inspiration and ideas from our favourite family vacations and other travel…
The Lighthouse Loop of Ucluelet’s Wild Pacific Trail
It was just after 08:00AM when I slipped on my walking boots and quietly left the cabin where my wife and daughter were still sleeping. We were staying in Ucluelet (pronounced “You-clew-let”), on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, or ‘Ukee’ as it’s called locally, having arrived the previous day after a relaxed 447 km (278 mi.) journey from Telegraph Cove, driving down Highway 19 (the Island Highway) along Highway 4 (the Alberni Highway), and through to almost the end of the road on the Ucluth Peninsula.
The peninsula lies about a third of the way up the Pacific-facing western coastline of Vancouver Island, SE of the Long Beach Unit of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and NW of the Broken Group Islands and West Coast Trail Units of the park. It’s about 180 km (112 mi.) by road from Nanaimo to Ucluelet, and from Victoria it’s a drive of nearly 300 km (186 mi.).
We’d already realised what a great accommodation choice we’d made by booking to stay at Cabins West, but its proximity – only 350m/a 5 minute walk – to my destination that morning was an added bonus.
As I left Cabins West I turned right along Boardwalk Boulevard, and left onto Peninsula Road, where, through a narrow gap in the trees to my left, there was a view of Spring Cove. It is named after Captain William Spring who opened a trading post there in 1869 (after ‘buying’ the land from the indigenous population for a barrel of molasses), although the first European settler in Ucluelet is reported to have built a house here around 9 years earlier.
The Beach House and the Shore Cabin of Birds Bay Retreat in Spring Cove can just be seen beyond the branches of the tall tree in the foreground to the right. Obscured by the branches to the left is the old BC Packers site, which might look like a bit of a metallic eyesore in the landscape, but is worth consideration for its intimate connection to the sad story of the Japanese-Canadian fishermen of Ucluelet and their families.
I crossed to the sidewalk on Peninsula Road and continued SSW down the gentle downhill slope to a point where the land was reduced to a strip of only about 170m (560 ft) width between Terrace Beach and Spring Cove.
Terrace Beach, or “Capacuwis” (‘canoe beach landing’) is in the historical territory of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Yuu-thlu-ilth-aht) First Nation i.e. the Ucluelet First Nation (UFN), who are a part of the 13 member Nuučaan̓uł (Nuu-chah-nulth) First Nations with lands that spread along c.300km of the western Vancouver Island coast from Brooks Peninsula in the north to Point-no-Point in the south.
If you walk along this passage try to imagine that there is no road, and picture First Nations people hauling their canoes from the water to portage between the open sea and the protected cove in an area for which there is archaeological evidence that they have lived for over 4500 years. The name Ucluelet is derived from the Nuu-chah-nulth phrase meaning “safe harbour” or “safe landing place”.
Immediately after passing the Terrace Beach Resort on my right I reached the entrance to He-Tin-Kis (which roughly translates as ‘by the sea’) Park, and the start point of my walk along the Lighthouse Loop of the Wild Pacific Trail.
The He-Tin-Kis Park Terrace Beach project was created in 1971 with boardwalk trails around the wooded slopes forming the southern flank of Terrace Beach. The map panel, which may have been subsequently replaced, was for the Terrace Beach Interpretative Trail (to the right) and noted as follows:
“Before first contact with Europeans, the Ucluelet First Nation was distributed among 9 villages located between Long Beach and Barkley Sound. They were a thriving, canoe based culture that traded over great distances. The natural boundary of land and sea sustained thousands of people, a vastly larger population than live in present day communities. Western Vancouver Island’s Nuu-chah-nulth people [including the Makah First Nation on Olympic Peninsula] supported an estimated 31,000 people before first contact. Then populations were decimated by warfare and diseases such as smallpox and measles introduced by explorers and settlers. By 1939 only and estimated 1,605 Nuu-chah-nulth and Ditidaht people survived.”
There was another sign providing some extra details about my chosen route to the left, but a third notice also caught my attention…
It would be another three years before I would have to change my direction of travel on a morning walk due to the proximity of a Black Bear (Ursus amaericanus vancouveri), but having seen one moving at speed across the road and into the scrub during our approach to Ucluelet on Highway 4 the previous day, the reinforced reality of their local presence was enough to remind me of the potential danger.Coming from a country where the last wild bears were exterminated around 1,500 years ago, the prospect of turning a corner and meeting one added to the sense of being somewhere special. If, like me, you’re not used to bear country you might want to read the .PDF brochure here before you travel. It’s also worth taking a look at the advice from the same page on cougars and wolves, especially if walking your dog in the area. If you think it couldn’t happen to you, take a look at these Ucluelet news stories from January and July 2015.
