Black Creek

Black Creek is a small town located on the eastern shore of North Central Vancouver Island, home to stunning beaches and outdoor recreation. At nearby Saratoga Beach, the tide goes out for over a quarter of a mile, creating a hard-packed oceanfront playground perfect for children to safely explore. The gently sloping beach continues for well over a mile into the calm waters of the Salish Sea (Strait of Georgia), creating warm, shallow and safe swimming conditions. Beachcombing is a must here, where you can discover the life at low tide – a seashore profusion of sand dollars, crabs, and starfish. Miracle Provincial Park is close by with a picnic area overlooking the water and a series of lovely trails winding through lush forest. You can visit the Oyster River Hatchery, check out the seals and sea lions in Seal Bay Regional Park, do some saltwater fishing for salmon, or even rent a go-cart and race around the Saratoga Speedway, or just watch others do it.

Marina at Pacific Playground Resort in Black Creek

Location

Black Creek is located on the eastern side of Vancouver Island, 21 km (13 mi) north of Courtenay and 29 km (18 mi) south of Campbell River off Hwy 19. It is also 36 km (22 mi) north-east of Cumberland.

A Step Back in Time

During the early 1900s, Black Creek was the site for several logging camps, however, in the 1930s, the area was made available to German speaking Mennonite settlers primarily from Russia via Mexico or the Canadian prairie provinces. The land which had once boasted some of the largest Douglas firs in the world was now a community of dairy and fruit-growing farms. Even today, there are still many small but beautiful gardens and farms lining the Old Island Highway.

In the 1950s, many Austrian and German immigrants were sponsored by Black Creek Mennonites, and much of the life of the community was conducted in a mixture of German and English well into the 1960s. The conservative and church-oriented community contributed significantly to the musical and academic life of the Comox Valley. Black Creek still retains two Mennonite churches (United Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren), though only a few of the original families still live in the area.