Vancouver Island in Canada !!! When should we go in Sept. 2025? middle or end of the month?

September is a great time to visit, you can look at historic temps for ideas of what type of weather you will be in for. It will likely be cool (50-60 degrees) and damp fog and rain can occur at any time, can't avoid it so just pack accordingly.

It is pretty unlikely you'll see the Northern Lights there, it will be relatively early and you are too far south even at the northern part of the island. I would focus on enjoying the scenery on the ground instead. You'll probably be a tiny bit late for the orca migration season but could get lucky seeing a resident pod.

Here's a reference for spots to watch salmon runs - just know there isn't a great way to predict if there will be a good run until they start showing up: https://vancouverisland.travel/2024/09/06/best-places-to-watch-salmon-run-on-vancouver-island/ (note, this website has a lot of other info that could help you plan your trip)

You could consider flying to Victoria instead of Vancouver, especially if you're not going to spend any time there. Flights will route through Seattle or Vancouver anyway. Victoria is worth some time.

Thank you for your quick reply! With all that information I think we will move our trip up to the beginning of September and go to Santa Barbara at the end of the trip. We prefer non-stop flights, and there's almost a 2 hr and 15 min layover to fly from LAX into Victoria. I hear it's an easy 40 min. drive from Vancouver airport to the ferry, and the ferry ride is 'awesome'. So, I think we will do that. Thank you again! (We were just going to do some touring around S. California for 10 days, but I just wasn't excited about it. Now we are really excited about the trip to Vancouver Island!)

Be sure to book your ferries well in advance.
They sell out quickly in peak season, which is still September around here.

https://www.bcferries.com/book-sailings

Depending on the time of day you drive to the ferry terminals...there are two at opposite parts of the Island... it can take longer than 40 minutes from the airport to get to the terminal, and you have to be there no less than 30 mins before a booked sailing to claim your reservation.

Our traffic here has become insane lately....just IMHO.

Sooo, I can make reservations, but it sounds like it will be less stressful to have a 2 hour layover instead of trying to make a ferry. And, that probably is true....It would probably be more relaxing. I will certainly consider that. Thank you!

I would really plan to fly into Victoria. Picking up a rental car from Victoria airport is so much easier than the larger Vancouver airport and the drive to the ferry may be short, but can also be a lot of traffic.

JFK or EWR to YYJ (Victoria) on Alaska have a 65-90 minute layover in Seattle.

No need to fly through LA on your way to Canada.

14 days is a long time on the island. My opinion is you should cut that and spend some time in Vancouver proper. At least long enough to visit the Anthropology museum at the University. https://moa.ubc.ca/

Look into renting a cabin on the west side of the island. And take a drive up north to Campbell River.

Thank you all. Your suggestions are all great. (We're stopping in Los Angeles to visit friends on the way home)

Now, we will go in the beginning of Sept. after your holiday!) we're going to fly into Victoria. And then at the end of this leg, take the ferry to Vancouver for 2 - 3 nights. Then fly down to LA to the Santa Barbara area for 6 nights. Then home.

3 nights in Victoria and rent car (take a long day when we leave for stop overs en route to Ucluelet)
7 nights in Ucluelet --- do activities all around there and Tofino (this is as far north as we want to travel)
Drop off car and ferry to Vancouver
2 -3 nights in Vancouver
5 - 6 nights in Santa Barbara and a ranch/winery nearby.

Any suggestions? Should we split time at Ucluelet with a small town on the way from Victoria? Who wants to join us?

I went to university in Victoria and lived there for 9 years, and another year in Vancouver, so take this from me.

1. Flying to Victoria is great for convenience, but for visitors the ferry through Active Pass is one of the travel wonders of the world. Don't miss that opportunity. If you're lucky, you can see orcas, seals, bald eagles. Do get a ferry reservation though.

2. Top things to do in Victoria:

a) Walk around the Inner Harbour. Take a tour of the Parliament Buildings. Dip into the Empress Hotel for tea or a pint at the Bengal Lounge (you'll think you landed in Kipling's India). See the totem poles at Thunderbird Park. Definitely visit the Royal BC Museum (my favourite museum, but that may be nostalgia from when I was a kid).
b) Drive along the ocean front from Beacon Hill Park, eastward on Dallas Road, look out at Clover Point. Road eventually turns into Beach Drive which takes you through the Victoria Golf Club (Canada's Pebble Beach) and north through the Uplands (Canada's Bel Aire). You'll end up near my alma mater, the University of Victoria (Canada's prettiest university). Take Ring Road around the university. Set your GPS for Mount Tolmie Park (best viewpoint of the entire city and all the way across the Strait to Washington).
c) Butchart Gardens is pretty incredible if you're into gardens.

1. Oof, seven nights in Ucluelet is a LOT. Definitely go there, but unless you want to sit in a lodge and relax, there is just not that much to do in the area. Things to do in the area:

a) on the drive out there, make the short detour to Qualicum Beach. Its beautiful. From there, go to the Coombs Market (cool little market - the highlight is the goats eating the grass roof!). The road from there to Ucluelet passes through MacMillan Provincial Park. Stop at Cathedral Grove (home of the huge Douglas firs).
b) drive up via Long Beach (just like it sounds) to Tofino (artsy community). In fact, I would stay in Tofino over Ucluelet.

