Ucluelet, Home of the Wild Pacific Trail

The Ucluelet area follows the contours of the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island. Rainforests meet pristine beaches and panoramic views of Barkley Sound and the Broken Islands of Pacific Rim National Park. The trail can be started at either Pacific Rim National Park or near Lighthouse Park. The loop portion of the walk takes you through Lighthouse Park where, on a slightly foggy day, you may hear the lighthouse horn warn boaters to be aware of the rocky shoreline. The trail will eventually follow the outer coast reaching Florencia Bay. This trail is unique and abundant with birds, sea life and wild animals and must be respected as the wilderness park area it is.

The rugged shoreline, as seen from the walking trails, are typical of much of our British Columbia coastline with crashing waves, particularly on the west side of the island. During the winter the breakers may pound the shoreline reaching as high as twenty feet.

On our visit to Ucluelet, the fog horn happened to be blowing although the day was clear. We walked partway along the easy walking trail. Trees permanently bent into interesting shapes, as a result of the heavy winds during winter months, made us stop and admire the power of nature and the resiliency of the trees themselves.

Ucluelet is a popular area for whale watching expeditions. In the spring particularly, the Pacific Rim Whale Festival celebrates the migration of 20,000 gray whales along the coast.

Wickaninnish Centre, outside of Ucluelet is an interesting stop with information on the natural and cultural history of the Pacific Rim. Murals of ocean life and whale bones are on display. Also on display are a whaling canoe and other artifacts of early First Nations peoples' life in the area.

Standing on the outside deck, we got a wonderful view of a quite different shoreline with white sand stretching before us. The surf was high and surfers were enjoying the excitement of catching a wave. There were many warnings to surfers and others to never turn your back on the ocean and to be especially careful around water's edge or while walking on the rocks near the shoreline. Even during calm days extra large waves and rip currents can be lethal.

Like most places in our beautiful province of British Columbia, Ucluelet is a great place to visit.