Clayoquot Sound has a staggering array of hiking trails within it. Between Tofino and Ucluelet, Pacific Rim National Park has several wilderness and beach trails, each one radically different from the last. The islands in the area are often separate Provincial Parks.
TheWestCoastTrail
The extraordinary West Coast Trail is found not far from Ucluelet. Bamfield is home to the northern trailhead to this wonderful trail known for its 80 foot ladders, stunning beaches and regular encounters with shipwrecks from the Graveyard of the Pacific.
The Wild Pacific Trail is a must see on any visit to Pacific Rim National Park, Ucluelet and/or Tofino. Located in Ucluelet, the Wild Pacific Trail is actually a set of three trails that connect into a wonderful 8.4 kilometre route. The Lighthouse Loop trail is a great place to start is wild meandering 2.6km trail that has endless amazing ocean views and an amazing array of twisted, weather beaten, and endlessly interesting trees along the trail.
There are several great access points to the ocean where you can clamour over the rocks and see all sorts of sea life lurking in the pools and crevices where the ocean pours in and out of.The Wild Pacific Trail is wide and leisurely with numerous viewpoints to the ocean and guides you in and out of the forest on a constantly interesting route. The Lighthouse Loop takes less than an hour to walk, though considerably more if you explore. You can continue walking along Peninsula Road and Marine Drive to reconnect to the trail or a good idea is to drive to the parking on Marine Drive near Browns Beach. This positions you in the middle of the other two section of the Wild Pacific Trail, Big Beach and Brown's Beach. Big Beach has a large picnic area and a great ocean viewpoint. There are three beach access points. Browns' beach begins near Black Rock Resort and runs through a section of forest then three kilometres of beautiful ocean views until reaching Peninsula Road. If you turn right here you can follow the bike trail to Forbes St and connect back to Marine Drive or simply retrace your steps to your car.
Directions to the Wild Pacific Trail
The Wild Pacific Trail is well signed and easy to find in Ucluelet. For the Lighthouse Loop Trail, simply follow Peninsula Road until you see the signs for Wild Pacific Trail. There is one parking area near Terrace Beach and another one further on if you turn right onto Coast Guard Road. This one is a great choice for the Loop Trail route, but the Terrace Beach parking is great if you plan on hiking the Loop Trail then relax and/or picnic at the lovely Terrace Beach.
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