1. The drive to and from the ferry terminal is trafficky, but not difficult. Its freeway all the way until you cross the bridge and get intot the City of Vancouver. Vancouver highlights:

a) someone mentioned the Anthropology Museum. I've never been but heard its great. Its right in the University of British Columbia grounds, so nose around UBC (Canada's second prettiest university).
b) Stanley Park is a world famous spot. Don't miss it. Drive all the way around the seawall and get out whenever you can for a walk.
c) Take the Seabus from Canada Place to North Vancouver. Its just a little commuter ferry but you get great views and its just a fun little thing to do. On the North Vancouver side are lots of little markets, shops and restaurants.
d) Take the cable car up to Grouse Mountain. Not sure what's going on up there in September (I've only been in summer), but at the very least you get views like this: https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=24f8daa46635cbe3&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA942CA942&sxsrf=ADLYWIKqqmy-irmHO2ZB19VxrJm62nmnFg:1734445902243&q=view+of+vancouver+from+grouse+mountain&udm=2&fbs=AEQNm0Aa4sjWe7Rqy32pFwRj0UkWd8nbOJfsBGGB5IQQO6L3JzWreY9LW7LdGrLDAFqYDH2woUsp5q8yOe1Ezp2_yrNmolvrLbJ5Jh9uX5XSb_c583Pdba4orS8pZsOVGmDHFT4IDSrn71FeuVUvKoRWCbFz_HEDyTLdg_hT3s_dz_So1LDmEyRYiEJAoj8wHQOkvxIAKqjqDrMsDnoUEwShL9yir1hjCw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjqlYq_gq-KAxX8v4kEHbKzJQ8QtKgLegQIExAB&biw=1536&bih=695&dpr=1.25
e) If you can bump your trip up a few weeks, the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) runs the last two week of August up to Labour Day. Rides, food, concerts, lumberjack sports, superdog competitions, everything you would want to see in a fair.

As you can tell, I'm passionate about my home province, BC. I live on the other end of Canada now, but miss home terribly. I hope you have a great trip!

(edit: I don't know why the formatting is so glitchy).

I would agree with many of Darren’s suggestions. The ferry route between Vancouver (Tsawwassen) and Victoria (Swartz Bay) is quite lovely and different from the one you would take after being in Tofino (Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver). Traffic on the Metro Vancouver side of both routes can be unpredictable (bridges and tunnels that slow things down) so allow extra time.

In the Tofino area, consider staying at Pacific Sands Beach Resort which is south of Tofino and right on the beach. It is popular so best to reserve early. Tofino offers whale watching etc and Pacific Rim National Park is great for exploring.

Early September after Labour Day is an ideal time. School is back in session so everything isn’t quite as busy. (Darren mentioned the PNE but I don’t think it is an interesting enough attraction to change dates for. Plus the PNE dates are notoriously associated with some rainy days we often get in late August).

Enjoy your planning!

The ferry ride from Vancouver to Victoria can be nice, but if you get a rainy day you won’t see much. If you do decide to do the ferry trip, know that you can get there by transit from the airport. You just have to take the Skytrain a few short stops to Bridgeport station and catch the #620 bus to the ferry and board the ferry as a walk-on passenger. No need for a reservation for the car, and it’s a lot cheaper. Personally, I would fly, the weather is more often cloudy than not at that time of year.

Thanks Anita,
We weighed everything and decided to rent a car and take the ferry. But, thank you for your advice! I know the weather is iffy, but we're hoping for the best!
ann

Good luck with the weather, I hope it works out for you. If you are going to spend a couple days in Vancouver, you really don’t need, or want, a car. Parking can be quite difficult , and expensive, and transit will get you everywhere you need to go. Stanley Park is best seen on foot, or rent a bike. They have been experimenting with the road there, and restricted half of it to no cars in order to give more space to cyclists and others. You can buy a day pass for transit for $11.50, and it’s good for all buses, Skytrain, and Seabus. https://www.translink.ca/transit-fares/pricing-and-fare-zones

Adding you really don’t want or need a car in downtown Vancouver. Parking is difficult and expensive as Anita mentioned. But a car is a must on Vancouver Island. Another suggestion for low-key lodging just a bit south of Torino is at Ocean Village Resort if you want to eat a few meals in but a short drive to Tofino. We also spent a couple of nights in Ucluelet and that was plenty. There are also wineries and cideries on Vancouver Island if you are interested.

The Museum of Anthropology at UBC is wonderful and reopened after a long seismic upgrade. We also recommend Granville Island.

We lived in Crescent Beach for two years and always took the ferry to Victoria. We still have fond memories of Vancouver and Vancouver Island and try to go back every year or so.

Mr. Wagner: Thank you for your advice. We decided that we're just going to stay one night in Vancouver and hopefully will return some day in the future. Since so many of you have recommended the anthropology museum, I'm going to try and make that happen...they're open Thursday nights so I will try and jiggle the schedule around that. We will just park at the hotel and not use the car until we go to the airport. We hate driving in cities so we will definitely avoid that. Thank you again! We're really excited about this trip!

I am unclear if you will still have the vehicle for Vancouver. If you do, the O Canada House is a lovely B&B and they have free parking on site. We have stayed there a couple of times and parked there since we just drive up from WA. We park and have never needed to use our vehicle once there.

Miki: We will have our car for that one night in Vancouver.....to park and not move until we drive to the airport. We love B&B's and that one looks gorgeous, but I think we're going to stay in a room up high with a city view at the Marriott. But, thank you for the suggestion! Ann

Sounds like you have a great trip all planned out! Not sure where you've ended up on how many days you have on the island, but if you do have some extra time you could check out some of the Gulf islands (Gabriola, Quadra, and Hornby are my top faves at the moment).
For whale watching you could look at Telegraph Cove and/or Campbell River.

I've had a great time paddling with Tofino sea kayaking and stayed at their Inn which is great! Though in September I've also been fogged out more than once- so hopefully the weather is on your side. I personally think 7 days in Tofino is quite a bit of time, if you spent a little less time there you may have time to explore south of Victoria (Sooke area) which I think also has some great beaches!

Hope you have a great time! I second those who recommend the Anthropology museum- it's amazing!