Before starting up the Lighthouse Loop I picked up a copy of the then current 2008 printed map of the Wild Pacific Trail (left above), which is still available online here, but development has been rapid, and I don’t expect that it will be long before the 2013 edition (right above) is upgraded too. You can get the most recent map from the online Wild Pacific Trail website, and there are more links for further information about the trail at the end of the post.Heading up the hardcore-surfaced trail which replaced the older boardwalk in this section of He-Tin-Kis Park in 2009.
The Lighthouse Loop was the first section of the Wild Pacific Trail to be built, opening in 1999 at a time when it served as an important reminder of the fragility of the Pacific temperate rainforest eco-region and the effects of old growth deforestation on Vancouver Island. The trees along the trail are mainly Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis), Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) and Hemlock (Conium maculatum) with characteristic drapings of moss, interspersed with ferns and various berry bushes.
As the path gently climbed, Terrace Beach was revealed in the morning sun to my right.As I approached the most westerly point of the Lighthouse Loop there was a view down to a small spit below, and, looking NW, beyond the entrance to the cove containing Terrace Beach on my right, the shore and buildings on the SE side of Marine Drive near Little Beach.Turning south to follow the western edge of the Lighthouse Loop a number of the trees demonstrated what it sometimes takes to survive the Pacific storms which they face on nature’s front line. The nutrient laden atmosphere which delivers such fecundity to the rainforest can also be the bearer of a ferocity that makes this trail a major attraction to storm watchers, but on this mid-August morning the sea was calm and there were surprisingly few other people on the path.As I continued walking the canopy was more intermittent along this outer section, enabling me to enjoy the fresh sea air with the sun on my back and a view out across the expanse of the Pacific Ocean.Descending to the waterside I realised the tide was ebbing.Log littered inlets filled rocky pools inviting further inspection. If you’re here in May keep an eye on the sea as 22,000 Pacific Grey Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) migrate past along the coast at this time. In summer months Orca’s (Orcinus orca) can be seen closer to the shore.The view to the SE of Amphitrite Point Lighthouse and beyond to the George Fraser Islands at the western edge of Barkley Sound.As I walked on towards the lighthouse I was early enough and lucky enough to come across a prime specimen of the Banana Slug (Ariolimax columbianis) crossing the trail. The second largest slug in the world, it plays an important role in cleaning up the detritus of the rainforest.The 1915 Amphitrite Point Lighthouse. For a detailed account of why and how it was built, and the keepers that have looked after it, visit LighthouseFriends.com.It was still a little misty as I looked out over Barkley Sound and the Graveyard of the Pacific, but the sun was starting to burn it off.
From here I headed a little further along the coastal path and then cut back along the interior forest trail, returning to Cabins West around an hour after setting out. With everyone now out of bed it was time to do it again, but I had a feeling that this time round the Lighthouse Loop might take a little longer.
By 10:30AM the view towards Little Beach was much brighter than it had been just a couple of hours previously. However, early morning and late evening are the best times to watch for Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) here. Hunted almost to extinction for their fur along the Canadian coast, Sea Otters were absent from Vancouver Island until 1969 when a reintroduction programme began. It has been remarkably successful. The year after our visit the first returning Sea Otter raft in Ucluelet was spotted during the Spring of 2011 in Little Beach’s bay; it comprised 50-70 individuals. Once again, it would be 3 years before we got to see Sea Otters in the wild.The view at the edge of the Pacific was no less impressive on the second time round, but it was better for sharing the experience.
It didn’t take long before we found ourselves down at the exposed rocks and pools of the intertidal zone, which, amazingly, we had all to ourselves. Well almost, but it wasn’t other people that would later join us.
If you don’t know too much about the seashore in this region, download a copy of Parks Canada’s “Exploring The Seashore” brochure.
At low tide levels like this there is a huge expanse to explore more of the rich biodiversity of this region.The Blueband Hermit Crab (Pagurus samuelis) is the most common type of hermit crab on the western coast of North America, with Vancouver Island being the northernmost point of its distribution.A retracted Giant Green Anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica). You can just see the tips of its tentacles waiting for the sea to return, when this venomous carnivore would look like this…
Source: By pfly [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.We spent nearly an hour on the ‘beach’, and on the day of our visit we’d been lucky enough to hit a pretty low tide at the right time. The tide had turned at about 09:30AM, but didn’t reach its full height until 15:45PM, at which point the area we’d walked on was a further 3.11m (10.2”) underwater. Keeping in mind that this link is for tide times in Ucluelet Harbour (which means there can be some variation with the water levels out on the coast), it’s really worth a little planning to make the most of your visit.
