Vancouver Island west coast
Tofino
Open Pacific, old-growth rainforest and a surf town that is better in a storm.
- Best months
- October–May
Tofino sits at the end of Highway 4 on the Esowista Peninsula, in Tla-o-qui-aht territory, facing the open Pacific. Summer books out months ahead. From October to April the same beaches are wide and empty, the storms come in off the ocean, grey whales pass in March, and lodge rates drop sharply.
Things to do
Storm watching
From November to February Pacific lows bring big swells onto Cox Bay and Long Beach. Watch from a beachfront room, or walk Wickaninnish Beach in full rain gear at high tide.
Surfing in a wetsuit
Cox Bay and Chesterman Beach work year-round. Water is 7–15°C depending on the season; schools rent 5 mm suits, boots and gloves and run lessons in every season.
Grey whale migration
Most of the eastern Pacific’s grey whales (well over 10,000) pass Tofino between late February and April on their way to Alaska. The Pacific Rim Whale Festival runs in March; boats go out daily when the weather allows.
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
The Rainforest Trail boardwalks, Long Beach and the Nuu-chah-nulth Trail between Florencia Bay and Wickaninnish are all short and flat. A park pass is required; buy it at the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre at the junction or the machines in each parking lot.
Tours run by the Nations
Ahousaht- and Tla-o-qui-aht-owned companies run whale, bear and cultural boat tours from the harbour. Meares Island’s Big Tree Trail, a ten-minute water taxi away, is in Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks.
Black bears at low tide
From spring to autumn boats run to the inlets where bears turn over rocks for crabs on the shoreline. Low tide in the early morning gives the best odds.
When to go
March
Whales, the tail end of storm season and the festival. Rooms are still off-peak; the town is open but not busy.
October and November
The first storms arrive, salmon run in the rivers, and rates ease as the season winds down. Most restaurants are still open, though some shorten their hours.
December to February
Storm season proper. Outside the Christmas fortnight this is the cheapest time to stay on the beach. Bring waterproofs, not an umbrella.
July and August need six months’ notice
Peak season is full and expensive, and Highway 4 backs up on summer weekends.
How to get there
Fly via Vancouver
Pacific Coastal Airlines flies Vancouver South Terminal to Tofino–Long Beach (YAZ) in under an hour year-round; Harbour Air adds winter wheeled flights and summer seaplanes into the harbour. Winter flights are weather-dependent.
Ferry and Highway 4
BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay or Tsawwassen to Nanaimo, then three hours over the island on Highway 4. Reserve a vehicle sailing. Highway 4 has periodic roadwork and single-lane sections; check DriveBC before you leave.
Bus
Scheduled buses come and go; check Tofino Express (summer only) or IslandLink from Nanaimo before relying on one. West Coast Transit runs year-round between Tofino, Long Beach and Ucluelet, and in town most beaches are a bike ride apart.
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