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.
Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park is a wonderful coastal park overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Located in Metchosin, a scenic and largely rural community that is part of the Western Communities. If you are driving from downtown Victoria, you are just a 30 minute drive away and much of that drive is quite nice. Fort Rodd Hill and Esquimalt Lagoon are definitely worth visiting on the way to Witty’s Lagoon.
Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park is a very family friendly park with its large beach, Nature Centre and over 5 kilometres of forest hiking trails. With the tide out a huge salt marsh is revealed, teeming with life. Over 160 species of birds have been documented in the park. This sand dune ecosystem is fun to explore and attracts bird watchers as well as frolicking dogs. The cute little Nature Centre is located at the main parking area for Witty’s Lagoon. Here you will find helpful CRD Regional Parks staff and volunteer naturalists ready to answer questions and help introduce you to the park. The Nature Centre is only open weekends and holidays from 12pm to 4pm. Past the Nature Centre you become immersed in a forest unexpectedly large Douglas-fir trees. The nice, wide trail sloped downward slightly as you walk along Bilston Creek and past Sitting Lady Falls. These falls are not terribly large or impressive, but marvelously scenic in this deep, dark forest. As Victoria hiking trails go, Witty’s Lagoon is not overly exciting. The Thetis Lake trails, for example are much more scenic as they skirt the lake, often from high above. What makes Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park a wonderful place to visit is because of a variety of nice features. The first great feature is its location. Metchosin is a rural, coastal escape from the big city. When you visit the park, you often find longtime locals who evidently visit the park frequently.
The lagoon is a somewhat sheltered oasis overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Whether you are throwing a Frisbee for your dog or relaxing in the sun and looking across the strait to the not so distant United States, Witty’s Lagoon has something for everyone. If you like to hike beyond the main beach you will encounter a forest trail that skirts the shoreline. The forest is home to some stunning arbutus trees. Massive, bright orange arms stretch out to the ocean. These large trees jut out in the most bizarre directions and often extending parallel to the ground in massive trunks. They seem to entice you to crawl out on one until you find yourself looking down an abrupt cliff to the beach a dozen metres below you.
Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park is a wonderful coastal park overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Located in Metchosin, a scenic and largely rural community that is part of the Western Communities. If you are ...
Fort Rodd Hill is astonishingly beautiful and incredibly interesting as a tourist attraction in Victoria that most never see. This fact is amazing as it is wonderful and unquestionably, or at least arguably, ...
The Juan de Fuca Trail is a beautiful wilderness trail that hugs the west coast of Vancouver Island between Jordan River(north of Sooke) and Port Renfrew. Established as a provincial park in 1995, the Juan de ...
The Elk & Beaver Lake trail is one of many beautiful lakeside trails in Victoria. From the convenient parking lot the trail is mostly flat, gravel or dirt, densely forested at times and runs around both Elk ...
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 ...
Vargas Island Provincial Park is a popular hiking, camping and kayaking destination due to its great location close to Tofino. It has wonderful, wilderness camping for free and a beautiful feeling of ...
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 ...
Lone Cone is the wonderful cone shaped mountain that dominates the skyline in Tofino. It is just 6k from Tofino on the north-western end of Meares Island. Lone Cone is an incredible hike to do while in ...