Island Backroads: Hiking, Camping, and Paddling on Vancouver Island

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is also the
author of The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese Women’s Lives, Kurlek, and
Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Hom

Island Backroads is a well-researched and well-organized guide to
backpacking, canoeing, camping, and fishing on Vancouver Island. The
author, an experienced outdoorsman, details trips by water and trails as
well as by logging and/or rough secondary roads.

In his introduction, Blier describes the hazards of logging roads and
what they can offer, such as spectacular vistas and wildlife. He also
advises trippers to drive defensively, keep lights on, and carry a
shovel. Warnings for wilderness paddling are particularly useful.

Paved roads that lead to the backroads and covered in Part 1. These
include Highways 1, 4, 14 (the West Coast Road), 19, 28, and the Port
Alice Highway. Part 2 covers logging roads, which are seasonally
suitable for passenger vehicles.

Part 3, Hiking and Paddling Destinations, features some of Vancouver
Island’s best wilderness trips. Each trip has six sections that cover
highlights and expectations, access, background information, sources for
pre-trip planning, maps, and guides.

Small black-and-white photos and maps contribute to the guide’s
attractive format, and a wealth of information facilitates pre-trip
planning. Island Backroads is a practical guide to some of the most
spectacular scenery in the world.