Quinsam Heights

Drive west and the ocean views give way to second-growth forest and the sound of moving water. This side of the city was built for families who wanted more room. The streets are quiet, the yards are bigger and the trailhead is often closer than the corner store.

The big draw is Elk Falls. The Campbell River drops about 25 metres into a rock canyon, and since 2015 a 60-metre suspension bridge has let you stand right above the gorge and feel the spray. It's at its most dramatic in spring and after autumn rain, when BC Hydro releases more water through the canyon. The Canyon View Trail loops from the bridge, across the river and back through the forest, and the park's campground fills up in summer.

The Quinsam River Hatchery is just down the road. It's a working federal hatchery, and in autumn you can watch chinook, coho and pink salmon return to the channels where they began. The riverside trails are open year-round and are popular with dog walkers and anyone who wants a quiet loop under the cedars.

Daily life is simple: school runs, a quick drive to the shops in the centre of town and weekends spent outside. Highway 28 runs along the edge of the neighbourhood toward Strathcona Park, so the lakes, ski hills and alpine trails of the island's interior are closer from here than from anywhere else in town.