Qualicum Beach BC Real Estate Homes For Sale
Qualicum Beach is a town located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In the 2021 census, it had a population of 9,303. It is situated at the foot of Mount Arrowsmith, along the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island’s northeastern coast.
Here you will find amazing sandy beaches, picture postcard views, awesome biking and hiking trails, salt-tinged ocean air, and the small-town charm of our communities.
Spend some time in Parksville Qualicum Beach and recharge your batteries. Escape the crush of deadlines, traffic jams and over crowded spaces, and step back in time a little.
Seeing goats on a roof, exploring underground caves, strolling endless beaches at low tide, and walking among ancient old growth forests are just some of the experiences you’ll be able to tell your friends about back home.
Visitor Information on Qualicum Beach
Beaches
The Town of Qualicum Beach has over four kilometers of curving, postcard-perfect sandy beaches. When the tide is high, sightseers, bikers, hikers and their dogs keep to dry ground by utilizing the paved promenade that fronts one of Vancouver Island’s and BC’s most storied beaches.
The promenade is lined with picnic tables, shade trees, and lots of parking. Centrally located along the waterfront is a privately-run concession as well as a public boat ramp and public washrooms.
Neighbourhood Parks
Picture miles of green tree-lined pathways, studded with magnificent Coastal Douglas-fir. Picture walking the miles of sandy beaches along our shorline.
With 280 hectares of Town-owned parks and greenspace, and 14 kilometres of maintained trails, the Town is a paradise for outdoor recreation.
History
The name Qualicum means “Where the Dog Salmon Run” in the Pentlach language. Spanish naval explorers in the early 1790’s were off our shores naming Lasqueti and Texada Islands and, five miles south of Qualicum, named French Creek Punta de Leonards, a name that did not remain.
Land development in the Qualicum area did not begin until the late 19th Century. The Hudson’s Bay Company established Victoria in 1843 and Nanaimo in 1852. Spurred on by the profitable fur trade, the Company sent a party, headed by Adam Grant Horne, to find a land route to the West Coast. This successful trip inaugurated the Horne Lake Trail used by settlers and traders traveling to Alberni.
Horne had witnessed a terrible massacre of many Qualicum indigenous people at the mouth of the Qualicum River. However, many indigenous people still came to the area to fish, pick berries, dig for claims and hunt. Some sought work in the mining town of Nanaimo.
Active residents during the later part of the century were Qualicum Tom and his wife, Qualicum Annie. Tom had a canoe for hire to cross Horne Lake. They also had a hotel and store for those traveling via the Home Lake Trail.
Journeying south in 1864 the explorer, Dr. Robert Brown, spoke of a beautiful tract of land extending past the Qualicum River. This was one of the earliest complimentary remarks about our area.
In 1886 a road reached Parksville and was extended to Qualicum in 1894. The railway reached Parksville in 1910 and Qualicum in 1914.
