One of the most fun road trips for a long weekend or mini holiday is the journey from Vancouver to Tofino on Vancouver Island in BC. The drive itself can be completed in about 3 hours from the Nanimo Ferry, so lots of people drive straight to the coast. However if you take it slowly there is soooo much to see along the way.

We took our time with this adventure, spreading out the driving over multiple days while we took in the scenery, stayed in a tug boat and ate good food. Once we made it to Tofino we kayaked, visited a hot spring via a float plane and learned about the local first nations. Copy the parts you like the sound of for your own adventure!

Vancouver to Tofino Road Trip Itinerary:

We took 5 days for this mini trip, with 2 nights in Tofino and one night in Port Alberni. However if you have time, it would be easy to take much longer!

Day 1: Ferry Vancouver- Nanaimo – Drive to Port Alberni 106 km (2 hours)
Day 2: Drive to Tofino 126 km (2 hours)
Day 3: Fly to Hot Spring Cove, then explore Tofino’s beaches
Day 4: Kayak to Meares Island and explore beaches, then drive to Parksville 170km (2.5 hours)
Day 5: Explore around Parksville, then catch the ferry Nanaimo – Vancouver 58km (1 hour)

Nanaimo to Tofino Map

Highway 4

Highway 4 is the main east-west highway on Vancouver Island that leads to Tofino; It is also known locally as the Alberni Highway East of Port Alberni, and the Pacific Rim Highway to the west. This is a super-scenic route that you can easily fill with plenty of fun stop offs for waterfalls, tasty treats, scenic spots and good places to swim.

Nanaimo

If you are taking a ferry from mainland Canada, it’s likely you’ll arrive on Vancouver Island via Nanaimo. This is the second largest city on the island after Victoria. And is a great spot for easy access into Vancouver Island’s gorgeous countryside.

While you’re there, you should try the famous Nanaimo bar dessert. (I had not heard of it before we moved to Vancouver so I’m not sure if it’s famous outside North America – do you know it!?) Anyway Nanaimo bars consist of 3 layers; A crumbly, chocolatey base with shredded coconut, a custard-flavored buttercream middle, and a chocolate ganache topping.

I like Nanaimo for the excellent coffee shops (I added a few to the map above.) There are good hikes near the city, Like Mount Benson, which gives you fabulous views of the Georgia Straight and mainland Canada. As well interesting historical sights like Petroglyph Provincial Park.

Parksville

We found loads of fund things to do (and tasty food) close to the friendly seaside town of Parksville. We went wine tasting, met the cows at a cheeseworks as well as spending time at the beach and playing mini golf. We loved the area so much that I made a whole post about Parksville. Then, as you start to drive west, make a stop at the hilarious (but touristy) Goats on the roof at Coombs Old Country Store.

Waterfalls near Parksville

My friends limited me to a maximum of 3 waterfalls per day, so although there are more, I only chose really good waterfalls on this trip! The first two close to Parksville and Nanaimo are Little Qualicum Falls and Englishman River Falls. Both of these have quick, easy trails.

Stops near Port Alberni

There are several fun places to stop between Coombs and Port Alberni. The most obvious is Cathedral Grove; One of the easiest old growth forests to visit on Vancouver Island. There are two easy loops that will let you get up close to the incredible trees. We also loved the Hole in the Wall. This is another easy hike to a grotto-like location where a pipe used to burrow through the shale cliffs. Grab ice-cream at Coombs Country Candy and Creamery.

Port Alberni

We stayed the night in Port Alberni on a tug boat called the Swept Away Inn. This broke up the drive and gave us more of a chance to visit extra stops along the way to Tofino. Port Alberni is fabulous for mini adventure, plus it has good food options and is a pretty area to walk around and explore.

Waterfalls near Port Alberni

These were the best two waterfalls near Port Alberni. Stamp River Falls was amazing for the crazy rushing river and the chance to see salmon (or bears if you visit in autumn.) Weiner Falls is a short walk, but a bit more challenging as you need to climb down a cliff. But you’ll be rewarded with an incredible plunge pool that allows you to swim right up to the falls.

Another fab place to visit just beyond Port Alberni is the K’aka’win petroglyphs at Sproat Lake. Sproat Lake is a good spot to go swimming or camping, and if you stop at Dellas Cafe and Gift Shop, there is tasty food (including tacos from Friday-Sunday in the summertime.)

Swimming

In addition to swimming at Sproat Lake (above) you can visit or swim in the emerald coloured waters of Taylor River Rest Area and Wally Creek. These stop-offs are both right by the highway so easy to reach, and goooorgeous.

Ucluelet

We ran out of time and energy to explore Ucluelet on this adventure, but since then we have visited and loved the area. I have added some of our favourite trails and food to the map at the top of this post. I’ll write more about Ucluelet soon! It has a slightly more relaxed vibe compared to Tofino, and access to similarly gorgeous coastline.

Tofino

I wrote a whole post as a guide to Tofino, so click through for the full details. In and around the town, you’ll find hikes, gorgeous scenery, fabulous beaches and great food. This is the kind of town where you have adventures all day that leave you ready for a hearty dinner!

Adventures near Tofino

The two most amazing adventures we did were Kayaking to Meares Island with Paddle West Kayaking and visiting the Hot Spring Cove via a float plane.

Food in Tofino

Again you’ll find the full details in my Tofino Guide. But my favourites were:

• Wolf in the Fog – For fabulous sea food
• The Pointe Restaurant at Wickaninnish Inn – for ambience and gorgeous dishes
• Roar at Hotel Zed – For brunch
• Rhino Cafe – For coffee and doughnuts
• Big Daddies Fish Fry – for fish and chips

Beaches near Tofino

The coastline of the Pacific Rim is incredible. You’ll see jagged rock formations and wild-looking islands alongside long, sandy beaches that are perfect for swimming (or surfing.) Here are a few that we loved:

• Tinwis (or Mackenzie Beach) A lovely sheltered beach which is great for rockpools
• Chesterman Beaches – Long sandy slices of heaven that is popular for kite surfers.
• Wickaninnish Beach – Another long, sandy beach with oodles of parking and facilities.
• Kwisitis Beach & South Beach – Two quiet coves – hike from Wickaninnish Beach

This route might be a little short for a Canadian road trip, but there is sooo much to see and do along the way, that is is still a fantastic option! I am pretty sure we’ll do this one again, so I’ll probably update this post when we’ve visited more sights along the way.

What do you think? Have you been to Tofino? Do you like the idea of visiting via an epic Vancouver Island Road Trip?