We had another brilliant day in Tofino! We joined a Paddle West Rainforest Kayaking tour to Meares Island. The tour is beginner friendly; You get to paddle around some of the gorgeous small islands north of Tofino in Clayoquot Sound. The tour is a perfect mix of paddling and walking. You’ll stop at Meares Island to hike the Big Tree Trail through the rainforest past some enormous old growth trees that are over 1500 years old. It’s a great introduction to sea kayaking, and a really fun morning.

I was not sponsored for this post. I just had fun, so wanted to share my unbiased experience.

Paddle West Kayaking to Meares Island – the basics

Cost: $120 each, plus 1% tribal park fee.
Booking: Book via the Paddle West website.
Total Time: 4 hours total (1 hour 40 mins paddle, 50 minutes back. 50 mins on the island.)
What to bring: Bring some water, and snacks if you think you’ll get hungry. They’ll provide you with a dry bag so you can bring bits and bobs along.
What to wear: You need warm, lightweight layers including a waterproof jacket. You’ll want quick drying clothes, so no cotton/denim. Avoid flip flops (as you’re going to hike. Wear comfy shoes like sneakers/walking boots that are okay to get wet. 
Facilities: Drop toilet on Mears Island
Dogs: This adventure is not for dogs.

Paddle Section:
Distance: 4 km on the way and 2.5km on the way back.
Time: 1 hour 40 mins there and 50 minutes back
How hard is it? Easy. I have not been kayaking since I was a child – it was still fine.

Hike Big Tree trail:
Distance: 1 km return
Elevation gain: 10m (basically none)
Time: 50 mins (we recorded 26 mins moving time on strava)
How hard is it? Super Easy. There is a boardwalk the whole way, plus you’re with a guide so won’t get lost.

Paddle & Hiking Map

The red section is our paddle route to Meares Island. Purple is the paddle back to Tofino. Blue is the Big Tree trail. The kayak routes might not be the same as the guides choose good options for the conditions on the day you visit.

Getting Started

You need to arrive 15 minutes before the start time, so for us that was 6:45 am. Urgh. BUT starting early worked out really well as the waters were so calm and inviting! You’ll start with a safety briefing, and then the guides will show you the kayaks and all the equipment. They helped everyone put on the life jackets and skirts. The skirt is a cover that wraps around the kayak to keep you dry.

The very first paddle is the most nerve wracking as there are plenty of boats moving around that early in the morning and we needed to go straight accross to Stone Island.

We were sort of lucky with the weather. The forecast said it would rain, so although the mist hid some of the surrounding mountains, we were treated to calm, mirror-like waters. Our route took us past several islands on the way to Meares Island.

Wildlife viewing

While you paddle, your guide will tell you about the local culture, and help point out wildlife. We saw loads of bald eagles and a mink. If you’re lucky you might get to see a bear.

Meares Island

The highlight of this adventure is visiting Wah-nuh-jus–Hilthoois Tribal Park on Meares Island and it’s giant trees. The hike will take you through some incredible old growth forest that has some of the oldest trees on the planet.

Local First Nations

There are three main nations that have inhabited Clayoquot Sound for tens of thousands of years; The Hesquiaht, Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations. I mentioned Hesquiaht in my post about Hot Spring Cove.

In the 1980s there were plans to clear cut Meares Island. Unsurprisingly the company attempting to cut down this ancient forest was MacMillan Bloedel, the same company that decimated the area around Cathedral Grove. The Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht Nations united to fight the plans and prevent the logging. Their successful court battle was a major precedent in Canadian Indigenous law and has kept the island’s trees safe for the past 40 years.

3000 years of history

Did you know that once cedar trees are a few hundred years old their wood has antibacterial, antiseptic and antifungal properties? This is why they remain standing (often for hundreds of years) after they have died. Then it will be hundreds more years before they have broken down enough for other younger trees to grow on them. This means when you see a giant cedar that is growing out of a fallen giant cedar (like my photo below) you are looking at 3000 years of history. 1000 years for the first tree to grow, 500-1000 years for it to fall and start to rot, 1000 years for the new giant tree to grow from the nursery log.

Hanging Garden

The oldest tree on the trail is near the end of the trail, called the hanging garden. It is 18m wide and estimated to be 2,000 years old, so one of the oldest trees in the world. It was given that name because so many other trees and plants grow from it!

The Tree of Life

The tree of life is another of the truly huge western red cedars near the end of the trail. It is estimated to be between 800 and 1,300 years old. I have seen a LOT of big trees, but this one is so, so impressive.

You’ll get to learn quite a lot along the way. Our guide showed us a whole bunch of things to forage; Salmon berries, Salal berries, how to recognize the various trees and how to make hemlock tea from the bright new leaves in springtime. She also pointed out culturally modified trees, that have been harvested for bark, but can continue to grow.

Once you’ve reached the end of the trail, you return the way you came, to get back to the kayaks.

Your guide will get you to paddle back to Tofino via a new route, so you can to see a teeny bit more of Clayoquot Sound and hopefully more wildlife along the way.

I really enjoyed this adventure with Paddle West. Kyaking to Meares Island and walking amount the ancient trees is one of the best ways to spend time in Tofino. We finished at 11am, so we still had time for brunch, hikes and beach time in the afternoon.

What do you think? Do you like the sound of this tour? You can click on the pins below to save it for later.