Pacific Rim National Park is located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia and is well known for its beautiful sandy beaches. We highly recommend it to all BC visitors. Some of the must see beaches of the region include:
1.Wickaninnish Beach:
Wickaninnish Beach is a sandy beach recreation located near the communities of Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the larger beaches surrounded by many large resorts. A short paved hiking trail leads from the main parking lot to the beach. There is a picnic shelter prior to the sandy beach and some picnic tables located in the shade of the trees near the beach. Not far away are some pit toilets. Higher up on the beach are pebbles and piles of driftwood logs. Lower down on the beach the sand is hard packed and wet - great for beachcombing. Other popular beach activities include surfing, swimming, sun tanning, picnicking and building sand castles. During the winter months Wickaninnish Beach is one of the more popular beaches to walk for storm watching. Suited up in rain gear and rubber boots people come to watch the storms crash the shore.
2. Combers Beach :
Along the Pacific Rim Hwy look for the road signs indicating the Spruce Fringe Trail and Combers Beach parking lot. Follow the road to the parking lot. From the parking lot you begin the Spruce Fringe Trail to Combers Beach.Combers Beach is one of the smaller sandy beach and provides access to two other beaches - Long Beach and Wickaninnish Beach. Combers Beach is accessed via a hiking trail named the Spruce Fringe Trail. The beach is covered in fine white sand and littered in driftwood logs thrown ashore by winter storms. Like all west coast beaches the back drop is made up of a forest of dwarfed trees. The beach looks out at Sea Lion Rocks (A popular Sea Lion and bird sanctuary) viewed through a good set of binoculars.Some of the activities enjoyed at the beach include beachcombing, suntanning, frisbee, picnicking, birdwatching and surfing.
3. Long Beach:
Take Hwy 4 north towards Tofino. The highway runs beside the beach - you’ll recognize Long Beach on sight. The most visited, easily accesible and also the longest(10 kms), the long beach is a magical place comprising of sand, surf, mystical tidal rhythms, sea lions and starfish. Long Beach boasts the only Surf Camp of its kind in Canada, providing popular adult camps, youth camps, and daily surfing lessons.
4. Wreck Beach:
Wreck Beach on Florencia Bay is 3 miles (5 km) long and lies at the south end of the Long Beach Unit. It’s easily reached from Hwy 4, 3 miles (5 km) north of the Tofino-Ucluelet Junction. Turn west onto Long Beach Road, then south at the first fork. The Wickaninnish Bay Interpretive Centre lies nearby at the end of Long Beach Road.
5. South Beach:
If you love hiking then South beach should be your destination. There are a couple hiking trails that can be accessed from Wickaninnish Beach and one of them which is just under 1 kilometre leads to South Beach. This short route is easy, mostly flat and follows a boardwalk path through a rainforest to the beach. Just before the beach is a set of stairs. The other trail leading to the beach is longer and travels over some headlands connecting one beach with another. The popular beach is both a hiking and beachcombing destination. Dressed in rain gear and rubber boots people hike to South Beach in the winter months with binoculars for storm watching. It is pretty powerful phenomenon to watch storms crash the coastline, throwing logs and debris in the air.
6. Schooner Cove:
If you are looking for a romantic beach then Schooner Cove is your place. This beach is a hidden gem located in a small cove situated at the north end of Long Beach. It is shut out from the rest of the world surrounded by rock outcroppings and dwarfed trees. To reach the private cove there is a 1 kilometre boardwalk trail. There are sections of the trail that includes some stairs. There are sections which cross wooden bridges. Some are slippery, most are wet so hold hands with your lover and be careful. The trail explores a forest full of ferns, moss and lichens. The ground is covered in deadfall trees and branches. The leaves drip with moisture from the mist in the air and sounds of waves crashing on the shore just add to the whole experience.
7. Florencia Bay Beach:
If you want to get away from crowd and don’t mind going to a lesser known beaches then head towards Florencia Bay Beach. A 2.5 kilometre trail, called the Nuu-chah-nulth Trail connects to Florencia Bay Beach. When traveling towards Tofino on the Pacific Rim Hwy look for the road sign indicating the Wickaninnish Inn Interpretive Centre. Just south of Tofino, BC. make a turn onto Wickaninnish Road and travel towards the resort. On your left look for the sign indicating the parking lot for Florencia Bay Beach.
The beach shoreline, in a small cove, includes big rock outcroppings, piles of driftwood logs and a sand and pebbled beach. During the summer months Florencia Bay is an ideal destination for activities like swimming, sand castles, picnicking and beachcombing. Prior to the beach in the trees are some picnic tables. During the storm season, the driftwood logs are pushed to the top of the beach. Many piled one on top of the other. Many visitors to the beach have rearranged the logs forming mini picnic sites. Some use the driftwood logs as chairs, others for shade from the sun - some use the logs for benches and tables.
8, 9, 10. Some of the other beaches that you might want to check out are: Cox Bay, Chesterman, and MacKenzie Beach.
They lie to the north of the Long Beach Unit, between the northern boundary of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and Tofino. There’s public access to each of them, though you’ll have to do some backroad driving to find it. A small park on Mackenzie Beach is a good place to begin. Take Mackenzie Beach Road west of Hwy 4 (Pacific Rim Hwy) and watch for a small roadside parking area and picnic table at the end of the road. Chesterman Beach is reached via Lynn Road, which loops west from Hwy 4. The public access to Cox Bay Beach is via Maltby Road through Pacific Rim Campground.
Hope you enjoy beautiful British columbia and your visit to Vancouver Island.
To plan your BC trip, visit; BC Travel Guide
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Know About Vancouver Island
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