Moon Vancouver
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Cathedral Grove
The biggest trees—colossal Douglas firs—are on the south side of the highway. The largest measures more than 30 feet (9 meters) around. On the north side of the road, the trail passes through groves of ancient western red cedars and along the shore of Cameron Lake.
Cathedral Grove is 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Nanaimo and 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of Port Alberni. Highway 4 runs directly through the park; there’s a parking lot near the big trees.
CAR
Via Horseshoe Bay
BC Ferries’ Horseshoe Bay Terminal (6750 Keith Rd., West Vancouver), where the most direct ferries leave for Nanaimo, is on the North Shore, 12 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of downtown Vancouver. The Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay Ferry (one-way adults $17.20, ages 5-11 $8.60, cars $56.45, bikes $2) takes one hour and 40 minutes.
From downtown Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay, take West Georgia Street to the Lions Gate Bridge. Watch the signs carefully as you approach Stanley Park en route to the bridge to stay in the proper lane. The center lane on the three-lane bridge reverses its travel direction at different times of the day, typically creating two travel lanes into the city in the morning and two travel lanes toward the North Shore during the afternoon rush hour.
After you cross the Lions Gate Bridge, bear left toward Marine Drive west/Highway 1/Highway 99. Enter Marine Drive and stay in the far right lane to take the first right onto Taylor Way (the sign says “Whistler”). Follow Taylor Way up the hill, and exit left onto Highway 1 west. Continue on Highway 1 to the ferry terminal. The drive from downtown to Horseshoe Bay generally takes about 30 minutes, but allow extra time during the morning and afternoon commute times.
From late June through early September, ferries between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay generally make eight or nine trips daily, with six or seven daily runs the rest of the year; check the BC Ferries website (www.bcferries.com) for the seasonal schedule.
The Departure Bay Terminal (680 Trans-Canada Hwy., Nanaimo) is two miles (3 kilometers) north of downtown Nanaimo.
Via Tsawwassen
Another route between the mainland and Nanaimo is the Tsawwassen-Duke Point Ferry (one-way adults $17.20, ages 5-11 $8.60, cars $56.45, bikes $2). The ferry ride is two hours. Ferries run 6-8 times per day. Consider this route if you are traveling to the Nanaimo area from points south of Vancouver.
The Duke Point Terminal (400 Duke Point Hwy., Nanaimo) is off Highway 1, nine miles (16 kilometers) south of downtown Nanaimo.
PUBLIC TRANSIT
From downtown Vancouver, bus 257 for Horseshoe Bay Express (www.translink.ca; 45 minutes; one-way adults $4.10, seniors, students, and ages 5-13 $2.80) runs to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal from several stops along West Georgia Street. The slightly slower bus 250 for Horseshoe Bay (www.translink.ca; 55 minutes; one-way adults $4.10, seniors, students, and ages 5-13 $2.80) follows a similar route. Alternatively, Greyhound (800/661-8747, www.greyhound.ca) operates several buses daily to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal from Pacific Central Station (1150 Station St.; 45 minutes; adults $5.05-15.20).
After taking the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay Ferry (www.bcferries.com; 1 hour and 40 minutes; one-way adults $17.20, ages 5-11 $8.60), catch B.C. Transit bus 2 (www.bctransit.com/nanaimo; 20 minutes; one-way adults $2.50, seniors, students, and ages 5-11 $2.25) from the Departure Bay Ferry Terminal to downtown Nanaimo.
The West Coast
Vancouver Island’s west coast can feel like the edge of the world. After you climb the winding road up and over the spines of mountains in the center of the island, you finally reach the west shore, where the Pacific waves crash along the beach. Here are the ocean sands and peaceful coastal rainforests of the island’s first national park, along with two easygoing west coast towns, larger Tofino to the north and Ucluelet to the south. These peninsula communities have whale-watching tours, First Nations canoe trips, and plenty of other outdoor adventures, as well as good restaurants and beachfront lodges.
The weather on the west coast can be cooler, damper, and more changeable than elsewhere on the island. Bring layers, rain gear, and shoes or boots that can get wet.
Whatever the weather, the west coast is a laid-back region where local surfers carry their boards on their bikes, and cocktail hour can seem like a sacred ritual. And it’s hugely popular with travelers: Tofino’s population of 2,000 can swell to more than 20,000 on weekends in July and August.
