This route is the most scenic and runnable section of the coastal Island Highway on Vancouver’s East Coast. This is Highway 19A — a secondary Island Highway that runs along the coast between Parksville and Campbell Bay. For this stretch, Highway 19 is referred to as the Inland Island Highway, and carries more of the traffic. 

For 10 km between Fanny Bay and Union Bay, Highway 19A runs right along the coast and has a decent enough shoulder for running.  There are good views of the Georgia Strait along most of the way. The road does carry a fair bit of traffic, and cars can go fast, but the shoulder is fairly wide and is on  the water side. We would particularly recommend the 6 km stretch between Buckley Bay and Union Bay, as the road is closest to the water here. 

North of Union Bay, the road is a bit more inland.