Before I start writing about our experiences in Tofino and Uclulet, I am excited to let you know that I am writing this blog post from my brand new MacBook Pro – it is my birthday and Christmas present to myself for the next couple of years ツ.
We decided to go for a quick visit with our dogs to Tofino and Ucluelet in early March. BC Ferries Vacations was running a promotion prior to the holidays where you received a third night free, after paying for two. This seemed like the perfect amount of time to check out the beaches and trails on the north end of Vancouver Island.
Tofino
If you have never been to Tofino, it is definitely a place to put on your bucket list. Beautiful beaches and trails, and many other activities that you can participate in depending on the time of year such as wildlife tours (whale and bear watching), camping, water sports and more.
While I feel that Justin and I barely scratched the surface of the various things to do in Tofino, we definitely packed a lot into our short stay.
Here are the beaches we checked out:
Long Beach: As the name suggests, this beach is very long and actually the biggest beach in Tofino. If you are looking to do a beach walk while in the area, this is definitely a top recommendation. You will also find Incinerator Rock at Long Beach which is a historic land mark from World War II. Depending on the tide, you might have the opportunity to climb onto the Rock.
Chesterman Beach: We ended up at Chesterman Beach a few times during our trip, with our first visit being a quick stop while on our way into town. Our timing could not have been better, as we arrived shortly after 5pm, which was just in time for a stunning sunset. As we were watching the sun go down, it started to hail – our dogs were definitely confused by the small white rocks falling from the sky! The second time we went to Chesterman was on our way back to the ferry. The beautiful weather brought out many surfers, which we were able to watch while doing a quick beach walk.
Tonquin, Middle & Mackenzie Beaches: We were able to visit all three of these beaches by walking along the Tonquin Trail. This Trail is easily accessible by foot from the main area of town – it took us about 20 minutes to walk to Tonquin Beach from Rhino Coffee House (more on this below). These beaches are definitely much smaller than both Long and Chesterman, but they are definitely worth a visit and provide beautiful views of the area.
Other than checking out the beaches, we also completed part of the Rainforest Figure Eight Trail. This trail consists of two loops – A and B – but unfortunately, loop B was closed during our visit. This was likely due to all the snow that had fallen in Tofino the weekend prior to our trip.
Loop A is a full board walk that goes through the forest, and the snow made for a very slippery experience, especially while trying to walk two very excited dogs! One of the signs we encountered (if you have read my other blog posts, you will know that Justin is usually the only one who reads the signs) actually indicated that snow in Tofino is incredibly rare, so we definitely got to experience the Rainforest in a less typical way compared to other visitors.
In terms of food and drink establishments, this is where we went:
- Tacofino: While you can get Tacofino in Vancouver, it originated in Tofino, so we made a point of eating at the “OG” food truck location. Both times we came here we ordered the vegan burrito, but added yams. The burrito is a huge portion size (as big as my head), but absolutely delicious!
- Rhino Coffee House: While I do not drink coffee, Justin ordered a couple of oat milk lattes from here, and said they were really good. Fortunately for us, they also had a vegan jelly donut covered in cinnamon and sugar – it is safe to say that I ate a couple of these while in Tofino.
- Tofino Brewing Company: We love our craft beer, and Tofino Brewing did not disappoint. I am definitely a fan of a good dark beer, and the Kelp Stout was excellent!
- Shed: For our final night in Tofino, we went to Shed for dinner, which is located in the main part of town. I ordered the Pachamama bowl (without cheese) and Justin got the Attenburger – we really enjoyed our meals and would definitely come here again!
- Chocolate Tofino: We dropped into Chocolate Tofino while waiting for our burritos (Chocolate Tofino is located in the same parking complex as Tacofino) and were surprised to see that they offer ice cream, including a couple dairy free options. We shared one scoop of the vegan salted caramel (since we did not want to spoil our lunch), and it was incredibly creamy and delicious.
The final activity that we had intended to take part in while in Tofino was whale watching; however, we did not end up going. Our initial sailing was cancelled due to heavy winds, and for our second (rescheduled) sailing, we were told that we would not be able to go into the open ocean and would need to stay in the inner channels. With this condition in place, we opted to cancel our booking as we did not want to be disappointed if we did not see any whales. Hopefully we will have better luck with this activity in the future ツ.
Ucluelet
While we spent most of our time in Tofino, we managed to fit in a couple quick trail walks in Ucluelet. For those who are not familiar with the area, as you are driving down the Pacific Rim Highway 4, you will reach a fork in the road – if you go left, you will go towards Ucluelet; if you go right, you will end up Tofino. The two small towns are about 30-minutes apart, so it is very common to checkout both areas during a single visit ツ.
The first walk we did in Ucluelet was the Lighthouse Loop, which is part of the Wild Pacific Trail. This hike provides stunning views along the coast, as well as of the Amphitrite Lighthouse.
Our second walk was along the Ancient Cedars Loop. In order to access this trail, you need to park along Peninsula Road. However, the first time we tried to access the trail, the road parking was completely blocked by snow. Luckily, when we went back (the day we were leaving), the snow had melted, giving us an opportunity to walk amongst the massive Cedar Trees.
Well, I think that covers everything. Until next time, Tofino and Ucluelet!
Always grateful,
Michelle
Exploring With Gratitude 