Fancy seeing, or swimming in some emerald coloured waters on your road trip to Tofino? In addition to the many mini hikes and adventures along highway 4, there are a couple of places where you can see brightly coloured glacial waters with virtually no effort. Two of these stop-offs are less than 15km apart; Taylor River Rest Area and Wally Creek. The Taylor River is perfect for picnics or swimming. Wally Creek is a great viewpoint where you can easily reach Kennedy River Falls (or Wally Creek Falls, as some people seem to call it). Add these two locations to your maps for a drive to the Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island in Canada!

Taylor River Rest Area

This must be the prettiest rest stop on Highway 4! It’s a great spot to rest with picnic benches, clean loos and even 5x electric vehicle charging stations. The thing that makes this location really special is the easy access to the crystal-clear waters of the Taylor River. Find the location on google maps here.

In the summer this is a great place to stop for a swim. In spring, the water was FREEZING! (I mean, it is glacial!) but it’s still a lovely stop-off so you can look down at the unrealistic water colours. I did not edit these photos at all!

Wally Creek in Ha’uukmin Tribal Park

15 km further south, there is another scenic viewpoint, also right by the highway; Wally Creek. This does not have the facilities you’ll find at Taylor River, but the views are incredible and give you easy access to a waterfall and impressive rapids. Find this stop on google maps here.

Kennedy River Falls

Kennedy River falls might not have a large drop, but it is still very impressive as the water gushes through the canyon at Wally Creek!

Waterfall Type: Cascade (the surface beneath it is irregular) in multiple steps
Total Height: Around 10m, down multiple steps
Stream: Kennedy River (flowing into Kennedy Lake)

You can see the raw power as the Kennedy River continues to cut a straight channel through this canyon. It’s loud and fabulous.

Swimming at Wally Creek

Apparently Wally Creek is another popular swimming hole later in the summer time. I cannot recommend this as it did not look safe in the spring. I found an article about a lady who needed to be rescued after swimming here. She was sucked into the current and went over the waterfall, then got stuck. If you do swim here, consider swimming below Kennedy Falls in one of the pools slightly downstream. Those are much calmer.

Most people spend time at the waterfall, but if you walk a little downstream, there are some really cool rock formations as well as fabulous views south. Like Taylor River above, the colours of the water look very fake.

Ha’uukmin Tribal Park

Tla-o-qui-aht (pronounced klaw-oh-kwee-awt) peoples were the original inhabitants of this area. In the Nuu-chah-nulth language, Ha’uukmin means ‘like a great feast bowl’, which makes sense when you think of all the salmon who migrate up the river as well as the plentiful berry bushes!

I read that one of the priorities for economic activity within these Tribal Parks is sustainable, low-impact tourism. You can support them via zip line tours, paddling or even float plane tours! You can also stay at the Tinwis resort. Once you get to Tofino, you can be an ethical consumer by spending at the various businesses that are allies of the Tla-o-qui-aht.

The sign says “?a?ukmin tribal park” but it seems to just be a different way to write it.

Learn more about local culture

• Visitors to this gorgeous area are encouraged to take the ʔiisaak pledge by visiting the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks website here. Or see the map here. 
• Read about how to explore the Tribal Parks in a sustainable way here.
• This website is a treasure trove of information, case studies and a glossary of Nuu-chah-nulth terms.
• Read about the establishment of Ha’uukmin Tribal Park here. Extract below is from this.

“Some watersheds were managed with the intent of conservation – water, foods, medicines, and other resources were left for future generations. These areas are called qwa siin hap, which loosely translates to “leave as it is.” Other parts of our territories were managed to integrate human activities and ecosystem well-being. In these areas, our ancestors would harvest resources in a respectful manner, focusing on ecological restoration. These areas are called uuya thluk nish, which means “we take care of.” We currently have a management plan in place for Ha’uukmin Tribal Park (the Kennedy Lake Watershed) that includes both qwa siin hap and uuya thluk nish areas.”

I am always happy to stop and stretch my legs on a road trip, but places like Wally Creek and the Taylor River Rest Stop are also fun to visit, even though they don’t involve hiking! Later when I looked up information about Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks it made me appreciate the area even more. I hope you like the look of this gorgeous area too.