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 world famous 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.
Spectacle Lake Provincial Park is popular with hiking, fishing, canoeing and swimming. Located north of Victoria, the drive to get there is very beautiful and well worth the drive just for the great stops on the way. Thetis Lake Park and Goldstream Park are easily combined with Spectacle Lake in a one day hiking/sightseeing adventure.
These two parks are on the way to Spectacle Lake and very convenient pit stops adding just minutes to the day or hours if wanted. Spectacle Lake lays in a serene and tranquil forest setting that feels remote and far from civilisation. The road that takes you to the lake is unexpectedly rural looking. Not manicured and flowery like you see in Victoria. Though manicured and flowery makes Victoria beautiful and scenic, finding a secret place like Spectacle Lake that is rough and wild is refreshing to see. You get a powerful urge to crack a beer and cast a line from the idyllic rocky cliff across from the beach! The sandy beach that greets you as you first see the lake was a somewhat recent addition. The lovely sand covers a thick layer of sawdust from decades of logging in the area. Spectacle Lake was a millpond for the sawmill located on the rocky outcrop adjacent to the sandy beach. In the 1950's much of the forest you now see was cut and milled at this once thriving mill. In the summer you will find this beach and much of the lake popular with people swimming and picnicking. Spectacle Lake Provincial Park has a very nice 2 kilometre trail around the lake compete with wooden bridges and plenty to see. The trail is popular for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Owing to the small size of the park and variety of recreation possibilities, you are greeted with several imposing signs. No Campfires! Stay on Trails! No Motorized Vehicles! No Overnight Camping! Leash and Clean Up After Your Dog! Another sign more politely states "Please remember that Regional Park Trails are designated for cyclists, hikers and horses only." The pristine solitude of the park has evidently been shattered by loud parties and loud motorbikes frequently in the past to warrant all the signs.
Spectacle Lake is home to the only Eastern Brook trout fishing on Vancouver Island. The lake is also stocked every spring with Cutthroat trout. There are several excellent places to fish from the shore of the lake and the rocky point along the right hand side of the lake is a convenient favourite. Occasionally you will see a fisherman in a belly boat fly fishing in the middle of the lake, but more often casting from the rocky point. Getting a BC Freshwater Fishing License is easy and convenient to purchase online.
Bear Hill Regional Park is a nice hill trail, just north of Elk/Beaver Lake in Saanich. It is an easy 2k hike to the summit where the views are sensational. From the trailhead to the summit only takes about 20-30 ...
Avatar Grove and Canada's gnarliest tree is an amazing thing to see and finding it is half the fun. The cute little town of Port Renfrew, know for it's logging, amazing fishing and home of one of the ...
East Sooke Regional Park is a convenient and easily accessible way to experience the wild, west coast of Vancouver Island. Weather blasted rocky cliffs, sandy beaches and deep coastal forest trails run ...
Esquimalt Lagoon is a wonderful stretch of beach that extends two kilometres, separating the lagoon from the ocean. The beach is made up of wonderful, powdery sand and driftwood logs. Looking out from the ...
Radar Beach is one of the countless places that makes this part of the world so amazing. It is difficult to get to due to it having an unmarked trailhead, steep and muddy trail, and considerable climbing and ...
Radar Hill is definitely one of the Tofino sights not to be missed. It's a quick and easy walk to the top and the views are beautiful. Definitely one of the few places in Tofino where you can see above the ...
Hot Springs Cove is a wonderful day trip from Tofino. Lots of whale watching companies offer whale watching/hot springs tours for very reasonable prices. The boat ride is out on the open ocean is quite fun ...
At 53 metres, Virgin Falls is quite an impressive sight. You walk through the short, two minute forest trail to reach it and it fills your view. It is located in a beautiful oasis it has created. A large, ice ...