"There is no WIFI in the forest, but you will find a better connection !!! " - Vi Mundy

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MAP to lighthouse loop -- click for a printable file.

lighthouse photo

Pack for a comfortable hike

Learn more about storm, click hereOpen year round
The trail is open year round during daylight hours. Weather is mild in any season. Since the rainforest canopy provides shelter, there is no need to delay your walk if it is a rainy day. Fall and winter storms are a memorable experience, attracting storm watchers when the waves are towering. In the event of extreme winds, the trail will be closed.

Family Friendly
Most areas of the trail are accessible to children’s strollers, and paved wheelchair access is available at the lighthouse, and beyond if you have an off-road model.

Parking
The main parking area is off Coast Guard Road near the lighthouse. A smaller lot is available at Brown's Beach. Please leave bikes in racks provided at parking lots.

TOILETS
Portable toilets are available at the Lighthouse Loop Whale Parking Lot, He-Tin-Kis Otter Parking Lot, Brown's Beach Sea Star Parking Lot, and at Tugwell Field Raven Lot. Pit toilets are available at the lighthouse and Big Beach Park. There is NO running water, please carry hand sanitizer.

No drones please!
New regulations in Canada prohibit the flying of drones withing 9 kms of an aerodrome. The WIld Pacific Trail is located next to a heli-pad near the lighthouse and the harbour is an aerodrome for float planes that fly along the coast. The fine for breaking these rules is up to $3,000.

Donations pay for everything you see on the trail, please contribute at donation boxes.

User Guide to the Wild Pacific Trail

Motion activated camera photo by Leif TimmermansYou are entering a wilderness area:

Please stay on the trail and enjoy our convenient oceanfront benches to watch for abundant marine life from seals and sea lions to whales. You may even spot a sea otter – newly returned to the coast after near extinction.

No one has ever been hurt while hiking this trail but you may encounter wolves, bears, or cougars anywhere on the west coast. Dogs running off leash have been hurt by wolves so please protect your pets with a leash. No dog on a leash has ever come to harm on this trail. Click here to read more about how to avoid wildlife conflict.

Stay on the trail to protect yourself and the environment

Side trails into the forest or onto rocks are often wildlife paths and should not be followed. The forest has many layers of trees growing on fallen logs so solid ground is actually a maze of cavities that will collapse underfoot.
Off-trail use will also damage forest plants, help us keep the Wild Pacific Trail wild.

This trail network is divided into three main sections. Click to a button to learn more about each section.

Click to read about Children's interpretive trail!Lighthouse Loop

This section is a 45 to 60 minute, 2.6 km loop at an easy pace. This wide trail has an easy grade along the coast, and hills inland. Allow extra time to enjoy views from frequent benches. If you wish to enrich your experience be sure to see the BOG Interpretive Loop, (turn left at the map sign from the whale lot). If you wish to see the lighthouse first turn right at the trailhead or park at the lighthouse parking lot. This lot is also a paved access point for wheelchairs. SPRING COVE is a new interpretive trail section offering insights into a mudflat environment. Terrace Beach offers interpretive signs glimpsing FIrst Nations teachings.

One visitor posted advice to allow several hours for stopping at benches in this section! Many viewpoints are designed to offer a secluded nook to observe the flow of birds and marine mammals passing by. READ MORE>

Click to read about Children's interpretive trail!Artist Loops

45-60 minutes – 2.75 kilometres one way– kilometre marker 4.0 to 6.75
Grade is moderate to challenging as you climb small hills and stairs. Begin at either Big Beach Children’s Interpretive Trail or Brown’s Beach parking lot. The entire route is along great coastal views after a short inland section near Brown's Beach.

There is a storm watching deck mid-way in this section. If the waves are large wear a waterproof layer for the sea spray. At the end of the Artist Loops section the trail divides for Ancient Cedars or Rocky Bluffs. READ MORE>

click to learn about ancient cedar sectionAncient Cedars and Rocky Bluffs

15-minute loop plus Rocky Bluffs section 15-20 minutes further north
Grade is easy until a short hilly section on the bluffs.

It is well worth the time to leave the wind sculpted coastline to visit the largest trees in the area at Ancient Cedars grove. Breathe in the heady scent of a stand of trees over 800 years old! READ MORE>

Help us keep the WILD in the Wild Pacific Trail. Leave no marks on benches, trees or rocks--if you witness a vandal please call bylaw enforcement at 250-726-7744. Call 911 in emergencies.

click here for larger map