Port Renfrew, British Columbia, Canada on the west side of Vancouver Island is an association of neighbourhoods spread out along the San Juan harbour, San Juan and Gordon river estuaries and Highway 14. Traditional economic activities such as logging and fishing are prominent in the San Juan Valley. Logging became the mainstay of economic activity in the beginning of the 20th century throughout the San Juan Valley. This is evident as the main residential area known as "Beach Camp" can be attributed to the logging industry around "Port Renfrew" . There are many short trails, such as the Plankboard trail which are former logging roads. Other significant activities in the area include the establishment, at the turn of the century, of the Botanical Beach research station by the University of Minnesota, as a place to study rare sea plant and animal life.
The famous West Coast Trail , which extends north through Pacific Rim Park to Bamfield on the Alberni Inlet, is accessed through Port Renfrew. It developed due to the dangerous nature of the waterway route around the west coast of Vanouver Island, as there were nearly 140 shipwrecks in the near vicinity of the Juan de Fuca Straight. San Juan Harbour itself, is home to one or two shipwrecks. Also of regional significance is the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail , which runs through the provincial park stretching along the shore from Botanical Beach towards Jordan River.
Port Renfrew is located within the exceptionally wet and mild rainforest climate region found in Tofino, Ucluelet and that of the Olympic Peninsula found in Washington State. Port Renfrew receives an impressive amount of rain, with a average rainfall of 64.1mm in July, and 561.8 mm in November. The annual average total for rainfall is 3.6 meters, or close to 12 feet per year. With this rain comes the mild pacific weather, which makes Port renfrew much warmer than the average Canadian town. Other than the West Coast Trail, Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island also offers a number of other excellent outdoor recreation opportunities, such as sport fishing, related nature walks, giant Sitka Spruce and the tallest Douglas fir tree in Canada known as the Red Creek Fir , measured at 241 feet.