Don’t worry, though. Even in midsummer, there’s plenty of room here at the edge of the world.
S PACIFIC RIM NATIONAL PARK RESERVE
With 14 miles (22 kilometers) of sandy beaches and dunes backed by coastal rainforest, the reserve protects a wide swath of Vancouver Island’s west coast. Established in 1970, it was the island’s first national park.
VISITING THE PARK
The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve has three geographically separate components. Most visitors head directly to the park’s Long Beach Unit (Pacific Rim Hwy., 250/726-3500, www.pc.gc.ca), north of the Tofino-Ucluelet junction. The park visitors center is here, as is the longest beach on the island’s west coast. You can camp, too, although you can easily day-trip to the park from Tofino or Ucluelet.
You can reach the park’s Broken Islands Group, offshore in Barkley Sound, only by boat. Check the park website for recommended tour operators who organize guided kayaking or sailing tours to the islands.
Also part of the park is the 47-mile (75-kilometer) West Coast Trail (May-Sept.), a rugged backpacking route.
Park Passes and Fees
Purchase a day pass (adults $7.80, seniors $6.80, ages 6-16 $3.90) for the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve at the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre (2791 Pacific Rim Hwy., Ucluelet), at the park’s Kwisitis Visitor Centre (Wick Beach, off Pacific Rim Hwy.), or from vending machines at parking lots within the park.
Buying a Parks Canada annual discovery pass (adults $67.70, seniors $57.90, ages 6-16 $33.30, families $136.40), valid for a year, is a good deal if you’re spending at least a week in one or more parks. It’s good at more than 100 national parks and national historic sites across Canada. Buy annual passes online from Parks Canada or at any park visitors center.
For both day and annual passes, family passes cover up to seven people in a single vehicle.
Visitors Center
Start your park visit at the Kwisitis Visitor Centre (485 Wick Rd., off Pacific Rim Hwy., 250/726-3524, www.pc.gc.ca; 10am-5pm daily May-mid-Oct., 10am-5pm Fri.-Sun. mid-Oct.-May). The park encompasses the traditional territory of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation, and you can get an introduction to their culture though the center’s exhibits.
SPORTS AND RECREATION
Beaches
Confusingly, Wickaninnish Beach is not the beach where the deluxe Wickaninnish Inn is located; that hotel is on Chesterman Beach. Rather, the wide dune-backed Wick Beach is adjacent to the park visitors center.
North of Wick Beach and adjacent to old-growth forest, Long Beach creates the longest sand dune on Vancouver Island; it’s more than nine miles (16 kilometers) long.
Hiking
Several gentle hiking trails start from the park’s Kwisitis Visitor Centre. The Nuu-chah-nulth Trail, 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) each way, has interpretive panels about First Nations culture. You can branch from this trail onto the 0.5-mile (800-meter) South Beach Trail, which leads to a pebble beach with often spectacular waves; don’t swim here, though, due to the strong currents. The gentle Shorepine Bog Trail, a 0.5-mile (800-meter) loop, takes you through an old-growth temperate rainforest.
CAMPING
Above the beach, 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) north of the Tofino-Ucluelet junction, Green Point Campground (www.pc.gc.ca; May-early Oct.; $23.50-32.30) has 94 drive-in sites and 20 forested walk-in sites with flush toilets and running water but no showers.
The walk-in sites include five equipped camping sites ($70), which are handy if you’re not traveling with your own camping gear. The equipped sites come with a ten
t that sleeps 4 to 6 people, sleeping pads, a tarp shelter, stove, and lantern. You need to bring sleeping bags or bedding, cooking supplies, food, and other personal items. Remember your flashlights.
Make campsite reservations (877/737-3783, www.reservation.parkscanada.gc.ca) online or by phone, beginning in January for the upcoming season. Reservations are especially recommended for stays between mid-June and August.
GETTING THERE
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve’s Long Beach Unit is located off Highway 4, 19 miles (30 kilometers) south of Tofino and 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Ucluelet.
