Checkpoint

Alberni Landmarks: Don’t miss these places when visiting #therealwestcoast!

Check out a few of Port Alberni’s cultural, ecological and historical views, along “Canada’s Surf Highway”.

EACH #THEREALWESTCOAST PHOTO TAGGED AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY FOR ONE OF 3 GRAND PRIZES

*FOR FULL CONTEST DETAILS PLEASE VISIT THEREALWESTCOAST.CA.

PORT ALBERNI

• CATHEDRAL GROVE  (Contest Checkpoint: ANY GIANT TREE)

Pull over and sing the praises of this glorious stand of old-growth Douglas fir trees, where you can walk a network of trails on either side of the highway.

•  HARBOUR QUAY
 (Contest Checkpoint: THE HOURBOUR VIEW)

There’s no better intro to Port Alberni than time spent at the Harbour Quay.  This waterfront area offers some cool little eateries and shops (and a playground), as well as a scenic viewpoint on the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island’s longest inland waterway!

•  VICTORIA QUAY – (Contest Checkpoint: NUU-CHAH-NULTH WHALER SCULPTURE)

This iconic First Nations sculpture, carved of yellow and red cedar, now lives on the boardwalk at Victoria Quay, where Johnson Road meets the Somass River.

• ALBERNI PACIFIC RAILWAY STEAM TRAIN TO THE MACLEAN MILL (Contest Checkpoint (s):TRAIN STATION OR STEAM DONKEY)

Board this train, pulled by a restored 1929 Baldwin ex-logging locomotive at the 1912 CPR station and take the 35 ride through the city and its forested ravines to the Mclean “Steam” Sawmill. Gregarious retired loggers demonstrate the logging process of bygone days with the use of the “steam donkey”.

• SPROAT LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK – (Contest Checkpoint: PETROGLYPHS)

Follow the shady trail at the eastern end of the Lake, and discover one of the finest panels of prehistoric petroglyphs in British Columbia. Little is known about this petroglyph, named K’ak’awin, but it isn’t hard to imagine this rock carving as depicting some mystical ancient monsters of the lake.

TOFINO

1. The Carving Shed on North Chesterman Beach

Tucked away where the forest meets the beach, right by the Wickaninnish Inn, this rustic shed is a workshop for some very talented wood carvers. Warning: You may want to settle in and apprentice, too.

2. Weeping Cedar Woman Statue

She was carved in 1984 by Godfrey Stephens to aid the first protests against logging the ancient rainforests of Meares Island. Politically and culturally significant, she now stands facing Meares Island Tribal Park at the Alberni Village Green playground, a reminder of Clayoquot Sound’s important environmental history.

3. Tonquin Trail Lookout

This new trail walks you through old-growth rainforest to small, sandy and almost secret Tonquin Beach. Get comfy in one of the coves or, if you’re lucky, see the fish jump right out of the water!

4. Anchor Park

Situated on Alberni’s historic Main Street at Third Street, this small park overlooks a working harbour and allows for views of Meares Island Tribal Park, including the colourful homes in the Tla-o-qui-aht community of Opitsaht.

5. Pacific Terminus Sign

This is it, the end of the Trans-Canada Highway! Take that photo right in front of the hand-painted orca sign and enjoy the views and life on the First Street Dock. Although the “official” terminus is down-island in Victoria, we think you’ll agree that true end-of-the-road culture lives here, at the end of Canada’s Surf Highway.

Find these other iconic roadside attractions to truly experience #therealwestcoast!
PACIFIC RIM NATIONAL PARK RESERVE:

KWISITIS VISITOR CENTRE (Contest Checkpoint: BALCONY)

Situated on sandy, driftwood-bordered Wickaninnish Beach, the balcony of the Kwisitis Visitor Centre offers jaw-dropping views of the open Pacific. Don’t miss this.

•  RAINFOREST TRAIL – (Contest Checkpoint: 2 RED CHAIRS)

This trail, divided into parts A and B on both sides of the Pacific Rim Highway. Take a photo break in the 2 red chairs placed conveniently for an up-close view of a giant cedar.

•  INCINERATOR ROCK (Parking lot for Long Beach) (Contest Checkpoint: THE PLAQUE ON THE ROCK)

Named for the rock with sweet views of Long Beach, this part of the beach is part of Canadian surf history, with visitors and residents alike changing in and out of their wetsuits here for decades.  Get yours on and ride some waves, go beachcombing or settle in the sand for some YOU time. (Driving a RV?  Park  in the Long Beach lot, steps away from this one.)

•  RADAR HILL (Contest Checkpoint: THE VIEW OF CLAYOQUOT SOUND)