Well well well... I am back at it. After a speedy two week hiatus while I finished writing my honours thesis for my undergrad, I am now edited up and free! Next step is the holidays, then pure freedom. I leave in 15 days for my epic trip and I am feeling the butterflies. I am also feeling the adventurous spirit!
With all of the talk of travel on this blog, I thought it would be fitting to do my first location feature to really get into the nitty gritty of the places I have been and what I can offer as advice. I have been to some truly stunning places, but no matter how far I roam most of the jaw-dropping locations I have seen are right here in my own backyard. I grew up in Chilliwack, British Columbia. Chilliwack is a medium-sized, 80 000 or so population city about an hour and a half outside of Vancouver. I am a Pacific Northwesterner through-and-through with a deep love of the rivers, lakes, trees and mountains that make up the scene I grew up looking at. I was also lucky enough to grow up downhill skiing, boating, hiking, swimming and exploring. My mom is in the military, so trips repelling in the BC interior or building snowcaves were also thrown in there from time to time. Pretty lucky to have that sort of inspiration.
My love of BC has brought me all over the place, and I still haven't even scratched the surface of this province, let alone the rest of my country. One day, I hope to change that. That all happens one location at a time!
My dad is a Vancouver Islander. Born in Victoria and raised all over the island, going back with him is always a fantastic time-travel back to when he was running all over those rugged, beautiful lands. His history there has always made me want to explore the island, and I think that I have definitely inherited some of his island blood. A popular location for tourism on Vancouver Island, besides BC's capital city of Victoria, is Tofino. Tofino is on the very outer west coast of Vancouver Island, with nothing but Pacific Ocean stretching out in front of you. It is beyond beautiful, and it wasn't until I was an adult that I ventured out to see the place for myself. And so, let's begin the whirlwind weekend trip that left us reeling with photos of sunsets and waterfalls. Hopefully this inspires you to make your way along that winding highway!
On a Saturday morning, my trusty travel companion Megan and I woke up at the butt crack of dawn to catch the first ferry out of Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. The boat takes an hour and a half to two hours to cross the Salish Sea, so bring a cribbage board or a good book to pass the time. Maybe just take a nap, if you're not too fired up about your roadie. We definitely were not sleeping, just eager to get to hiking!
Once we were off the boat, our first stop was Englishman River Falls. Englishman River Park is a large park with lots to do, the highlight of which is the falls. The falls are a short walk from the main parking lot, and a lot of fun to see. The short trails surrounding the falls are also fantastic on a nice day with lots of old growth forest - I recommend stopping in here to check it out and take some photos along the trail!
Second stop: Coombs. The Coombs Old Country Market is somewhere I had been with my grandparents before several times, and it should be a stop for anyone travelling along Highway 4 en route to Ucluelet or Tofino. Handmade donuts and sweets, a treasure trove of souvenirs, and home to the best strawberries I have ever eaten - Coombs is a fun place to stop and stretch your legs. If you're there in season, you will also get to interact with the famous goats on the roof!
Continuing along the number 4 is Little Qualicum Falls. More modest than Englishman River Falls, Qualicum Falls is still a quaint and enjoyable waterfall park with lovely rock formations and groomed trails. A little longer walk but with cute bridges and viewpoints, Little Qualicum Falls is still a great place to stop off at and just a short jag off the highway.
Ten minutes passed Little Qualicum Falls is Cathedral Grove. A famous old growth forest, Cathedral Grove is a must see for nature-lovers. The beautiful trail network is well-maintained with tons of signage to learn as you walk along and of course, giant trees to admire. Cathedral Grove can get busy since it is one of the most popular destinations along the highway, so drive carefully as you approach and start looking for parking early. Bonus though - you drive right through MacMillan Provincial Park where Cathedral Grove is found following Highway 4, so you can observe the beauty of the forest even if you don't have time to do the trail.
