To celebrate Canada Day last year, I went with some friends to Vancouver Island. There's so much to do and see, we concentrated on the Tofino / Ucluelet area.
To get to Vancouver Island, you can choose one of the island's airports, but most people land in Vancouver. Because of the price and also the ease of renting a car afterwards. There are two ferries to the island:
Horseshoe Bay: takes you to Nanaimo
Price: Approx. $20 per person and $60 for a vehicle.
Hiking
For local hikes, you'll need a national park pass per person. This costs around ten dollars a day or $50 a year. If you're a permanent resident, I recommend using the Canoo application, which gives you free access to the national parks.
Between Ucluelet and Tofino, there's a lot of hiking to be done! I've put together a small selection for you.
Download All Trails: I also recommend downloading the ALL TRAILS application, which will give you an idea of the distances to be covered and the difficulty of the hikes.
Canso Bomber Ruins Trail:
One of the most interesting trails we've done! You'll need to park at the radar hill trailhead. Then follow the bike path on foot to reach the trail a little further on. This trail takes you straight to the crash site of an old wartime bomber. It's still in very good condition and quite impressive to see.
Nuu-chah-nulth to South Beach Trail
A really interesting spot with a trail entirely on wooden pontoons that leads to Florencia Beach popular with surfers.
Mount Ozzard
A hike that climbs a lot, it's more of a gravel path all the way, but we were incredibly lucky to come across a bear.
Wild Pacific trail: Lighthouse
This one is a leisurely stroll around a lighthouse, very easy to access and gives you a great view of the Ocean.
Pettinger Point Trail:
A place with a short trail that allows you to access the cliffs and witness the force of nature with sometimes quite impressive waves crashing on the rocks. The entrance is via the beach, also entering a resort from the side.
Cox Bay Lookout: (Mountain top):
Un trail qui commence sur la plage. Si tu as l'application All trails, suis-là ! Car après il va falloir se faire un chemin dans une pente assez raide. La montée peut-être difficile/amusante pour certains, mais une chose est sûre... la vue est à couper le souffle!!
Surfing
Many people come to the West Coast to surf! There are lessons every day, and many stores will rent you surfboards along with wetsuits and a clip that lets you attach the surfboards to the roof of your car.
Canoeing
You can also go canoeing! My first time in the ocean! You'll be able to see lots of starfish and, if you're lucky, other animals too. I was lucky enough to see an otter and a bald eagle. Be careful not to leave your hands in the water. There are plenty of jellyfish in some places. A small tip for those who want to go canoeing and perhaps have the chance to see orcas, you'll have to go to the north of Vancouver Island.
Price: around $80 / person for about 3 hours.
Goat on the roof
Between Nanaimo and Tofino, you'll be able to see a funny market. In it, you'll see goats on a roof. It's quite unusual and well worth the detour.
Quelques restaurant et brasseries
On the island, you'll find that food can be expensive, especially as everything is imported. But I've unearthed a few nice places to fill your belly or gullet.
Tofino Brewing Co
Heartwood cuisine
Shelter restaurant
Ucluelet brewing company
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