MacsTravel Blog

Tofino is one of those rare tourism touchstones that meets expectations. And that is no small feat.

We turned north from our overnight stop near Nanaimo and headed for Highway 4, a road which has been alternately closed, partially closed, or down to single lane traffic for most of the summer due to wildfires (surprise), rockslides and road repairs. We made a quick stop at Goats on Roof, a quirky, aptly named touristy stop with a wide range of goods and a determined west coast vibe. And delicious donuts.

Highway 4 is a twisty drive with beautiful views: stretches of the road are lined with towering cedars, including the Cathedral Grove portion (unfortunately closed to the public due to road works).

At times you feel like you are driving through a temporary portal into a greener, older time period rather than on a paved provincial highway.

We had booked campsites at Bella Pacifica on Mackenzie Beach. All of the public campsites in Pacific Rim National Park had disappeared within seconds of becoming available in the early spring, so this private campground was our alternative. Our sites were located in the woods amidst the cedars, but although we lacked an ocean view the sound and smell of the surf was omnipresent. The path to the beach was a three minute walk.

Tofino and the neighboring town of Ucluelet share a teeter-totter peninsula linked by the aforementioned Pacific Rim National Park. This is the land of Clayquot Sound, old growth forest with ancient cedars and hemlocks, fishing, and surfing. It is the land of Tla-O-Qui-Aht First Nation, who have lived in this area for over 4000 years.

Although it is extremely popular and it can be difficult to find accommodations, Tofino and its environs only feel crowded in certain spots and it is relatively easy to find a quiet, beautiful beach or a peaceful, meditative trail to explore.

We certainly had lots of opportunity to do both. The Rainforest Trails offer the opportunity to really feel immersed in old growth forest: ancient cedars and hemlocks upwards of 800 years old towered above us. Apparently upwards of 70% of these giant hemlock took root atop fallen hemlock. The biomass here feels so different from bush trails in Ontario: there is a spring and give to the ground that you feel with each footfall in these woods.

We explored the Nuu-Chah-Nulth trail from South Beach through wetlands and cedar forests to Florencia Beach. Not only was the trail virtually empty, the two beaches were both spectacular and essentially empty.

The Wild Pacific Trail is outside of Pacific Rim National Park near the community of Ucluelet.

Planning for this hike essentially centered on how to pronounce Ucluelet. Betty’s Spanish background and Robin’s lifelong battle with the principles of phonics led to many creative and drastically incorrect interpretations and gave me a case of the phonetic “yips” when I tried to pronounce it. Thank goodness for Stew’s steady phonetic game. For the record, it’s “you-clue-let”, a Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) word meaning “people of the safe harbour”.

Ironically, we explored the Lighthouse Loop, a coastline popular with storm chasers and one that featured a lighthouse, whistle buoys and foghorns, and a number of historic shipwrecks. The trail was fantastic: spooky sea sounds (thanks to the whistle buoys and crashing surf) and the gnarled, arthritic limbs of the coastal cedars which evoked a Grimms Brother’s woodland.

Beaches! So many wonderful beaches. Many of the beaches I’ve already mentioned were wide open with very few people. The crowded beaches were typically the surf beaches, which changed routinely depending on the tides. Darcy and Jamie took a surf lesson with Surf Sisters on the beach in marvelous Cox Bay. It was packed with surfers from end to end: experienced surfers at one end battling the riptides and lessons running at the other end. Surf Sisters and instructor Lee did a fabulous job, and both girls rocked it.

Parent of the year honour went to Betty who stood in her bare feet in the ice cold Pacific taking video for two hours. By the end she looked like a Flamingo standing on hot coals shakily clutching a smart phone. Great pictures and video though!

Whales! Stew and Betty kindly treated us to a whale watching expedition through The Whale Centre. We joined a small group (10 in total) and pilot and guide Jean Yvves took us on a terrific 2 1/2 hour trip through the coves, straights and inlets and out into the Pacific. We saw sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals and loads of birds. The highlights were certainly the sighting of two grey whales breaching and plunging to the bottom of the ocean, showing that classic tail as they began their terminal dive. We had an incredible sighting of a pod of Orcas who swam straight towards our boat. We were much closer than the 200m limit that the pilots try to enforce! It was a surreal and magical experience.

Another highlight for me were the incredible views of Vancouver Island from the boat: the coastline, in all of its shades of pastel blue and green, is just strikingly beautiful.

Food! Tofino and Ucluelet are legendary for food trucks and charming cafés. Chief among these is the Tacofino food truck. What was once a simple food truck serving the surfing crowd is now a big business, with formal restaurants in Vancouver and California. The OG truck still exists, and, judging by the hour long waits in line to order, it has become a bit of a pilgrimage destination.

We made two attempts at eating at Tacofino: after abandoning attempt one due to hunger we stuck it out later in the week and were rewarded with some pretty great tacos. Definitely lives up to the hype: not sure it’s worth the hour and a half wait.

Robin and I managed to stop by both the Tofino and Ucluelet Brew Pubs and were rewarded with interesting beer tastings in very funky and fun environments.

Of course the best food on a camping trip is usually the food you cook yourself. Everything tastes better off a cast iron skillet at a campsite, and we had some great evenings hanging with Betty, Stew and the girls. Their one year old Australian Shepherd/ Blue Heeler mix Jake settled in as well. Except in one area.

During the pandemic I picked up the acoustic guitar. It was a great diversion and I had long dreamed of being able to strum out the chords to a classic song by the campfire. I was in the habit of taking the guitar with me on camping trips that Robin and I had taken, and playing by the fire or lake always seemed to sound better than it did in our basement at home. When I took out the guitar at our Bella Vista campsite it felt great: Betty and Robin chatting, the girls doing some rock art, me strumming on some cords.

Then Jake noticed what I was doing.

A low growl of disapproval soon turned out to full throated barking. When I stopped, he stopped. When I resumed, Jake got louder.

My thin veneer of confidence in my novice abilities soon dissipated under full throated canine criticism.

When I stood up with the guitar and walked towards Jake he stopped barking and tried to hide under the table. Clearly he associated the triggering sounds he heard with this strange object, and not with me.

This didn’t help my shattered confidence. The guitar went back in its bag and stayed there. Dream deferred.

Next stop Strathcona Provincial Park!