Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada 8-day RV Trip

Day 4, May 28, 2025

Tofino, B.C.

Tofino, also known as Načiks, is a town of approx. 2,516 residents on the tip of the Esowista Peninsula at the southern edge of Clayoquot Sound. It situated in the traditional territory of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nationals.

We planned a day here, so most part of our time were spent on beach hopping, except a tour of the town in the middle of the day.

  • Cox Bay

  • Town

  • Tonquin Beach

  • Middle Beach

  • Third Beach

  • Mackenzie Beach

  • Official Website: https://tofino.cah

  • Official Tourism Website: https://tourismtofino.com/

Cox Bay

We started our morning with the furthest beach from Tofino town, but also the closest to our RV park. It is a 1.5km beach located at the south end of Tofino with fine, white sand and massive driftwood logs. The parking lot is large, and restroom/change room is right there for visitors and surfers. Cox Bay Lookout trail (3.1km, moderate, out & back) takes about 1 hour to complete. But you can customize depending on time and fitness level.

From the parking lot, you need to go through a woods by Sakura Lane, which is paved, very wide and blocked for vehicles. But the trail on the beach is not marked. The uniqueness of the beach is that it is completely flat with fine, white sand. Covered with the morning ocean moist, it looks like a gigantic mirror, which is amazing. Similar to many other beaches on the west coast, the fog here is so dynamic that it changes density and shape every minute. You never know what to expect, which is very interesting.

We planned to hike up to the tallest hill at the southern end of the Cox Bay. However, we accidentally went to the smaller one of the two hills, but the view was already very spatular. It is a very challenging route due to the muddy ground and the steep climb. On top of the hill, when I was busy taking photos, one of my eyelids was stung by a mosquito and it was swollen for over a week, so remember to bring bug repellent. But it was worth it as the view of the Pacific Ocean and the bay near Tofino was astonishingly beautiful.

Town

You could come to this beach via the trail, which starts behind the visitor center, and winds along the coastline. We ended up here by wondering around the beach outside of the visitor center. We had to climb over some rocks in the

but it wasn’t too bad. It is a tiny pebble beach with a tranquil atmosphere. We went back to the trail from here.

South Beach

After crossing a forest, wetland sections with and without boardwalk, and some steep wooden stairs down the slope, we came to the sandy South Beach. It offers a nice views of the ocean, islands, and giant rock formations. We walked on the pebbles along the shoreline to enjoy the views of the changing landscape by the small islands in the ocean and the ocean wave pounding on the rocks.