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Duncan is a place worth visiting at any time of year. Museums, theatres, cultural centres, shops, galleries and the famous Farmers’ Market all operate year round and, because winters are mild, many outdoor activities can be enjoyed year round as well. These include fresh and saltwater fishing, hiking, self-guided tours of the city’s totem poles and bird watching. Seasonal pursuits include viewing spawning salmon (fall), winery tours (summer, fall) and, of course, skiing and snowboarding. Although diving is a year-round activity in local waters, visibility is best in winter.
Duncan sits amidst a latticework of rivers and lakes, including enormous Cowichan Lake. For this reason, campgrounds tend to be located in forested areas next to riverbanks or lakefronts, an ideal situation if you like having lots of recreational options at your fingertips when you camp. A lovely water view is also a stock feature of area golf courses, such as Arbutus Ridge Golf & Country Club, Cowichan Golf and Country Club, Duncan Meadows Golf and Country Club and March Meadows Golf Club.
Hiking trails in Carmannah Walbran Provincial Park lead to some truly spectacular sights, including some of the area's largest trees, but they're not for the faint of heart. It's necessary to travel active logging roads on the 4 - 5-hour drive to the park and the trails can be extremely muddy and difficult. Cowichan River Provincial Park, on the other hand, has a network of developed and undeveloped routes of varying levels of difficulty. The best known is the historic Cowichan River Footpath, an easy-to-moderate hike that takes about 6.5 hours to complete. The trail that runs through Trans Canada Regional Park follows an abandoned railway line from Shawnigan Lake to the Holt Creek trestle. Its flat surface and gentle grade make it a safe and easy trail for both hikers and cyclists.
Other ways to sightsee in the valley include guided paraglider flights and daytrips on the historic E&N Railway.
There are several unusual structures in the Duncan area. Outside the local community centre you'll find a giant, 23,118-kg (61,000-lb) hockey stick, the largest on earth. The city is also home to a totem pole that, in diameter at least, is the world's largest. The Cedarman Totem measures 2 m (6 ft, 7 in) around and stands 7.3 m (24 ft) high. As well, there's wooden railway trestle spanning the Koksilah River to the south that is one of the largest of its kind in the world. It's now a popular hiking and horseback riding destination.
Duncan is an arts-centred city. It actively promotes and celebrates the creative spirit through institutions like the Cowichan Centre for the Arts, art and music festivals and, especially, public art displays. Since 1985, more than 40 totem poles have been erected in parks and along city streets. You can tour them yourself anytime or, if you visit between May and September, you can join a guided tour. At a minimum, most visitors make a point of seeing the Cedarman Pole because it is, in diameter at least, the largest in the world.
Two of the best history-oriented attractions are the Quw'utsun' Cultural Centre and the BC Forest Discovery Centre. The cultural centre showcases the history and traditional ways of the Cowichan Aboriginal people through live demonstrations, hands-on activities and more. The discovery centre focuses on the history of logging in BC. Its indoor and outdoor exhibits are spread over 40 ha (100 ac) and include operational steam and gas rail equipment, logging trucks and a converted 1920s steam train you can ride.
Duncan-area attractions tend to showcase the things that have made the Cowichan Valley such a special place to live. Facets of the area's long and colourful history, for example, can be explored in depth at places like the Quw'utsun' Cultural Centre (history and traditional ways of the Cowichan Aboriginal people) and the BC Forest Discovery Centre (history of logging). When you tour Fairburn Farm, exotic animal ranches, (ie. IIama/alpaca) or wineries, you get a sense of the valley's agricultural bounty. And, when you watch owls, hawks, falcons and eagles circle and swoop overhead at the Pacific Northwest Raptors Bird of Prey and Falconry Visitors Centre, you're reminded that, no matter where you happen to be in the valley, you're never far from true wilderness.
Duncan has been known as the "City of Totems" for some time but, lately, it's also being referred to as the "Boutique Capital of Vancouver Island." Downtown, there are more than 100 unique shops, galleries, specialty stores and eateries crammed into a few city blocks. Duncan Town Square is the regular, Saturday venue for one of the largest Farmers' Markets on Vancouver Island and Whippletree Junction certainly rivals any island shopping district for pure, old-world charm. Its authentic and colourful turn-of-the-century buildings are a visual delight - it's hard to believe they were once slated for demolition.
Other amusing diversions in Duncan include live musical and theatrical performances at the Cowichan Theatre and the Duncan Garage Showroom and junior A hockey games (September - March).
Duncan is handy to many vast and beautiful parks containing ancient trees, heritage river systems, and wildlife. Head to Bright Angel Park to view wildlife and water birds, walk forest trails and brave the suspension bridge above the Koksilah River. In Gordon Bay Provincial Park, you can hike a forest trail that hugs the shoreline or hike in the open air, along the water's edge. Koksilah River Provincial Park is a great place to hike, swim or picnic. The river is home to a number of trout and salmon species and summer steelhead. Salmon spawn in the river between September and November. Seasoned and budding botanists should walk the public viewing trails at the Sutton Creek Wildflower Reserve and BC Forest Research Station. The reserve is home to the largest known concentration of pink fawn lilies in BC and the nearby research station maintains more than 30 tree species from around the world.
In and around Duncan, Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons are a common sight. The area's lush forests are alive with deer, Elk, Black Bears, cougars and songbirds. Watch the ocean for seals, sea lions, Killer Whales and Grey Whales. Kingburne Park and Somenos March are very rich in bird life.
There are some truly beautiful views around Marie Canyon, in Cowichan River Provincial Park. Picnic looking out over the river as it surges through the canyon or (in autumn) watching spawning salmon ascend the fish ladder at Skutz Falls.
Feeling stressed? Spend a lazy day sunning, swimming and picnicking at Maple Bay Beach or Cowichan River Provincial Park, which also offers kayaking, canoeing and easy-to-moderate hiking trails. Still tense? Relax and rejuvenate yourself in one of the area's many spas and wellness centres.
If you enjoy the water, the recreational options around Duncan are almost endless. Anglers can catch four species of trout, salmon and summer steelhead in local lakes and rivers and salmon, snapper, rock cod, ling cod, halibut, prawns and crab in the ocean. Divers can take advantage of some of the best cold-water diving conditions anywhere. Local operators offer boat charters, lodges and live-aboard dive vessels, as well as equipment rentals and lessons. Houseboating and jet skiing are very popular on Cowichan Lake (rentals are available) and Shawnigan Lake is a top spot for waterskiing, windsurfing, canoeing and kayaking. Local kayaking outfitters offer rentals and guided, single and multi-day excursions.
Winters in Duncan are mild enough that many outdoor activities, including golf, hiking, bird watching and diving, can be enjoyed year round. In fact, winter is the very best time for diving in the area (greater visibility). The city is also just 2.5 hours south of Mount Washington Alpine Resort, the biggest skiing and snowboarding facility on Vancouver Island. Ski season lasts from December to April.
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