hi,

4wd not needed, but is useful on some steep loose gravel. Roads from Port Renfrew to Cowichan - one is paved, and one (Gordon River watershed route) is not. From Victoriha to P. Renfrew then back to Victoria via road to Cowichan would take about 4-5 hrs (including stops at various sights).

Victoria to Nitinat Village (not going via Cowichan, not P. Renfrew) takes about 2.5 - 3.0  hrs. From Nitinat area to Bamfield is another hour. Bamfield to P. Alberni, well maybe 2 hrs?

Fellow listmember David B. and I went on trip from Victoria to P. Alberni - the back way - a year ago last April when e came out west on his "Twenty Eleven N.A. Tour". Some pics of that trip here on my blog

http://shufti.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/another-logging-road-trip/

cheers

alistair

On 2012-07-10, at 10:47 PM, Gab and Em wrote:

> John,
> Really good stuff.  Really.
> 
> Was 4WD useful or required?
> 
> Tell me, is the road to Lake Cowichan paved?
> 
> Would it be obvious to navigate from P. Renfrew to Carmanah (the upstream
> park) by the back roads?  (Or would I need a map, and no bored toddlers
> shouting.)  How long would that take, roughly?  (A key bridge was washed
> out c. 1996; not sure if or when it was rebuilt.)
> 
> And from Carmanah to Bamfield and Bamfield to P. Alberny? (roughly)  Are
> any of those roads paved, or signed? (Am I making you laugh?)
> 
> Thanks,
> Gab
> Once a VanIsler.