By car and ferry from Vancouver, the 165-mile (260-kilometer) trip across the Strait of Georgia and then across Vancouver Island takes about six hours. Drive northwest from Vancouver to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal and take the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay Ferry (www.bcferries.com; 1 hour and 40 minutes; one-way adults $17.20, ages 5-11 $8.60) to Nanaimo. When you leave the Departure Bay ferry terminal, follow the signs to Highway 19/Parksville. Just past Parksville, exit onto Highway 4 westbound toward Port Alberni. Check your gas gauge; there are no gas stations between Port Alberni and the Pacific coast.
Highway 4 comes to a T at the Tofino-Ucluelet junction. Turn right (north) onto the Pacific Rim Highway toward Tofino. The park’s Kwisitis Visitor Centre is five miles (eight kilometers) north of the junction.
REST STOP: SPROAT LAKE
When you’re driving to or from Vancouver Island’s west coast, there are few places to stop as you cross the mountains between Port Alberni and Tofino. For a break or some good food, stop at Sproat Lake Landing (10695 Lakeshore Rd., Port Alberni, 250/723-2722, www.sproatlakelanding.com), where Drinkwaters Social House (11am-11pm Mon.-Fri., 9am-11pm Sat.-Sun.) serves farm-to-table meals overlooking the 15-mile (25-kilometer) lake. If you have time, take a 90-minute cruise on the Drinkwater IV tugboat (10am and 2pm daily spring-fall, $45). Book one of the seven modern guest rooms ($140-250) if you want a longer rest; the best have lake views.
Sproat Lake
S TOFINO
Like all of the west coast, the Tofino area was First Nations territory where generations of fishers and hunters lived and foraged, both on the mainland and on the islands offshore. Spanish explorers first ventured to the region in the late 1700s, followed quickly by British expeditions, but it wasn’t until 1909 that the town of Tofino was officially established, when fishing, logging, and mining were the main occupations along the coast. Tofino’s nickname comes from these hardscrabble jobs and the region’s stormy winters: Tough City.
While surfers and other nature-seekers began arriving in the 1960s, the creation of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in 1970 and the paving of Highway 4 to the coast in 1972 launched the modern tourist era.
Today, laid-back, surfer-friendly Tofino has a small village around its scenic harbor, where fishing vessels set off to sea, whale-watching and other tour boats dock, and floatplanes come and go. The beaches and oceanfront lodges are on the peninsula, south of town.
SIGHTS
The Tofino Botanical Gardens (1084 Pacific Rim Hwy., 250/725-1220, www.tbgf.org; 9am-dusk daily; adults $12, seniors $10, students $8), two miles (3 kilometers) south of town, offer a refuge from the wilderness of Vancouver Island’s wild west coast, with cultivated plants, old-growth rainforest, and works by local artists. Many plants are local, including a tree that’s roughly 800 years old, while others include Chilean rainforest vegetation, Himalayan lilies (the world’s largest), and other varieties that grow in climates similar to that of British Columbia’s coastal regions. Examine the traditional dugout canoe, handmade by First Nations carver Joe Martin, displayed with photos of his family and commentary from his children. Kids may appreciate the chickens and goats that wander the garden’s grounds. Named for Charles Darwin and stocked with “books full of dangerous ideas,” Darwin’s Café (hours vary) serves coffee, homemade pastries, and light breakfasts and lunches.
Tofino Botanical Gardens
The Whale Centre (411 Campbell St., 250/725-2132, www.tofinowhalecentre.com; 9am-5pm daily May-June and Sept.-Oct., 8am-8pm daily July-Aug., hours vary Nov.-Apr.; free) has a little museum with a gray whale skeleton and information about local marinelife.
TOURS AND EXCURSIONS
To really experience the west coast, get offshore to explore the coastline and nearby islands, and look for the wildlife that populates the region. Most tours operate from March or April through October or November, although trips can be postponed or canceled if the seas get too rough.
The following companies are among those offering tours in the Tofino area:
▪ Remote Passages Marine Excursions (51 Wharf St., 250/725-3330 or 800/666-9833, www.remotepassages.com)
▪ Ocean Outfitters (368 Main St., 250/725-2866 or 877/906-2326, www.oceanoutfitters.bc.ca)
▪ T’ashii Paddle School (250/266-3787 or 855/883-3787, www.tofinopaddle.com)
▪ The Whale Centre (411 Campbell St., 250/725-2132 or 888/474-2288, www.tofinowhalecentre.com)
Hot Springs Cove/Maquinna Marine Provincial Park
A full-day trip to these remote hot springs is a highlight for many Tofino visitors. Located 27 nautical miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Tofino, Hot Springs Cove, in Maquinna Marine Provincial Park at the north end of Clayoquot Sound, is accessible only by boat (adults $125-130, under age 13 $89-105) or floatplane (adults $199, under age 13 $179-185).
