Wickaninnish Beach

Wickaninnish Beach is a sandy beach recreation destination located in the Pacific Rim National Park near the communities of Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The sandy beach is a popular beach in the park because it is one of the larger beaches and it is very easily accessible.

Wickaninnish Beach, along with a few other beaches on the west coast, form a string of sandy beaches forming Vancouver Island's largest sand dune. The collection of beaches include Long Beach, Combers Beach and Wickaninnish Beach.

Wickaninnish Beach is covered in, both, fine white sand and small pebbles. Higher up on the beach are pebbles and piles of driftwood logs. Lower down on the beach the sand is hard packed and wet - great for beachcombing.

A short paved hiking trail leads from the main parking lot to the beach. There is a picnic shelter prior to the sandy beach and some picnic tables located in the shade of the trees near the beach. Not far away are some pit toilets.

Wickaninnish Beach is a busy beach partly because it is surrounded by many large resorts. Many people from the resorts walk the beach during their stay. Many people like to walk the beaches on the coast.

Other activities enjoyed on the beach include surfing, swimming, sun tanning, picnicking and building sand castles. During the winter months Wickaninnish Beach is one of the more popular beaches to walk for storm watching. Suited up in rain gear and rubber boots people come to watch the storms crash the shore.

There are a couple hiking trails that can be accessed from Wickaninnish Beach. One trail is just under 1 kilometre and connects to South Beach . The other hiking trail follows a 2.5 kilometre trail, called the Nuu-chah-nulth Trail and connects to Florencia Bay Beach.

All visitors to the park must have a Park Use Permit. Pack out what you pack in.

How to get to Wickaninnish Beach

Travel towards Tofino, BC on the Pacific Rim Highway. From the Pacific Rim Hwy look for the road signs indicating the Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre. Turn onto Wickaninnish Road and travel pass the centre to the very end of the road and park. A short trail leads to Wickaninnish Beach.