Gold River, a village municipality, is nestled near the geographic heart of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Despite its location on the Island's west coast, it is considered part of the "North Island" in terms of human geography.
Gold River was established in 1967, leveraging its deep waters and lush forests to become a thriving logging and pulp and paper industry community. The village quickly prospered and built impressive community facilities. However, the closure of the mill in 1998 due to shifting world markets forced many residents to relocate.
Since then, Gold River has sought to capitalize on its stunning location amidst mountains, lakes, rivers, ocean, and forests to develop tourism and sport fishing as its primary economic supports. Today, Gold River serves as a base for popular activities such as the Nootka Island trek, hiking the Elk Lake trail, mountain climbing Golden Hinde (Vancouver Island's highest peak), Crest Creek climbing crags, MV Uchuck III, and the Great Walk.
Gold River also holds historical significance as the closest village to the renowned Yuquot, or "Friendly Cove", where British explorer Captain James Cook first set foot. Here, Cook met the Mowachaht native band's chief, Chief Maquinna.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Gold River had a population of 1,246 living in 610 of its 692 total private dwellings. This represents a 2.8% increase from its 2016 population of 1,212. With a land area of 10.92 km2 (4.22 sq mi), it had a population density of 114.1/km2 (295.5/sq mi) in 2021.
In 2001, a two-year-old male orca, later named Luna, was spotted in Nootka Sound as far inland as the marina at Gold River. Presumed to be an orphan separated from his pod, Luna became a local and international celebrity due to his playful and curious behavior with lumber tugboats, recreational watercraft on Nootka Sound, and people, including young children, on the Gold River dock. Luna's popularity made Gold River an international attraction from early 2002 until March 2006 when Luna was tragically killed in an accidental collision with a tugboat propeller.
Gold River experiences a Marine west coast climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb), characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The village's location inland and surrounded by mountains creates a unique microclimate, with adiabatic heating often causing summer shade temperatures to exceed 30 °C (86.0 °F).
Winter is the wettest season due to constant Low Pressure Systems moving off of the Pacific Ocean. While most precipitation falls as rain year-round, snow is not uncommon in the winter months, averaging 118 cm (46.5 in). The average annual rainfall is 2,846.7 mm (112.1 in), making the west coast of Vancouver Island the wettest place in Canada.
The record high temperature for the village was 43.7 °C (110.7 °F) recorded on June 28, 2021, during the Western North America heat wave. The record low was −19 °C (−2.2 °F) recorded on January 28, 1980.
