 Hiking in Strathcona Provincial Park, Comox Valley Tourism photo
Whatever your age, tastes or budget, you’ll find plenty to divert you in Cumberland. Warm-weather activities include hiking, cycling, mountain biking, birding and camping. Canoeing, kayaking, lake swimming and trout fishing are the most popular water activities. Winter activities include downhill and cross-country skiing and snowboarding. Indoors, you can view magnificent Aboriginal masks at the I-Hos Gallery, enjoy live music at a café, visit the local museum or tackle the valley’s largest indoor climbing wall.
The Koumox aboriginal peoples played a hand in setting the coal mining industry in motion. They first led explorers to the coal seams in the hills above Cumberland. To learn more about their history and traditional ways, visit the Courtenay and District Museum or the I-Hos Gallery (both in Courtenay).
The forests around Cumberland are criss-crossed with trails of varying difficulty. While there are many options for strolling, hiking, cycling or horseback riding, the sub alpine terrain is especially well suited to mountain biking. Detailed trail maps are available from local businesses.
Cumberland’s architectural heritage has been well preserved. Many of its houses, commercial buildings, churches and gardens have been in continuous use since the mining boom years. Camp Road, for example, is lined with 19th century “company houses” and “bridal cabins” still stand along the village’s twisting alleyways. Bickle House, now a bed & breakfast, was built for a wealthy resident in 1921. Outside the village, remnants of the mining industry are slowly being swallowed up by forest regrowth. These include old mine sites, foundations and equipment.
You can enjoy the work of talented local artists in several galleries in Cumberland, as well as a number of cafes. Live music is offered in restaurants, pubs and restored churches at least once a week.
At one time, Cumberland was home to one of the largest Asian populations north of San Francisco. The Perseverance Creek Heritage Site marks the locations of their settlements. For the full story of mining in the area, visit the local museum. It has an impressive replica coal mine exhibit and also features documentary films, tours, genealogy archives and fascinating old photographs.
Cumberland is an excellent family vacation spot. Children will enjoy the water park, play area and BMX bike track at Cumberland Village Park; adults and older children can try their hand at scaling the largest indoor climbing wall in the Comox Valley at the Cumberland Recreation Institute. Visit the #6 Memorial Mine Park, which honours the many working men that lost their lives in Cumberland’s mines.
Make time for Port Alberni's Capitol Theatre. This vintage movie house has been completely restored and is now a live theatre venue. Tourists will also want to view Port Alberni's fascinating murals, which are located around the town.
Depending on the season, you can attend baseball games, BMX bike races and mountain biking events. If you visit in late June, you can take part in the annual Miners’ Memorial Day celebrations, a Canada-wide event that has special resonance in a mining town like Cumberland. At any time of year, you can enjoy art and music in local cafes, pubs and galleries and eclectic shopping (antiques, collectables, artisan breads) in the commercial district. Visitors head to Alberni Harbour Quay for shopping, where the waterfront boasts many shops, galleries and restaurants.
Cumberland is surrounded by a lush, second-growth forest filled with all kinds of interesting flora and fauna, including mushrooms, rare flowers and Chinese and Japanese medicinal plants introduced by immigrant miners over 100 years ago. Many bird species can be spotted around the Chinatown Swamp. The village is also a great jumping off point for hiking and camping excursions in Strathcona Provincial Park and the Beaufort Mountain Range.
Bicycles are a very popular mode of transportation in Cumberland, so set aside some time for a leisurely ride around the village. Visiting the quaint, heritage pubs is a good way to round out a day, as is buying a delicious, hand-dipped donut and savouring it slowly on a stroll through the park.
Beautiful, glacier-fed Comox Lake is where most people in Cumberland head to have fun in, on or around the water. It has safe, sandy spots for swimming, a boat launch and is handy to Cumberland Lake Park Campground. It’s also a great place for canoeing, kayaking and trout fishing. Trout are also plentiful at Maple Lake.
Cumberland is just 20 minutes away from Mount Washington Alpine Resort, the biggest skiing and snowboarding facility on Vancouver Island. It’s also surrounded by a vast network of trails suitable for cross-county skiing.
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