Gordon River & Tall Trees
Vancouver Island, BC · Jun 16, 2026
A mixed-surface loop through the heart of southern Vancouver Island, linking Lake Cowichan and Port Renfrew by the Gordon River logging road and the Pacific Marine Scenic Highway. It threads ancient old-growth forest, passes giants like Lonely Doug, and follows crystal-clear rivers made for swimming. Ride it hard in a day or stretch it over a few with lakeside camping. Expect real climbing, long unpaved stretches, and some of the biggest trees in Canada.
The Gordon River & Tall Trees loop is a tour of the wild heart of southern Vancouver Island, looping out of Lake Cowichan on the Gordon River logging road and returning on a paved section of the Pacific Marine Scenic Highway. In between it strings together warm inland lakes, crystal-clear rivers, scenic vistas, and some of the biggest old-growth forest left in Canada. It is more demanding than the numbers suggest, with a lot of climbing folded into the day.
This is a route you can ride hard in a single big day if you are fit, or, far better, stretch into a relaxed two or three days with camping along the way. A little over 40 percent of it is unpaved, mostly logging road that ranges from smooth gravel to loose and chunky, with a genuinely rough climb partway around the route and a set of switchbacks later on. There is nothing too technical here, so any well-sorted gravel bike or mountain bike with wide tires and low gearing is the right tool.
The trees are the whole point. A rough spur off Edinburgh Main climbs to Lonely Doug, the second-largest Douglas fir in Canada, left standing alone in a former cutblock, with Eden Falls and the ancient stand of Eden Grove close by. Avatar Grove sits just up the road, home to the twisted giant known as the Gnarliest Tree in Canada, and Fairy Lake holds the much-photographed little fir growing straight out of a sunken log. Between the forests the rivers steal the show, with deep emerald pools below small falls that are cold, clear, and perfect for a swim on a hot day.
Plan it around the summer, when the roads are driest and the swimming holes are at their best from June to September. Lake Cowichan bookends the loop with real services, including groceries, cafes, pizza, and ice cream, and Port Renfrew makes a natural midpoint for a coffee at Beach Camp and a side trip to the tide pools at Botanical Beach. For an overnight, the forestry recreation sites at Fairy Lake and Lizard Lake are easy, scenic camps. One important note: the route crosses active private logging land, so watch for trucks and do not wild camp north of the two caution points marked on the map. This route was created and shared by Salty Beard Adventures, and you can see it on Ride with GPS.
