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Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet

Vancouver, Canada
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318 reviews
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Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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I read with interest about the various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet but are at a loss of which one to pick, any suggestions or comments?

We are a family of five, with children aged 8 to 16. We are not very fit but enjoy hiking while on vacation. I am looking at the lighthouse loop of the wild pacific trail and the willowbrae trail at the pacific rim park, are they suitable? We are visiting mid march and will be staying at Chestermen b and b. We have two nights and would love to be able to spot some whales while hiking if possible.

Also where are the better places to storm watch? I think we may not be fully equipped so preferable from somewhere secluded, not sure that is possible.

Thanks.

Vancouver, Canada
Destination Expert
for British Columbia
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12,965 posts
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1. Re: Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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Either trail would be suitable but if wind was factor I'd choose Willowbrae as opposed to the WPT.

The chances of seeing Whales from shore are about nil-there was a time when juvenile Grey Whales fed in Ucluelet Inlet but it's a bit busy for them now-you might see Pinnipeds though.

Vancouver, Canada
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44,054 posts
69 reviews
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2. Re: Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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We did the Lighthouse loop of the Wild Pacific Trail and I was really impressed. I think you would enjoy that trail. The other one you should do is the Rainforest Trail.

We saw the puffs of steam and spray from blowholes when we were on the deck of the Visitor Centre in the National Park. I would think this would be as a good a place as any, but if they are out there, they are waaaaay out there and you won't see much from shore.

The best place to storm watch is from inside a waterfront hotel.

Nanaimo, Canada
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for Nanaimo, Vancouver Island
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564 reviews
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3. Re: Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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Rainforest Trail Loop A is the best walk in the area IMHO (there are two trails named the same, the one away from the ocean is best). Big trees, interesting educational signage. This loop takes about 30 minutes or so.

Steamboat Springs...
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3,624 posts
39 reviews
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4. Re: Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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Willowbrae Trail will lead you to either Florencia Bay or Halfmoon Bay. Both have a lot of stairs to descend. Would definitely be a lot of fun with kids. Disclaimer: just remember, if you go all the way down to either beach, you will still have to return up all those stairs. I personally loved it and found both places pretty empty of people.

Lighthouse loop is pretty easy and gives you lots of views. Obviously since you are at Chesterman you have that beach and Cox Bay to explore.

Vancouver, Canada
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1,031 posts
318 reviews
156 helpful votes
5. Re: Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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Thank you very much for all your input, I guess we will wait and see how the weather is like when we are there.

Exeter, United...
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for Exeter
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2,129 posts
46 reviews
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6. Re: Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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We loved the Rainforest Trail, which has a magical , secret atmosphere despite being close to the road.

The unexpected pleasure was the fascinating Shorepine Bog Trail which we had to ourselves in August.

But there was virtually no information about this trail on site - maybe there were brochures avalable but we didn;t see them. So it would be easy to wander around and not know what you were lokoing at.

Luckily we had found this site:

http://www.tofinotime.com/trails/pacific-rim-national-park-shore-pine-bog-trail.htm

and printed off a copy beforehand. This added massively to our enjoyment and I recommend it. The same site has lots of other info about some of the other trails.

Vancouver, Canada
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1,031 posts
318 reviews
156 helpful votes
7. Re: Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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Thank you. I think we will try lighthouse, rainforest loop A and shoreline bog since they are nice and pretty easy, won't strain my knees!

Nanaimo, Canada
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for Nanaimo, Vancouver Island
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564 reviews
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8. Re: Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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Enjoy yourself there! Always a lovely spot to go to regardless of the weather.

Gibsons, Canada
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for Vancouver
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14,895 posts
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9. Re: Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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The Rainforest Trail A is beautiful - rain or shine. It has always been a favourite of mine ever since I was a little girl. The trails are located on boardwalks situated above the forest floor. It's more like an easy nature walk. When it's raining, the rainforest canopy provides shelter, so I wouldn't be too concerned about going for a walk here in the rain (if it happens to be raining).

Have fun!

Edited: 12 years ago
Vancouver
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6 posts
3 reviews
10. Re: Various hiking trails in Tofino and ulcluelet
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I know I'm a bit late replying but we always take our friends from out of town to Route B of the Rainforest Trail and Combers Beach for a good variety. The forest is spectacular in the rainforest trail and you get the whole beach / ocean scenery at Combers. There are stairs on both trails but it's not too bad if you take it at a slow pace.

The Pacific Trail is great for storm watching but I've found I only enjoy the area along the south up until the Lighthouse. The rest is great too but the best is near the Lighthouse.

There's good information about all of these trails and the number of steps on this site:

http://www.tofinohiking.com/

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