Traveling by boat (1.5 to 2 hours each way), you may spot whales, sea lions, and even bears or other wildlife, so you might consider this trip an alternative to a separate whale-watching tour. With the floatplane option, you save a little time, traveling one-way by boat, the other on a scenic 20-minute flight.
Once you arrive at the dock, it’s a one-mile (1.6-kilometer) walk on a boardwalk through the rainforest to the natural hot springs. Climb down the rocks and take a natural hot shower in the gushing sulfur springs, then soak in the rock pools. The water temperature averages a soothing 110°F (43°C).
TWO DAYS ON VANCOUVER ISLAND’S WEST COAST
Start your day with a morning stroll along the beach; Chesterman Beach is one of the area’s most beautiful. Then wander through the Tofino Botanical Gardens to explore the old-growth rainforest, stopping at the garden’s Darwin’s Café when it’s time for a coffee break.
Have lunch at the orange food truck, Tacofino. Then head for Pacific Rim National Park Reserve to check out the displays in the Kwisitis Visitor Centre and hike near the shore. Later, take a surfing lesson, go swimming, or book a First Nations Dugout Canoe Tour with the excellent guides at T’ashii Paddle School. Have dinner at The Wolf in the Fog, where the don’t-miss appetizer is the potato-crusted oyster, and any local seafood is bound to be stellar.
The next morning, pick up coffee and a ginger scone at Common Loaf Bake Shop, before heading for the waterfront for an offshore excursion. Take a full-day trip to Hot Springs Cove, a kayak excursion to Meares Island, or a shorter whale-watching or bear-watching tour.
After your tour, clean up and drive to the Wickaninnish Inn for a cocktail in their window-lined lounge facing the sea. If your budget allows, stay for a special dinner at The Pointe, or if you’d rather have a more casual meal, head into town for a restorative bowl of ramen at Kuma Tofino or the wild salmon chowder at SoBo. Either way, stop to take a few sunset photos over the harbor to remember your west coast adventures.
There’s a rustic shelter with change rooms and a pit toilet above the springs and a restroom near the docks. Don’t forget your bathing suit, towel, and water bottle. Sports sandals or water shoes will protect your feet from the rocks. Bring snacks or a picnic to enjoy before or after you soak.
Meares Island
Declared a park by the Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht First Nations, Meares Island—its traditional name is Wanachis-Hilthhoois—is across the harbor from the village of Tofino.
A popular way to get to the island is on a half-day kayak excursion ($79). Some companies also run water shuttles (adu
lts $25-30, under age 12 $15-20) to the island. Tour companies also collect a $3-5 park pass fee.
Once you arrive on Meares Island, you can hike through the rainforest on the moderate 1.9-mile (3 kilometer) round-trip Big Tree Trail, which takes you into an old-growth forest, where some trees are more than 1,000 years old.
For experienced hikers, the island’s steep, challenging Lone Cone Trail leads up to a 2,395-foot (730-meter) peak with panoramic views across the island and the sound. It’s only 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) in each direction, but it’s essentially a vertical trail.
Whale-Watching
On whale-watching excursions (adults $89-109, under age 13 $69-79) from Tofino, you’ll likely spot Pacific gray whales. You might also see humpback whales, bald eagles, sea lions, harbor seals, and occasionally orcas or porpoises.
As on the trips that depart from Victoria, you can choose from a tour in an inflatable Zodiac, which gives you a choppier but more thrilling ride, or on a larger, more sheltered boat, which would be more comfortable in inclement weather. On either type of craft, whale-watching tours typically last two to three hours.
Bear-Watching
From Tofino, you can take a boat through Clayoquot Sound to several spots where it’s possible to observe the area’s resident population of black bears. On these bear-watching excursions (adults $89-99, under age 13 $69-79), the tour boats dock offshore, where, if you’re lucky, you’ll spot bears foraging along the rocky beaches or in the tidal pools.