If you haven’t yet ventured to Canada’s temperate rainforest at the famed Pacific Rim National Park in British Columbia, we’re here to give you a glimpse into what you’re missing, and hopefully inspire some bucket-list-worthy travels before the season’s end!
Some of the most incredible beaches are located right here in the reserve, including the iconic Long Beach – AKA one of the most magical beaches in the country. It’s here you’ll find postcard-worthy landmarks like the Incinerator Rock, as well as a plethora of trails with interpretive signage to guide you across the park’s many diverse ecosystems. So grab your backpacks and binoculars!
If you’re looking for a scenic boardwalk to peruse down, you’ve got options. Combers Beach can be reached via a wide, wooden boardwalk, which winds through cedars and hemlocks to a spruce fringe forest, and eventually an expansive sandy beach.
Likewise, Rainforest Trails A and B take you through the lush temperate rainforest to gigantic western redcedars and hemlocks.
The Shorepine Bog Trail offers a “twist” in the form of a Dr. Seuss-level environment, meandering through what is often referred to as the “broccoli forest.”
Prefer a more casual stroll? The Long Beach Unit consists of 12 kilometres of trails that take you through temperate rainforest and along sandy beaches.
Here, two tides come in and out each day, making Pacific Rim’s seashore one of the most dynamic places in the park.
Here are all the trails with boardwalk sections to explore at the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve:
- Combers Beach Trail
- Halfmoon Bay Trail
- Nuu-chah-nulth Trail
- Rainforest Trail A
- Rainforest Trail B
- South Beach Trail
- Shorepine Bog Trail
- Willowbrae Trail
The National Park Reserve is a 15-minute drive from Tofino’s town centre, or a 35-minute bike ride along the Multi-Use Path (MUP) to the ʔapsčiik t̓aši pathway running through the reserve.
Note that the West Coast Trail is open from May 1st to September 30th, and overnight camping is only permitted at Green Point Campground (backcountry permitted along the West Coast Trail and in the Broken Group Islands).
So there you have it, hikers! That’s the Pacific Rim National Park in a nutshell – if you’re focused on scenic boardwalk passageways, that is!
Happy exploring, and be sure to leave no trace behind!
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Where: West coast of Vancouver Island, BC
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