Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Clayoquot
Sound
Clayoquot
Sound
4
4
Bedwell
Sd
Bedwell
Sound
Me
a
res
Isl
a
nd
5
Tofino
Inlet
6
Kakawis
2
Kennedy
Lake
4
3
1
Kildonan
7
Pacific Rim National
Park Reserve
Tz
a
rtus
Isl
a
nd
Broken
Grou
p
Isl
a
nds
8
9
Sarita
Bamfield
Clayoquot Sound
Pronounced “clack-wot , Clayoquot boasts trees
295 ft (90 m) tall and 1,700 years old. They share the
territory with black bears, elk
(above)
, wolves, and an
elusive endangered bird, the marbled murrelet. The
coastline mingles bays, beaches, channels, intertidal
lagoons, and mudflats.
0
Vargas Island
Vargas Island has
rugged uplands, sandy
beaches, and abundant
marine life. Access is by
boat, kayak, or floatplane.
Ahous Bay, the largest
beach, is home to a sub-
species of gray wolf.
Eagle Aerie
Gallery
The tranquil cedar-planked
Eagle Aerie Gallery in
Tofino is a hand-hewn
longhouse with a carved
and painted housefront
traditional to the local
First Nations people.
Internationally acclaimed
Tsimshian printmaker Roy
Henry Vickers is the gal-
lerist, and his artwork is
also on sale here
(below)
.
Pacific Rim
National Park
Reserve of Canada
A world-famous area for
whale-watching, the
80-mi- (130-km-) long
park is made up of three
distinct areas: Long
Beach, the West Coast
Trail, and the Broken
Group Islands
(see p101).
Ucluelet
This small town is
the gateway to multiple
outdoor activities on both
land and water. Avid fish-
ers flock here for steel-
head, sturgeon, halibut,
and Pacific and fresh-
water salmon. The climate
is temperate, with 328
frost-free days a year.
Gray Whales
Each year, an estimated
22,000 gray whales
migrate past the Van-
couver Island coast
around Long Beach.
They're on an 11,000-mi
(17,700-km) round trip,
migrating south from
the Arctic to their
breeding grounds off
southern California and
Mexico from December
to early February, and
returning north from
March through May.
Wild Pacific Trail
This breathtaking 10-
mi (16-km) trail runs along-
side the Pacific Ocean
through coastal rainforest,
from the tip of the
Ucluelet peninsula to the
Pacific Rim National Park.
Hikers are surrounded by
lush stands of conifers in
the largest lowland tem-
perate rainforest on earth.
West Coast Trail
The West Coast Trail
is a challenging 46-mi (75-
km) hike along a historic
trail built to aid the rescue
of shipwrecked mariners.
The trail hugs the shore-
line where approximately
65 ships met their demise.
Rocky headlands along the
trail are dotted with caves,
arches, and waterfalls.
Reservations and permits are required for the West Coast Trail, which
can be hiked in part or full (seven days); call 250 387 1642
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