Clayoquot Sound
Clayoquot Sound is located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is bordered by the Esowista Peninsula to the south, and the Hesquiaht Peninsula to the North. It is surrounded by islands, inlets, beaches and mountains. Clayoquot Sound is well-known for its exquisite beauty and natural surroundings. Real wilderness is literally at your doorstep. You experience the changing seasons and the transformations around you when spring turns to summer, follows by winter with powerful winds and huge winter storm waves battering the open coast.
Photo used under Creative Commons from Matteo.Mazzoni
The communities around Clayquote Sound
The towns around the Clayoquote Sound are Bamfield, Ucluelet and Tofino. The combined population for these three towns are around 5,000, where there are around 4,000 people live in Tofino and Ucluelet and there about 500 people in Bamfield and the surrounding inlets. Tourism offering wilderness tours, kayaking whale watching, etc has changed and transformed the economies of these Clayoquot Sound coastal towns. The opening of new luxury resorts has turned Tofino and Ucluelet into year round tourist destinations. Fishing and logging remain two of the key occupations for many of the residents around Clayoquot Sound.
Getting to Clayoquot Sound
Until 1959, travelers could only reach the Clayoquot Sound and the Pacific Rim West Coast by boat and small float planes. Now with paved road and Highway 4, Tofino and Ucluelet are accessible by road from Port Alberni and Victoria. Each year over a million visitors are reported to have visited Clayoquot Sound and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Both Tofino and Ucluelet can be reached by air or road. There are several small commuter airlines that operate direct flights from Vancouver, Victoria or Seattle.
There are also several bus companies that offer special holiday destination tours from Vancouver, Victoria or Seattle. If you are driving from Vancouver or Victoria, your first stop is at Port Alberni. Make sure you are fueled up for a 3 to 4 hours drive from Port Alberni to Ucluelet or Tofino. The road (Pacific Rim Highway 4) is narrow and winding, and a slow drive is recommended for many stretches along the highway. It will take about an hour to drive from Ucluelet to Tofino.