We eventually retreated up the shore (for the shade rather than due to the slowly returning ocean), where, from behind a rock poking above some tall grass, a female Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) suddenly emerged.
She appeared fairly unconcerned by us as she grazed, but we soon spotted that she wasn’t alone…This fawn was probably 10-12 weeks old, as birthing occurs in May and early June.
The fawn was alert to our presence, but as we remained fairly quiet and moved slowly, it followed its mother’s lead and got on with eating choice new growth while ignoring us.
Unlike bears, wild deer are not in short supply in the U.K., and if I want to be assured of seeing them I can always just drive into London. However, the experience of sitting on a rocky beach on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and watching these Black-tails with my wife and daughter provided a deep sense of calm satisfaction with life.
Moving down to the stony shore the doe made an arc between us and the ocean, and, occasionally pausing and checking back to make sure her fawn was following, headed up towards a tree-crowned tidal islet/spur…We left any exploration of the trees to the deer, who, as creatures of habit, hopefully already knew it to be a good place of refuge and sustenance.We ascended the track from the shore to the trail path, and were rewarded with another fine panorama of this magnificent coast.As we walked on we realised just how well protected (and trapped) the deer would be as the tide came in. We also noticed two of the four Coast Guard masts located on the Amphitrite peninsula, and, if you look carefully, that there were now other people enjoying a midday walk around the Wild Pacific Trail.The Lighthouse Loop of the Wild Pacific Trail provided many fine views and photo opportunities without the need to go rock hopping (or climbing off-path through the forested sections which can hide many deep crevices beneath rotting trunks and vegetation). A c.3m fall from the path cost one visitor a dislocated arm and the need to be extricated by the Ucluelet Volunteer Fire Brigade in October 2015.Having passed the Amphitrite Lighthouse, our final views of the Pacific from the trail were of some of the hundreds of islands in the 800 km2 (309 mi2) area of Barkley Sound, none of which is bigger than 2 km (1.24 mi.) across.
Once again (at least for me), the Wild Pacific Trail then led back across the centre of the forest, and it didn’t take long before we arrived back at Cabins West.
Although it’s now over 5 years since our visit, the morning we spent on the Lighthouse Loop of the Wild Pacific Trail remains as one of those moments when the world raises its game several notches, and you wonder where on earth you will find a challenge to meet such perfection.
I hope that the way that the Wild Pacific Trail has been considerably extended and developed in the intervening period means that we need have little fear of ‘previous comparison disappointment’; a return to Ucluelet is high on my quite short list of ‘really need to get back there ASAP’ places.
If you’re looking for an easily accessible view of “Life On The Edge”, the Lighthouse Loop of the Wild Pacific Trail might be just where you should be heading to.
More online information.
Start with the comprehensive Wild Pacific Trail official website, and spend some time going through all of its pages before you decide what you want to see and have the time to enjoy most.
Before your visit, keep an eye on the latest reports from the Tofino Ucluelet Westerly News. In August 2015 they reported on the community’s capital injection plans for the Wild Pacific Trail, and in November 2015 they followed up with an article on the “nine new viewing points and a viewing deck on the Lighthouse Loop”.
You can also keep up to date with Wild Pacific Trail news by logging on to their Facebook page.
There’s also a quite good background article on the Wild Pacific Trail here.
The information source for the Terrace Beach Interpretative Trail sign First Nation population estimates is here.
![It would be another three years before I would have to change my direction of travel on a morning walk due to the proximity of a Black Bear [http://www.geog.uvic.ca/viwilds/iw-bear.html], but having seen one moving at speed across the road and into the scrub during our approach to Ucluelet on Highway 4 the previous day, the reinforced reality of their local presence was enough to remind me of the potential danger.](http://www.afewmilesmore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Bear-warning-on-the-Lighthouse-Loop-Wild-Pacific-Trail.jpg)
![Log littered inlets filled rocky pools inviting further inspection. If you’re here in May keep an eye on the sea as 22,000 Pacific Grey Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) migrate past along the coast at this time. In summer months Orca’s [http://www.geog.uvic.ca/viwilds/iw-orca.html] (Orcinus orca) can be seen closer to the shore.](http://www.afewmilesmore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Ebbing-tide-from-the-Lighthouse-Loop-Wild-Pacific-Trail-Ucluelet-BC.jpg)
