The diverse beaches of Vancouver Island

With water activities out of the way, it was time to see how long we could possibly stretch the 40 km that separate Tofino from Ucluelet, our next stop. One could stretch that into a full day, it turns out.

We rode to the opposite shore of the peninsula, behind the Tofino airport, where a small boat launch area provided a serene escape to locals heading out into the water. It looked like some had recently come back from a very productive fishing trip, and left a lot of salmon carcasses in shallow water after removing the delicious fillets. I expected the bald eagles to take advantage of the easy pickings, but perhaps they were already well fed, and no wildlife showed any interest in fresh fish remains.

Next we decided to check out Long Beach. Aside from being, well, a very long stretch of sandy beach, it is one of the most popular surf spots on the island. The only oddity was that we could not see the ocean at all when we got there. Dense fog enveloped the coastline. It was surreal how out of nowhere a silhouette of a surfer appeared, moving slowly away from the shore, walked past us, and disappeared into the milky cloud. I turned to look back and no longer saw the tall trees that framed the road. The fog drifted slowly all around me, and for a moment I wondered how easy it would be to get lost in it.

As we walked further, slivers of blue sky appeared, and eventually, at the water’s edge, the fog lifted enough to see the shallow entry and a few surfers bobbing up and down on gentle waves. We got back to our bikes, mesmerized, and headed south again. Met another young bear close to the road. It got scared and attempted to climb a tree, but it had aged out of being a cub and could no longer do that effectively.

In the town of Ucluelet we took advantage of the full kitchen in our AirBnb and prepared some fresh fish from a local fish monger. With plenty of light left in the overcast sky, we decided to go for a hike on the Wild Pacific Trail. Easily accessible from town, it was a gorgeous hike, with views of dense forests, open ocean, and unexpectedly, tiny carnivorous plants – sundews.

The next day we decided to finally get out for a ride without any luggage – giving us the option to go light and fast on some less developed roads in the area. That included an overgrown track towards Kennedy Lake bridge. Rather, what was left of it. It previously allowed overland access to some of the remote areas of the island, as part of Sand River Road, but was now destroyed with no restoration plans.

On the way back we stopped to hike in the famous Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. When not interrupted by talkative tourists, we had a chance to listen in on a long and deep conversation between a pair of ravens, perched high in the tree canopy.

Personally, I found the rugged rocky coast of Ucluelet a lot more inspiring than the rainforest or the long sandy beaches. They say in the winter people come here for the wonderful activity of storm watching. Some of the upscale hotels facing the water would have prime views for that, so one can enjoy nature flexing its muscle from the comfort of a cozy room.

The next day we headed east on the newly re-opened highway 4. What should have been a scenic road with lots of interesting spurs, turned into a slow mess with one way traffic. All the view points, parks, and trailheads on the damaged section of the road were closed, so we had an uneventful day, ending at Qualicum Beach.

The town had a distinct beach town feel, except there were no palm trees and there was something, for lack of a better word, Canadian about it. The dark sand, the beach umbrellas stuck in the tidal zone among the seaweed. It was definitely unique.

Grace Bay
Salmon scraps in Grace Bay
Wind swept sand at Long beach
Surfer heading from one void into another
Sun poking out at Long Beach
Scared bear on Vancouver Island. This is as far as his weight will allow him to climb.
Art in Ucluelet
Friendly notice
Canadian Cola
Wild Pacific Trail
Wild Pacific Trail, overgrown spur where we ended up bushwhacking for half an hour
A slug on Wild Pacific Trail
Cypress in Ucluelet
Rocky views in Ucluelet
Wild Pacific Trail has lots of cozy nooks with benches and scenic overlooks
Pacific Coast in Ucluelet, one can watch it for hours
Coffee and fish: priorities
Worst of both worlds: dust and drizzle
Maggie River
Community of Macoah
Maggie Lake
Kennedy River Bridge
Hiking in Pacific Rim National Park
Fern in Pacific Rim National Park
Close up of a nurse log in Pacific Rim National Park
Ucluelet
Wild Pacific Trail
Sundews along Wild Pacific Trail. These look striking in photos, but in real life they are easy to miss – each plant is only 2-4 cm in height.
The regulars in Ukee Poke
Poke bowls for breakfast!
Beach life in Qualicum Beach