Outdoor Things to Do in Tofino and Ucluelet

You have taken the ferry over from the mainland or started from another location on the Island. You have then come to Highway 4 and taken the twisting drive that has been nerve racking, stimulating, and somehow enchanting. As the scenery has changed from city to town to vast expanses of forest, mountain, rivers, and lakes, your senses have been tweaked by the natural beauty and your nervous system is beginning to slow down. You and your family or friends have booked a getaway to Tofino or Ucluelet on the wild, west coast and you are getting close to your destination. Now the question is, “What are you going to do once you get here?”

A journey to the coast is your chance to get away from the influences of television and media and find a new rhythm for your thoughts. A rhythm dictated by the pace of your own footsteps as you walk through a forest or along a pristine beach. This is where you begin to do new things, maybe see things a bit differently, regain perspective on your busy life. This is the magic of the coast beginning to have its effect and is the essence, but not the whole experience. The whole experience takes shape as you move through the towns and participate in the activities and events that are available during your stay.

A mainstay of the total west coast experience is an adventure in nature. A walk, jog, or hike along a forest trail will fill your body with fresh oxygen that is given freely by the giant cedars, spruce, hemlock, and alders that call the coast their home. There are many trails for you to consider, or if you want a more educational experience you can contact the local experts who will guide you through some of the lesser known spots and bring to life the fauna that surrounds, along with some of the history of the area.

Both Tofino and Ucluelet are located close to beautiful beaches, and of course the ocean. This gives you lots of opportunities to try out a new sport like paddle boarding.  Paddle boarding is a fast growing sport that uses a larger and wider board than surfing. This large area allows you to stand on the surface of the board and use your paddle to guide yourself along. Paddle boarding is a great way to cruise across the ocean’s surface close to the beaches and enjoy the beauty and silence of your surroundings. For the more experienced or adventurous, you can quickly change the pace of this adventure by moving closer to shore and using the paddle board to surf the waves and instantaneously discover the fun and challenge of paddle surfing.

Surfing is a major activity on the coast, and a must try experience for many who come here, and you will find a good selection of shops, schools, and surf camps throughout both towns. It is a strenuous, thrilling and ultimately captivating experience that should be treated with respect. A word of caution should be made in regards to learning this great sport in a safe manner. A group lesson is a good place to start gaining your experience. Your instructor will be able to show you the basic techniques and then keep an eye on you and the surrounding space to minimize risk as you focus on taking those few tentative steps onto the board and catching your first wave. For the more experienced surfer, gear rental is available on a per day or multi day period, leaving you set to explore the beaches and waves at your leisure. In the summer months (July and August) there is a shuttle bus in Tofino that will take you from town to stops close to each beach, out to Cox Bay.

If you are looking to develop your own schedule during your trip, then renting a bike to get you anywhere you want to go is an ideal solution. Environmentally friendly, bike riding is a terrific way to get exercise, enjoy the sunshine and get a chance to speak with a few of the locals along the way. Tofino has a 7km long bike path from Cox Bay on the outskirts of town all the way into the town centre, while Ucluelet has a bike path that will take you from the beginning of town all the way back to the Junction, about a 16km round trip. This is your opportunity to get your legs moving, increase your heart rate, get the benefits of oxygen flow and generally feel good and quietly exhausted at the end of your day. Don’t forget to wear your helmet, and make sure have a light on the bike so that you can be seen if you intend to be out past dusk.

Another very popular thing to do is kayaking as it allows you to have a close and personal encounter with the ocean.  You can get adventurous and sign up for a multi-day overnight trip where the food and camping is all taken care of by your experienced, safety conscious guides. This style of trip, without Wi-fi or other artificial connections, will allow you to deeply re-connect to the natural pace of living, sleeping, and just being.  You can, of course, stay closer to the towns and still enjoy a once in a lifetime kayaking trip that includes visits to local landmarks. The 1500 year old tree on Meares Island, close to Tofino, will give you a sense of the permanence of the natural environment and why it is so close to the heart of many, many, locals. The Broken Group Islands near Ucluelet is an amazing spot to visit.  Unspoiled and tranquil, they are a reminder that this part of the world is a largely uninhabited gem of a place.

Staying on the coast also offers you the opportunity to go fishing for some trophy sized salmon or other species. Many of the local fishing charter captains have spent their entire lives on or near the water and their expertise will lead you to the best fishing spots with the highest likelihood of a good catch to bring home. Both Ucluelet and Tofino have a great selection of charter boats to suit your particular needs. Whether you have a group of 2 or 10, there is a boat that can get you out to enjoy some of the best fishing, crabbing, and prawning available anywhere.

Want to try something totally different?  Here is a new adventure for you to consider: gold panning in the old growth forest. This is a fun way to experience a snapshot of the lifestyle of many of the early European settlers to the Clayoquot Sound area. You will be taken by boat to a secret location somewhere up the Tofino Inlet and ferried to shore on a small inflatable before being shown to the panning location. After you have mastered the panning technique, a lunch of BBQ’d smokies will keep your energy up as you seek your fortune. The gold panning trip also offers the opportunity to drop some crab traps at the beginning of the adventure and retrieve them on the way back so you can have fresh crab for dinner. Coming home with gold in your pocket and fresh crab to satisfy your well earned hunger is bound to make you and your family smile.

Lastly, we have trips to the hot springs at Hot Springs Cove. This beautiful location can be accessed by a boat trip of approximately 90 minutes, or you can fly in to this popular spot in about 15 minutes (some companies offer boat 1 way and flight 1 way).  The chances of seeing whales or other mammals as you boat or fly in is fairly high.  Once you arrive at the Cove, the walk through the rain forest to reach the springs is incredible. Upon arrival at the springs there is a changing area for you to use and then savour the view before making your way to the springs. The hottest temperatures are at the top with each descending pool getting a little cooler before the springs join the ocean. Bask for a while and feel the tension disappear from your body.

Now that you have had your outdoor adventure there is a good likelihood you have developed quite an appetite.  If you don’t already have fresh fish from a fishing trip or fresh crab from your gold panning adventure then read our other blog posts where I have a ton of suggestions for you to meet your hunger, whether you’re on a budget or your pockets are full (coming soon!). Until then I hope you enjoy all your outdoor experiences and adventures that make the west coast a special place to visit.