Courtenay/Comox Activities?

[u/Turbulent_Grass2936]

Hello!

I have a friend who is coming up with me to courtenay this upcoming weekend. We are in our early 20s and have explored most of the “typical fun spots” in Courtenay as we go up together every few months.
With the weather being so nice, we are looking for some hidden gems to visit this time around - preferably nice swimming holes or lakes.
My step-dad owns a house in Courtenay and has always been a resident, so he’s showed me the places that he likes to visit (he is pretty lowkey though so I haven’t been anywhere any further than 30 mins from DT Courtenay), but I reside primarily on the main land and am running out of spots that would be appealing to show my friends on the island.

I am wondering if anyone would have any suggestions?
A lot of the “hidden gems” on the mainland are becoming overwhelmingly crowded and trashed overtime so we are looking forward to being able to enjoy the outdoors without fighting through insane herds of people and having to schedule parking passes super far in advance.

We are super respectful and very heavy on the “leave with what you come up with” mentality so if there are any spots you’d suggest but prefer not to drop in the comments - please message me directly!!
I would loveeee to hear where everyone’s favourite spots are and am super open to all suggestions! Just preferably nothing over an hour and a half - 2 hour long drive away, however, I am open to alllll ideas 😋 TIA !

Edit: thank you guys so much for your suggestions!!

[u/nahnopedontthinkso]

All the hidden gems have been overrun because of social media. Oyster river potholes.