The Alberni Valley is Adventure Central

Whether you love getting back to nature, fishing all day, or being part of a strong community, the Alberni Valley is the best place on Vancouver Island to discover adventure central the way you want.

We have Della Falls, the highest waterfall in Canada, and Mt. Arrowsmith, the highest mountain on southern Vancouver Island. We have the only quarter-mile drag strip on Vancouver Island (our Thunder in the Valley Drag Race is an event for everyone, even if you’re not a car nut), and we’re the only city in B.C. to host all four B.C. Games: Winter, Summer, Seniors, and Athletes with Disabilities. The first Old Age Pension cheque was given here in 1927, and we’re the birthplace of Kim Campbell, Canada’s first female prime minister.

Choose the Alberni Valley for your next adventure to connect with everything you love about Vancouver Island.

Geography

The Alberni Valley straddles Highway 4 on Vancouver Island, from the east end of Cameron Lake to the western tip of Sproat Lake. Encompassing Mt Arrowsmith, Cameron Lake, Cathedral Grove, MacMillan Provincial Park, the City of Port Alberni, and Sproat Lake, including Taylor Arm Provincial Park and Fossli Provincial Park. The terrain is diverse, with low-lying areas around the north end of the Alberni inlet, primeval rainforests, wild mountain regions, and Mt. Arrowsmith, the highest peak (elevation 1,819 m) on Southern Vancouver Island.

Wildlife

The Alberni Valley is home to a stunning menagerie of furred, finned, and feathered creatures, with plenty of opportunities to see them from a safe distance, so you don’t disturb the natural harmony they’ve created here.

On any given day in the Alberni Valley, you could see black-tailed deer, Roosevelt elk, beavers, and black bears. Wolves and cougars call this space home, but it’s unlikely you’ll run across them without making special preparations. In the high mountain areas of Mt. Arrowsmith, you might find the Vancouver Island Marmot, a species which occurs naturally only in the high mountains of Vancouver Island.

The rivers, streams, and lakes are teeming with life in the Alberni Valley, with some of Vancouver Island’s best spots to fish for steelhead, rainbow, and Cutthroat trout. And the Alberni Inlet and Barkley Sound are famous for salmon, as well as itinerant populations of humpback whales, orcas, harbour seals, and sea lions.

In the skies above the Alberni Valley, you might see many of the over 200 species of migratory and local birds, including bald eagles, hawks, and osprey.

Explore the Alberni Valley to connect with nature, adventure, and friends.