Port Renfrew, British Columbia
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Port Renfrew is a small
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
located on the south shore of Port San Juan, an
inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ...
on the west coast of
Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
in
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada. Port Renfrew has a population of 262 (as of the
2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, whic ...
) and has been touted as "the Tall Tree Capital of Canada".


History

Originally named ''Port San Juan'', the original colonists changed the name to honour Lord Renfrew who planned to settle crofters there. The name change was due to mail being sent to the
San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands is an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...
instead of Port San Juan and the inlet the town sits beside retains the name. Like many coastal Vancouver Island communities, Port Renfrew has a rich history of
forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...
and fishing. Between 1830 and 1925, 137 major shipping tragedies occurred in the immediate vicinity of the entrance to the
Strait of Juan de Fuca The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada) is a body of water about long that is the Salish Sea's main outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The Canada–United States border, international boundary between Canada and the ...
. This stretch of coastline around Port Renfrew became known as the Graveyard of the Pacific.


First Nations

The Pacheedaht First Nation, meaning "People of the Sea Foam", have traditional village sites in and around the main town centre.


Geography

Located at the head of the Port San Juan inlet, Port Renfrew lies adjacent to this
natural harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...
as well as the San Juan River. The other end of the inlet is located on the Strait of Juan de Fuca near its confluence with the Pacific Ocean. The San Juan Valley lies northeast of the town, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Port Renfrew can be accessed from Victoria via British Columbia Highway 14 or from
Lake Cowichan Lake Cowichan ( Nitinaht: ʕaʔk̓ʷaq c̓uubaʕsaʔtx̣) (pop. 3,325) is a town located near the eastern end of Cowichan Lake and, by highway, is a little over one hour northwest of Victoria, British Columbia. The town of Lake Cowichan was i ...
via Pacific Marine Road.


Climate

The climate is classic oceanic (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Cfb''), because it is close to the Strait of Juan de Fuca towards the interior, the Mediterranean trend of rainfall patterns begins to be evidenced with high annual rainfall (proximity to the ''Csb''), in terms of temperature is similar the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...
. Summers are warm and almost fresh and winters are mild, one of the mildest in all of Canada.


Attractions

Port Renfrew sits at the head of Port San Juan and the mouth of the San Juan River, affording it a variety of recreational activities such as fishing, kayaking, birding, and walking. The surrounding mountains and coastline are home to a variety of hiking trails, most notably the West Coast Trail to the north and Juan de Fuca Marine Trail to the southwest. The San Juan Valley to the east is home to numerous old growth forests and many of Canada's largest and oldest trees, including the Red Creek Fir and Big Lonely Doug.


In town

* Government Wharf - western terminus of Highway 14 * Tall Tree Music Festival - held annually on the last weekend in June since 2010


Nearby

* Avatar Grove — old growth forest preserved by the Ancient Forest Alliance * Juan de Fuca Provincial Park *
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is a national park located in British Columbia, Canada, which comprises three separate regions: Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands, and the West Coast Trail. It is located in the Pacific Coast Mountains, wh ...
* San Juan River Estuary Ecological Reserve


See also

*
List of communities in British Columbia Communities in the province of British Columbia, Canada, can include incorporation (municipal government), incorporated municipality, municipalities, Indian reserves, unincorporated area, unincorporated communities or Locality (settlement), localit ...
*
Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead ...
— a small settlement southeast of Port Renfrew


References

{{Authority control Designated places in British Columbia Juan de Fuca region Populated places in the Capital Regional District Populated places on the British Columbia Coast Spanish history in the Pacific Northwest Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia