Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada
Walking the Trails and Beaches
EXPLORING THE NATIONAL PARK
The Long Beach Unit is ideal for casual strolls through the temperate rainforest and along sandy beaches. There are approximately 22 km of beaches and 12 km of trails.
EXPLORING THE BEACHES LONG BEACH, SCHOONER COVE, AND FLORENCIA BAY
This is the most extensive sand dune/beach complex on Vancouver Island© Parks Canada / Doug Andrew
Length: Long Beach and Schooner Cove span 16 km. Florencia Bay is 6.4 km.
Of Interest:
- Different areas of Long Beach are locally referred to as Wickaninnish Beach, Combers Beach, Long Beach and Incinerator Rock.
- There are rocky outcroppings with excellent opportunities for exploring tidepools at low tide.
- Sea Lion Rocks off Combers Beach is a bird nesting site and sea lion haulout.
- Lost Shoe and Sandhill Creeks may be impassable after periods of heavy rain.
EXPLORING THE TRAILS
- Trails are not designed for horses or bicycles.
- A narrow winding road to Radar Hill and small parking lots at Schooner Trail, Willowbrae Trail, and Florencia Bay make these areas unsuitable for buses, motorhomes, and trailers.
WILLOWBRAE TRAIL
Distance: 1.4 km one way
Beach access
Long flights of stairs
Location: Willowbrae Road intersects Highway 4, 2 km south of the Ucluelet-Tofino junction. Trail access is not signed from the Highway. Turn west onto Willowbrae Road to the trailhead parking lot.
Of Interest: This historic trail formed part of a two day travel route between Ucluelet and Tofino prior to the road built in 1942.
HALFMOON BAY TRAIL
The sheltered bay and sands of Halfmoon Bay© Parks Canada / Doug Andrew
Distance: 500 m one way from the Willowbrae - Halfmoon Bay Trail junction. 1.7 km one way from Willowbrae parking lot.
Beach access
Long flights of stairs
Location: see Willowbrae Trail.
Of Interest: This trail winds through an old growth cedar-hemlock forest where fallen trees serve as nurseries for seedlings, giving way to a spruce fringe forest on the steep climb down to the sheltered bay and sands of Halfmoon Bay.
GOLD MINE TRAIL
Trail is CLOSED for safety reasons. Access Florencia Beach from Florencia Bay Road or Willowbrae Trail.
SOUTH BEACH TRAIL
Distance: 800 m one way
Beach access
Some stairs
Location: See location of Nuu-chah-nulth Trail for details.
Of Interest: South Beach offers spectacular, but potentially dangerous, wave watching. Very large waves and strong currents form at this pebble beach. Be careful!
NUU-CHAH-NULTH TRAIL
Along this trail, in 2005, the Ucluelet First Nation raised their first totem pole in over one hundred years, carved by James 'Hudson' Cootes.© Parks Canada / Doug Andrew
Distance: 2.5 km one way
Beach access
Some stairs
Location: This historic trail crosses Quisitis Point linking Wickaninnish Beach and Florencia Bay, starting from behind the Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre.
Trail Interpretation: Parks Canada and the Central Region Nuu-chah-nulth Language Group worked together to provide walkers with a glimpse into Nuu-chah-nulth culture. Learn what “Hishuk ish ts'awalk” means and how this belief influences the lives of the Nuu-chah-nulth-aht.
SHOREPINE BOG TRAIL
The boardwalk trail rest upon the bog surface, no supporting posts were driven into the sphagnum.© Parks Canada / Doug Andrew
(wheelchair accessible)
Distance: 800 m loop
No beach access
No stairs
Location: On the Wickaninnish Road, 300 m south of the Florencia Bay turnoff.
Trail Interpretation: This is old growth coastal temperate rainforest with a twist. Search for the plant that kills small and unwary insects and learn what kind of an environment might lead a plant to such deeds. Interpretive brochures are available at the trailhead during the park operating season.
RAINFOREST TRAIL
Trails A and B
Distance: each trail is a 1 km loop
No beach access
Many short flights of stairs
Location: Trail A is located on the opposite side of the highway from the parking lot. Trail B starts from the parking lot.
Trail Interpretation: Signs on both trails help you explore the temperate rainforest. Gigantic western redcedar and western hemlock reach up to the sunlight, their boughs thickly carpeted with hanging gardens of moss. Scan the upper canopy for forest birds, listen to the trickle of water and smell the life of this highly productive forest. Loop A signs emphasize forest cycles. Loop B signs emphasize forest structure and inhabitants.
SCHOONER COVE TRAIL
Distance: 1 km one way
Beach access
Long flights of stairs
Location: Parking lot is 4.8 km north of Green Point Campground on Highway 4.
Of Interest: The trail descends through young and old stands of cedar-hemlock forest, gradually giving way to the Sitka spruce fringe. Along the way, it crosses a small trout and salmon-spawning stream. Coming to the beach, you will catch glimpses of the village of Esowista belonging to the Tla-o-qui-aht who have lived along this shore for centuries.
Note: Access to Schooner Cove may be cut off during high tides.
OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST
RADAR HILL
(wheelchair accessible)
Distance: 100 m one way
No beach access
No stairs
Of Interest: The short, steep trip to the top is rewarded with panoramic views of the ocean, inlet and mountains found no where else in this national park.
CANADA REMEMBERS TRAILS
Honouring Canadian Veterans at Radar Hill and Wickanninish Interpretive Centre flagpole.