Pacific Rim National Park Reserve between surf and rainforest

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve stretches along the outer coast of Vancouver Island, bringing together long Pacific beaches, dense coastal rainforest and scattered offshore islands in a single protected landscape. Established in 1970 as a national park reserve in British Columbia, it runs between Tofino and Port Renfrew on Canada’s rugged western shore.

Ocean edge: Long Beach between Tofino and Ucluelet

The most immediately accessible face of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve for travellers staying in Tofino is the Long Beach Unit, which lies along Highway 4 between Tofino and Ucluelet and fronts the open Pacific Ocean.The Long Beach Unit forms a continuous strip of sand and headlands, with the surf rolling in from the Pacific and a line of forested hills backing the shore.

Here the park reserve showcases broad sandy beaches such as Wickaninnish and others that run for considerable lengths along the shoreline, separated by rocky promontories and small inlets.Approximately 22 km of beaches lie within the park, and a sequence of signed access points leads from the highway through bands of coastal forest to the open sand.

Islands and channels: the Broken Group in Barkley Sound

South of Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve takes on a very different character in the Broken Group Islands, which lie scattered across Barkley Sound between Vancouver Island and the open Pacific.The park reserve extends across this section of coast as a marine and island landscape.

The Broken Group Islands comprise more than one hundred small islands, islets and rock outcrops, many of them clad in forest and fringed by small coves and reefs.The unit covers around 106 km², with only a fraction of that as dry land, and the remainder taken up by channels, shoals and open water.

Rainforest and trail: the West Coast section towards Port Renfrew

Further south again, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve follows the outer shoreline between Bamfield and Port Renfrew in the West Coast Trail Unit.This section of the park contains a long-established multi-day trail along the edge of Vancouver Island’s outer coast.

The West Coast Trail runs through temperate rainforest, along beaches and across headlands, tracing a line above reefs and coves that have challenged shipping for generations.The trail extends between Port Renfrew and Bamfield, crossing rivers and inlets and linking a series of campsites and access points in terrain that ranges from forest to exposed shoreline.

Visiting Pacific Rim National Park Reserve: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Pacific Rim National Park Reserve lies on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, with the Long Beach Unit located between Tofino and Ucluelet along Highway 4.
• The terrain in the park reserve varies from flat sandy beaches to short, steep forest trails and rugged rocky shoreline, and access paths from the highway to the shore may include sections of boardwalk and steps.
• The Broken Group Islands section of the park reserve lies in Barkley Sound, reached from coastal communities that provide boat access into the islands and channels.
• The official language is English and the currency is the Canadian dollar.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Where is Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve lies on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, between the communities of Tofino, Ucluelet, Bamfield and Port Renfrew.

What can visitors expect on a first visit?

Visitors encounter long sandy beaches with Pacific surf, coastal temperate rainforest with short trails and boardwalks, and, further south, a more remote coastline linked by a multi-day trail.

What makes Pacific Rim National Park Reserve distinctive?

The park reserve combines a continuous stretch of outer Pacific shoreline, offshore island groups and temperate rainforest in one protected area that extends along around 125 km of coast.