Hiking Trails in Tofino
Tonquin Park
Tonquin Beach is the first of four public beaches and just a short walk through town from the post office up First Street to Arnet Street, then Arnet to the end of Tonquin Park Road.
There is a small parking area and one of the first signs you'll encounter before getting onto the boardwalk is a reminder that consuming alcohol on any public beach is illegal.
Literally 6 minutes into the woods on a winding boardwalk through the town's own nature preserve and after descending about 75 steps in all, you will be at the beach.
This is not a very large beach but it does get full sun and it looks out to Wickaninnish Island and Felice Island, offering a great view of the summer sunset. Tonquin beach is named after the early 19th century American ship that sank somewhere in this channel after an internal explosion.
The ship has never been found but is considered the Holy Grail by most scuba salvagers in the Sound. The ship is believed to be somewhere within 1km of Tonquin beach. Shifting sands in the powerful currents have yet to reveal its large cargo of artifacts and treasures. Four years ago, probably due to El Nino, a very large leather back turtle washed ashore on this beach.
Hiking Time
About 6 minutes (one way) from the parking lot
Length
A few hundred metres, then return
Location
From post office, travel south, pass the hospital
Turn right on Arnet Street, then left on Tonquin
Difficulty
Very easy, all boardwalk & one descent of 75 stairs
PLEASE USE CAUTION WHILE HIKING AT TONQUIN BEACH
When the boardwalk on the Tonquin Trial gets wet, the planks can become very slippery, especially in the early morning or during and after rain showers. The cedar fibres of the wood are a delicacy of the resident Banana Slug who slithers across them, leaving behind a precarious trail. Banana slugs are named, not so much for their shape but for the banana peel-like result you'll experience if you should happen to accidentally step on one!
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