We arrived in Ucluelet after driving about five hours from Victoria. The last hour was full of hills, twists, and turns—basically a rollercoaster without the fun part. Some of us felt very nauseous (cough Teddy cough).
Our hotel was great: kitchenette, beautiful ocean view, swimming pool, and hot tubs. The kids’ favourite part? A window between the bedroom and the bathroom. So they could spy on each other taking a shit. 🤦♂️ Peak vacation entertainment.
On our first day, we did a quick hike around the Amphitrite Point Lighthouse loop. Gorgeous views of the ocean and rocks. The sun was out, so the water was a stunning turquoise.
The second day’s adventure was the Big Tree Trail. To get there, we had to hop on a water taxi—which the kids thought was amazing. Teddy has boat PTSD but it was only 10 minutes and everything was fine. The trail itself was a short 25-minute walk on a boardwalk, although calling it a "boardwalk" is generous. It looked like something built on Canada’s Worst Handyman (remember that show?). But the kids loved it. It felt like a treehouse-meets-obstacle-course adventure. Also, the trees were cool—very big, very old, very tree-ish.
Downtown Tofino was cute, with a handful of souvenir shops. At this point though, every souvenir shop is starting to feel like déjà vu.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Tacofino for lunch. It’s the taco truck everyone raves about. By the time we ordered and got our food, it was basically dinner. The tacos were indeed delicious, but not "two-hour wait with hangry kids" delicious.
Over the next few days, we were hit with a lovely virus and felt like garbage. So we took it slow. We managed a few short walks, including the Ancient Cedars Trail. More boardwalks, more giant trees! It’s a rainforest, so everything was lush and mossy. We also discovered some monstrous banana slugs—like, 15 cm long. Basically the size of a small hot dog. Unlike hotdogs though, I couldn't convince Teddy to eat one. I'm sure they're full of protein!
We also checked out some local beaches to watch the surfers. It’s surprisingly fun to watch people wipe out in freezing water. The kids got a kick out of playing with kelp, which is basically the sea’s version of a giant rubber snake.
On the way out of the Tofino area, we stopped at Cathedral Grove for—wait for it—another Big Tree Trail. Same name, different vibe. This one was full of towering Douglas Firs instead of cedars. Very majestic, very photogenic, very big-tree-energy.
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