Adventures of Fran and Stephen: 2025-07-20

Across the Island to Tofino and Ucluelet

The next leg of our journey took us across Vancouver Island to its rugged west coast, where the land ends and the Pacific Ocean begins. Our first brief stop was Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park—one of British Columbia’s most magical and accessible old-growth forests. Towering Douglas firs and red cedars reach heights of up to 250 feet and circumferences of 30 feet, with many trees over 800 years old. Walking among them is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

A brief visit to see the old growth forest of Cathedral Grove, MacMillan Provincial Park

To reach Tofino, the road passes through Port Alberni, a city nestled at the head of the Alberni Inlet—a long, fjord-like waterway ideal for boating, kayaking, and exploring Barkley Sound. The city was named after a Spanish officer stationed at nearby Nootka Sound in the 1790s and was settled in the mid-1800s with the arrival of the fur trade and logging. It grew into a major forestry and fishing hub by the 20th century. In 1964, a tsunami triggered by an Alaskan earthquake caused extensive damage to the town, though fortunately, there were no fatalities.

After charging our vehicle in Port Alberni, we continued westward on a very lumpy road (not fun pulling a trailer) and then north to Tofino. Long before European contact, this region was home to the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, whose deep connection to the land and sea spans thousands of years. Their traditions of fishing, whaling, and cedar canoe building are still honored today.

In 1778, Captain James Cook landed at Nootka Sound, further north on the island, sparking European interest in the Pacific Northwest. In 1792, Spanish explorers Galiano and Valdés mapped the coastline and named the area Tofino, after Spanish hydrographer Vicente Tofiño. The town slowly developed as an outpost and was connected by road in 1955—a turning point in its history. The creation of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in 1972 brought environmental protections and a growing wave of tourism.

Tofino gained international attention in the early 1990s during the Clayoquot Sound logging protests—one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in Canadian history. Over 800 people were arrested protesting clear-cut logging. The movement led to changes in forestry practices and helped shape Canada’s modern environmental movement. In 2000, Clayoquot Sound was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in recognition of its ecological and cultural value.

Today, Tofino is a vibrant coastal community known for world-class surfing, whale watching, eco-tourism, and a thriving arts and culinary scene, all while maintaining a laid-back charm. The town is a model of sustainable tourism and Indigenous collaboration, with strong partnerships between First Nations and the local tourism sector.

We stayed at the relatively new Tsawaak RV Resort, located on Mackenzie Beach. During our stay, we took a whale watching tour with Ahous Adventures, an Indigenous-owned and operated outfitter. Along with ten fellow passengers from Canada, Washington State, and Austria, we saw several gray whales. Compared to humpbacks, belugas, or minkes we've seen before, gray whales show less of their bodies—surfacing every few minutes with just a subtle rise of their heads and backs, and their tails barely breaking the surface. Still, it was thrilling to be just a few hundred feet from these massive creatures. We also spotted harbour seals, rafts of sea otters, and several bald eagles.

Our campsite at Tsawaak

Tsawaak RV shares its property with the Best Western Tin Wis Hotel, and we took full advantage of sitting on their wide beachfront, watching paddle boarders and kayakers glide across the calm bay.

MacKenzie Beach at Tsawaak RV Resort

Whale Watching Tour (our first boat ride of the year)

Seals on the rocks

Back of a grey whale

Raft of sea otters

Lunch at the Brown's Social House on the beach

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

This National Park Reserve occupies a large part of the land between Tofino and Ucluelet and it is one of Canada’s most ecologically rich and culturally significant protected areas. It recognizes the long-standing presence of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations, who have lived, hunted, fished, and traded here for generations. The park was created in 1970 following public outcry over potential development and logging in the Long Beach area. As a reserve, it acknowledges that land claims with Indigenous groups remain unresolved and respects Indigenous title.

The park consists of three distinct units, collectively drawing over 1 million visitors annually:

Long Beach – the most accessible and iconic, famous for surfing and storm watching
Broken Group Islands – a kayaking paradise with over 100 small islands in Barkley Sound
West Coast Trail – a 75 km backcountry trail originally built as a rescue route for shipwreck survivors along the “Graveyard of the Pacific”

Today, the park is co-managed with local Indigenous communities, integrating traditional knowledge, language, and stewardship practices. Interpretive signage increasingly reflects the living Indigenous history of the region.

Last winter, we tried—and failed—to book a campsite at the incredibly popular Green Point Campground, despite being online at exactly 8 a.m. on the first day of summer bookings. Every site was booked in under a minute. So on our way to Ucluelet, we stopped in to tour the campground, and after seeing it for ourselves, we understood its appeal.

A campsite at the beautiful Green Point Campground

We also hiked Trail B through the Pacific Rim Rainforest. This is a temperate rainforest (unlike tropical ones), thriving on up to 120 inches of rainfall annually. Thanks to the ocean’s moderating influence, temperatures here are mild and rarely drop below freezing. The forest is home to ancient western red cedar, Sitka spruce, hemlock, and Douglas fir—many over 800 years old. The forest floor is a living tapestry of mosses, ferns, lichens, and devil’s club. Fallen trees decay into “nurse logs,” nurturing new growth in a powerful cycle of life, death, and renewal.

We were awestruck by the rainforest's beauty and the feeling of insignificance it evoked. Standing among these giants, it’s hard not to reflect on the damage caused by clear-cut logging. Thankfully, forestry practices, especially in BC, have improved and we’re now on a more sustainable path.

At the start of the Pacific Rim Rain Forest

Among the "old growth" trees

Ucluelet: History and Coastal Character

Like Tofino, Ucluelet has deep Indigenous roots, followed by waves of European exploration, settlement, logging, and fishing. The construction of a lighthouse at Amphitrite Point in the late 1800s improved marine safety and marked Ucluelet as a key coastal outpost. During World War II, it hosted a Royal Canadian Air Force radar station and coastal defense systems. After the war, the town grew steadily, driven by marine and forestry industries.

Today, eco-tourism, storm watching, hiking, whale watching, and cultural education are central to Ucluelet’s identity. The Ucluelet First Nation remains an active presence in governance and conservation.

We also managed a walk along the enormous and beautiful Combers Beach. Shaped by waves and wind, it’s the kind of place you could walk for hours, losing track of time and distance.

Combers Beach

A Dramatic Climate Difference

One of the most striking things about this part of the trip was the dramatic climate difference between Vancouver Island’s west and east coasts. On the west coast, temperatures were cooler and the air was damp and occasionally foggy. But as we drove back toward Parksville, the clouds parted, the air warmed, and we were soon peeling off layers and switching from sweaters to shorts.

A Stop in Parksville

We stayed at Park Sands Beach Resort, which sounds grander than it is—but it’s right on the water and offers access to a scenic boardwalk. While in Parksville, we enjoyed a few highlights:

Dinner with fellow Airstreamers Paul and Lianne (whom we’d met briefly at Beehive Campground). They also bought their rig from CanAm RV and tow with an Audi E-Tron. We had a great evening sharing many stories and sushi at Nori Japanese Restaurant in Nanaimo.
A visit to the Parksville Beach sand sculpting competition with friends Brigitte and Roland, formerly of Oakville and now proud Parksville residents. These massive, intricate sand sculptures are part of a qualifying event for the World Championships.
A walk through the forest and shoreline trails at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, followed by refreshments and dinner at Brigitte and Roland’s lovely home.

We continue to be blown away by the beauty and diversity of Vancouver Island and have already vowed to return and explore it even more deeply.