I only stopped once for a few minutes, and I experienced very little traffic. Of course I never broke any speed limits...
but if a person were to drive cautiously or encounter traffic, I could see it taking up to 6 hours. As such you would need to come over from Vancouver on an early ferry (9am latest) and plan to return late in the evening.
Final thoughts:
- This road should NOT be driven by any vehicles that are lowered significantly or have very stiff aftermarket suspension setups. My car (BMW 330ci) is lowered about an inch, and I never bottomed out at all - but there are bumpy sections and dips in the pavement that could really hurt a very low vehicle.
- Fill up with gas before starting this route. It's about 240km long, and there are 50km+ stretches without any service at all.
- There is not likely to be speed enforcement on the long stretches between Cowichan and Port Renfrew and Sooke to Port Renfrew... but the other stretches are main highways that are often patrolled by police. Beware.
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pic update..
Drove this road again yesterday. This time I was smart enough to bring my camera, and I took quite a few pics. Nothing too spectacular but they give you a general idea of the scenery/destinations on the route.
As for the road itself... pics speak for the themselves. It's a good road to get the most out of your car, if you enjoy doing so. I didn't drive particularly quickly yesterday, as there was a bit more traffic than the first time, but I still enjoyed it while driving more casually.
Interestingly, driving this route twice has really exposed how bad my brakes are when they get very hot. In my experience there aren't many roads that allow you to heat up the brakes enough to see how much they fade (not without driving very dangerously, anyway).
Right, so a couple shots of the road...
As I mentioned previously, the road is mostly open for the first half of the Cowichan-Port Renfrew stretch thanks to clear-cutting on either side. The more heavily-forested sections of the road, closer to Port Renfrew, are not as much fun due to dips in the road in a few sections. Can get irritating but there's still plenty of good sections.
There is a pull-off about half-way through that stretch, where a fucking HUGE tree is chilling beside the river. When my girlfriend and I stopped there yesterday there were a few German tourists with a measuring tape arguing about whether the tree trunk was 5 meters in diameter or 6 meters. They clearly resolved their dispute because they shook hands and left. (Didn't take a pic unfortunately.)
When you get the Port Renfrew there's a big delta/bog area which provides some pretty cool views. Saw two elk in a swampy area and two herons perched on a log.
When you get to Port Renfrew, you turn right and drive through the "town" to access Botanical Beach. It's a provincial park and there's a 1.5km trail to the beach/bay area. Didn't take too long to walk down, and it's worth doing imo. You're basically walking through a rainforest, so there's some cool shit to see.
We didn't see much sea life in the tidal pools aside from some crabs and snails, but I think we would've seen starfish and what not. Still a pretty sweet beach though, very rugged west-coast feeling.
I basically put my camera away once we left Botanical Beach, mostly because it was after 9pm and beginning to get dark. Nonetheless we saw some decent views the drive between Port Renfrew and Sooke. This section of road is amazing in its own right, aside from the stretches closest to Port Renfrew with a fair few potholes & dips in the pavement. There's a few ridiculously treacherous hairpins and over one-way bridges, so you wouldn't want to get overconfident as a bit of loose gravel could put you into the concrete barrier. There's one 20km/hr downhill hairpin that I actually took at 20km/hr.
Past Jordan River the road becomes more flat and wide open, but there are still some cliff-side twisties and slower corners to keep you awake.
One thing I've found annoying both times I drove this road is the lack of cell phone reception. Phone is useless from Cowichan to Sooke, which could be 3+ hours. Not too concerned about being inaccessible, but it can be discomforting when you drive a BMW known for exploding expansion tanks.
Regardless, still a drive very much worth doing if you've got a spare day.
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Would be a good route for a car club to do a cruise along... add in a stop for lunch somewhere and maybe swim in Cowichan Lake or a walk along China Beach or something.