Another ten minutes from the Cathedral Grove walk is the Hole in the Wall in Port Alberni. Now this one - hard to find. I am not sure if it was just Meg and I that got turned around or if it is truly a bit of a rare gem, but we weren't actually able to find this neat little feature. Tried as hard as we could and we ended up deep in forest around Port Alberni, but we did not succeed this time around. Fun was had by all nonetheless, and that is what matters! Let me know if you have ever actually seen the Hole in the Wall...
From Port Alberni, enjoy the drive! A number of lakes run alongside the highway which are stunning and should be savored while they last. The winding road leading to the coast is also just a fun drive with tons of beauty to revel at, so turn up the road trip tunes and enjoy the company of nature and your travel partners. This stretch of the drive from Port Alberni to Tofino will take you about two hours.
You'll know you're in Tofino once you see Long Beach. Gorgeous and vast, it's no wonder it's one of the most popular places in town. Watch at the right times and you'll even see surfers. Meg and I got in in the mid-afternoon, fresh off of about 7 hours of travel and a heck of a lot of hiking around. We checked into our adorable AirBnB and set out to find some sustenance. One of the most prominent places along the main drag in Tofino is the Wolf in the Fog, which is where we had dinner. Wolf in the Fog is rather expensive, but they have a really cool menu with everything from seafood to vegan options. Megan and I both opted for the vegan option since it was one of the less expensive options and sounded delicious (samosas - yum!) and it was really nice with a glass of chardonnay. I don't know if I would run back to the Wolf given the expense, but it was a fun experience and definitely worth it if you're looking to treat yo-self!
At this point, it was drinking and relaxation time my dudes. We grabbed a couple more bottles of wine and headed back to the BnB where we sat in the front yard, people watched, and chatted. We continued on this path until it was decided that we would whip out one more hike - a sunset hike that one of her local friends was familiar with. We took off with our bottles of wine in our backpacks and trudged our way up the mountain on the south side of Cox Bay, where we enjoyed one of the best sunsets ever. This hike was definitely not for the ill-prepared and it was incredibly muddy with skunk cabbages as big as Megan, but the sunset was a 10/10. We jumped huge puddles and slipped in ankle-deep mud the whole way but survive we did and we made it just in time to enjoy the sunset and our vino. What a great day.
Sunday morning, we woke up bright and early again to soak up our last moments in Tofino before we started our route back home to go back to work the following day. We started off with a coffee and a breakfast sandwich from Rhino Coffee (SO GOOD) which got our tired bodies and minds going, and we headed for Long Beach. We were the only souls there at that time of morning, and we had the fresh dawn to ourselves. Meg and I ran around on the beach and sipped our coffees, taking innumerable photos until we had to turn tail for Vancouver. Waking up early (or staying up late) in Tofino to have some alone time is the bomb - going at off-peak times is also a good idea like we did in early May.
Given our short visit, a couple of things I would have liked to do in Tofino itself would have included surfing and eating at the original Tacofino - if you're a Vancouverite you'll already be familiar with the Tacofino chain. One of my faves! Whale watching is also a possibility as are doing a number of other hiking trails between Tofino and Ucluelet. I'll be saving those for next time. The moral of the story is that you can get a hell of a good trip in during just a regular weekend, and Vancouver Island is a hell of a good place. The road to Tofino is just as much of an adventure as Tofino itself, and all of the stops shouldn't be rushed. In this case Meg and I were rushing to get home for a Shania Twain concert, but there's no regrets there either... :)
Travel your asses off, and let me know in the comments if you have any other advice for Tofino travellers!
Photo Guide
Photo 1: BC Ferries, Salish Sea
Photo 2: Englishman River Falls, Vancouver Island
Photo 3: Cathedral Grove, MacMillan Provincial Park
Photo 4: Stokes Falls Trail, Port Alberni
Photo 5: Cox Bay Beach, Tofino
Photo 6: Overlooking Cox Bay, Tofino
Photo 7: Long Beach, Tofino
Photo 8: Overlooking Cox Bay, Tofino