Road Less Traveled ... to Ucluelet

Halfway up the west coast of the Canadian Province of British Columbia is the small community of Ucluelet, situated not only on the edge of the Pacific Ocean but also smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Rim National Park’s “Long Beach Unit” and Pacific Rim Trail.  It offers visitors and residents alike the opportunity to explore one of the world's most pristine coastlines.  And, as an added bonus it has one a true west coast working harbor.

 

The two-day trip to get there – along the inland coast by ferry, then via packet ship across to the Pacific side (with stops at remote villages and even individual cabins to drop off mail and supplies), and concluding with several legs on free local beach buses filled with everyone from fishermen to surfers to school kids ... to us (the only "tourists") – also created an adventure worthy of a writer’s moment.

Once there, Ucluelet offers water access to the Broken Group Islands Unit, an archipelago of islands, inlets, and coves sheltered in Barkley Sound.  We not only found exploring the many hiking trails through rainforests and beaches interesting and breathtaking, but were startled to find First Nation totems randomly scattered among the towering trees or hidden in remote coves.

 

A few days in Ucluelet almost made us regret having reservations in the beautiful city of Victoria – although the four-hour trip there on a narrow-gauge rail line with jaw-dropping dropoffs along its cliffside route – also was conducive to more than one “writer’s moment” along a road less traveled.

Happy trails!

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