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

We parked our RV in the back street, and walked towards the water and arrived the Main Street. The street is very clean and flowers everywhere. We first came to the Anchor Park (390 Main St, Tofino, BC V0R 2Z0, Canada). It is a small lookout spot with benches and a picnic table. The view of the harbor and mountains is spectacular. An information board in the park illustrates the mountains nearby and their names. It also has a hand carved totem pole created by artist Joe David in a style that is specific to the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation. The totem pole was gifted and raised here on September 7, 2018.

Then we just followed the Main Street west-wards, and turn south along the First Street towards the Tonquin Beach, stopping at several shops for fun. We didn’t follow, but if you are interested, here is the link to Tofino Arts & Culture Walks, which was provided by Tofino Arts Council.

Tonquin Beach

Tonquin Beach is the north-most beach on the west coast of Esowista Peninsula. There are parkings at the trailhead. The trail to the beach is only 0.6km short on gravel in the rainforest. When it is close to the beach, there are wooden stairs leading down. The beach is not big, but a cute one with a small island in the middle and some caves to explore.

Third Beach

The beach is too rocky to walk from Tonquin Beach to Third Beach, so the 1.5 km hike in the rainforest is the only option. In the middle of the trip there are several lookout decks constructed on top of the cliff with beautiful views.

There is a tiny lookout point right before arriving at the Third Beach, which is not marked on the map but offers awesome view of the cove.

Third Beach is not big at all, but the U-shaped cove is very pretty surrounded by tall cliffs.

Middle Beach

Continuing hiking alone the 2.1 km trail in the woods south from Third Beach, we arrived the Middle Beach. It is flat, board, and popular. The sky was dark and began to rain. We continued our hike to the our final destination of the day - MacKenzie Beach.

MacKenzie Beach

The beach is only a resort away from the Middle Beach. No one gave us an issue when we cross the resort on its main road. MacKenzie Beach is much larger, and busier with a campground and resorts, shops closely.

Its southern tip is what I like the best: It connects to a small Ponsford Beach, which wraps around the small Ponsford Island. You can also climb onto the island nearby with Ethyn Viewpoint that has a good view of the beach and nearby island.