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Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve stretches for 120 km along Vancouver Island’s outer coast: from just south of Tofino to Long Beach, through to the Broken Group of islands off of Ucluelet, to the West Coast Trail, south of Bamfield.
It is known as a National Park “Reserve” pending resolution of land claims with the traditional landowners, the Nuu-chah-nulth.
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is unique in how it combines great accessibility with true wildness. It is divided up into three administrative sections.
The Long Beach Section, between Tofino and Ucluelet, is easily accessible by road, and has eight walking trails through a range of eco-environments ranging from beach to coastal bog to temperate rainforest.
The Broken Group section is a scattering of islets at the mouth of Barkley Sound, just south of Ucluelet.
The West Coast Trail section is harder to get to, a challenging 75 km coastal trail accessible only from the remote coastal villages of Bamfield and Port Renfrew.
The Long Beach Section of the park, although narrow and cut by the coastal highway, consists of true wilderness. It is frequented by all of our large carnivores: bears, cougars and wolves, so appropriate precautions and common sense are important when visiting here. This section of the park is officially open from March to October, but the trails are accessible to visitors year-round.
Outcrops at Schooner Cove, Long Beach
If you’d like a bit of luxury with your wilderness, treat yourself to lunch or dinner at the Wickaninnish Restaurant (not to be confused with the “new” Wickaninnish Inn near Tofino), situated on a rocky headland at the south end of Wickaninnish Beach, open March through September.
The Broken Group islands are accessible only by water: by tour boat from Ucluelet, by kayak (experienced paddlers only; it is a wide open-ocean crossing), or by the MV Frances Barkley out of Port Alberni through the summer months. Camping is permitted in designated campsites.
Whether travelling by tour boat or by kayak, the Broken Group is another great place to observe wildlife in its natural habitat: from humpback whales to sea otters to wolves (yes! the wolves, the bears, and even the cougars all swim, so keep up that common sense when camping here).
Sea-kayaking in the Broken Group, Barkley Sound
Both beginner and advanced paddlers can get out to the Broken Group with Majestic Ocean Kayaking. Or, if you’re not a paddler, try out Archipelago Cruises’ sunset cruise to the islands or book with one of the whalewatching companies.
There are two Pacific Rim National Park Reserve Visitors Centres in the Tofino-Ucluelet area: one at the Tofino-Ucluelet junction (where Highway 4 meets the Pacific Rim Highway), and one at the Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre, in the Long Beach section of the park.
- Photos & text by Jacqueline Windh©
