The Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet, BC

The Wild Pacific Trail is like a living piece of artwork that you can hike and explore. It is a treasure on Vancouver Island that is awe-inspiring and dramatic and makes you feel the power of nature and the sea!

What is the Wild Pacific Trail?

The Wild Pacific Trail is 9 km of rugged trail that hugs the edge of the west coast of Vancouver Island’s Ucluelet Peninsula. The trail offers breathtaking panoramic views of Barkley Sound and the Broken Group Islands as it traces along the edge of reefs and rugged cliff faces. The sea that crashes along its shore is full of marine life including whales and sea lions as well as eagles and aquatic birds. The Wild Pacific Trail was the dream of “Oyster Jim” Martin to showcase the unique natural beauty of the Ucluelet Peninsula. It has been completely built with funds donated to the Wild Pacific Trail Society.

The trail is divided into two sections:

• Lighthouse Loop: A 2.6 km trail circling the furthest southern tip of the Ucluelet Peninsula
• Artist Loops: A 5 km out and back trail with separate side trails that lead to wild and rugged vistas that only get wilder the further along the trail you wander!

How to Get to the Wild Pacific Trail

The Wild Pacific Trail runs along the western coastline of Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. You can access Vancouver Island via BC Ferries from either Horseshoe Bay or Tsawwassen. You can take the ferry to Swartz Bay near Victoria or to either Duke Point or Departure Bay near Nanaimo depending on from where you originate.

From Nanaimo, it is a three hour drive across the island and over a mountain pass to reach the town of Ucluelet on the Ucluelet Peninsula. We based ourselves in Ucluelet and explored both the Wild Pacific Trail and Pacific Rim National Park as well as Tofino during our three day stay.

The Wild Pacific Trail can be accessed from various parking lots that are named and marked with aquatic animals. Lighthouse Loop starts at the Whale Parking Lot and the Artist Loops trail starts at the Sea Star Parking Lot.

Now let’s start looking at the trails!

Lighthouse Loop

Lighthouse Loop is an easy and accessible 2.6 km trail that circles the southern most tip of the Ucluelet Peninsula. It is named for the Amphitrite Lighthouse that stands sentinel on the southern tip.

The trail hugs the rugged coastline and offers spectacular views of Barkley Sound and the Broken Group Islands of Pacific Rim National Park. It is really important to note how crucial it is to stay on the trail! The waves here are unpredictable and can grow huge due to the exposed nature of the coastline. This shore is open to the full fetch of the Pacific Ocean and the waves can get wild!

There are two interpretive trails leading off of the main trail. They are the Bog Trail and the Terrace Beach Interpretive Trail.

Artist Loops

The Artist Loops Trail is a 5 km out and back trail. The trail begins at either the Frog parking lot or the Sea Star parking lot. Start at the Frog lot if you want to begin by exploring Big Beach. At Big Beach Picnic Area, you can explore a children’s interpretive trail and if the tide is low, you can see an ancient shipwreck out on the surf!

From here you can connect to the Sea Star parking lot where the Artist Loops trail begins. The tides were not working in our favour so we opted to start at the Sea Star lot.

The Artist Loops trail begins in the forest canopy but quickly opens up onto wind-swept cliffs where the wild coastline can be seen in all of its glory! The trail only gets better the further you walk as the coast gets wilder and wilder.

As you walk, take every left hand trail to discover storm-watching decks and platforms called “Painter’s Perches”. Each of these Artist Loops offer unique views and vistas of the wild coastline.

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for marine life! We saw huge sea lions hunting for waves in the powerful surf as well as whale spouts and tail flukes from a pod of grey whales off in the distance.

Ancient Cedars Loop

Just before the 7 km marker is a junction for the Ancient Cedars Loop. The Ancient Cedars Loop is 1 km long and meanders beneath a forest canopy of giant and ancient cedars that tower above the trail. This stand of trees is over 800 years old! This is also the perfect place to stop to use the toilet facilities!

The Artist Loops trail continues for another kilometer and then ends at the Rocky Bluffs. There is no exit at this point, so you must double back along the trail to return to the Sea Star parking lot. We found that we enjoyed the trail just as much on the way back as views look different in reverse!

To save time and your legs, you can opt to return using the various “stroller routes” that by-pass the winding stretches of trail along the coast line. It saved us about 30 minutes of walking on the return journey.

Hiking the Wild Pacific Trail was the absolute highlight of our stay in Ucluelet! There are plans to connect the trail to Pacific Rim National Park. I sincerely hope that this dream will become a reality! It is truly a treasure for Vancouver Island!

Bonus Insider Tip!!

If you are staying in Ucluelet and want to see a picture perfect sunset, head to Little Beach. It is only 1 km up Peninsula Rd. from Lighthouse Loop. It is gorgeous and the perfect ending to a day spent hiking the Wild Pacific Trail!!

And if you want epic photos of your west coast adventures, book a photoshoot with Driftwoods Photography. Gina is a Vancouver Island photographer specializing in helping you plan and document your outdoor Vancouver Island adventures with unique adventure photoshoots. You can find out more or book a session here.

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