Last weekend was the Thanksgiving holiday in Canada. I used the extra day as an opportunity to visit Tofino on Vancouver Island with my family. An overnight road trip with a ferry crossing and several picturesque stops along the coast made for a perfect short fall holiday outing.
This is my second time in Tofino and during both visits we opted to stay in Ucluelet. Ucluelet is another small town 40 km away from Tofino along the coast. The beaches and the rainforest that folks come to explore in the area stretch along the coast between the two towns. I love the rocky Wild Pacific Trail around the Lighthouse Loop located right in Ucluelet. My favourite thing along the trail are the sound buoys–the green bell buoy and the red organ-like sounding red buoy–songs of which become louder and more frequent as the sea gets stormier.
This October we stayed at the Water’s Edge Shoreside Suites. The hotel overlooks the peaceful harbour of Ucluelet. We had a spacious two-bedroom suite with a full kitchen, a gas fireplace, a balcony with a small outdoor tub, and a view of the ocean with mountains and fishing boats. The harbour is home to sea lions and we spent mornings watching them move around the water and fell asleep at night to their barking from one of the nearby docks.
We brought food to cook at home in the morning and at night. During the day, we ate Meares Island chowder and Surf Salmon bowls at Shelter in Tofino next to their real fireplace or under heaters on their covered patio. By visiting local shops on this trip, I learned that Irish wool sweaters sell well in the PNW in Canada and now am seriously considering getting one for myself.
We spent our days visiting the sandy beaches along the coast. Florencia Bay was the first beach we visited. It was less crowded than other areas and you got to walk down a narrow wooden staircase from the forest to get down to the beach.
We visited Chesterman Beach at low tide and walked over to Frank’s Island. The strong wind sent sand across the beach as we walked over amidst large mussel shells and huge bundles of sea kelp. Kite surfers all around enjoyed the wind!
Long Beach is where we came twice: once during the day and then back at sunset. Watching a sunset is the best way to experience the coast in Tofino. We parked on the northern side of the beach, just past the Incinerator Rock and near Schooner bay. We climbed one of the large mounds of rocks on the beach for a spectacular view of the ocean at sunset.
The adventure was complete with a stop at Coombs Old Country Market where we picked up local apples, European grocery items, and gorgeous Mexican tiles. I was mesmerized by Japanese maples in the inner courtyard turning red and the smell of firewood burning around the market.
Other stops included Cameron Lake, Cathedral Grove, and Wally Creek. Leaving on a ferry from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver on a rainy morning was a delight in its own right.
Living in PNW for the past year has made me appreciate cold weather experiences on the coast a lot more. The beaches are less crowded when it’s cold out and you get to cozy up with hot drinks and chowder, wooly sweaters, and fireplaces. I have also had some of my best sleeps in Tofino after a day of being windswept at the stormy beaches.
