Pacific Rim National Park, the First and Oldest National Park Reserve on Vancouver Island

The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, locally known as PRNPR or just The Park, located on Vancouver Island's gorgeous west coast, is one of Canada's most treasured natures with endless wildlife watching opportunities, known for its rich temperate forests, spectacular coastline vistas, and extensive stretches of sandy beach. It's stretched from Tofino in the north to Port Renfrow in the south and was established in 1970 as the first and oldest national park reserve on Vancouver Island. Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands, and the West Coast Trail are the three unique components of the reserve, all surrounded to the east by mountains and to the west by the Pacific Ocean.
The reserve exemplifies the finest of harsh, unspoiled West coast wildness. With a seemingly infinite variety of exciting activities and sites to discover, it's the ideal natural playground and an outdoor lover's dream come true. Hike for miles along the stunning coastline and into the ancient jungle. Kayak around hundreds of small islands, hidden passages, and secret coves in green seas. Admire the different wildlife and take in the breathtaking sight of migrating whales. Walk, paddle, and relax to your heart's delight along broad soft-sand beaches, or brave some of Canada's roughest waves.

Within the borders of this fabulous park, wildlife exists in a great diversity which has made this fantastic Vancouver Island attraction a tremendous hotspot for wildlife watching. The park reserve is rich in land mammals. Red squirrels, mink, martens, and raccoons are occasionally seen. Large predators like black bears, cougars, and wolves are frequently spotted during the quieter off-season months, while black-tailed deer use glades along the coast.

Do you enjoy watching birds? Did you know that this park is one of the birding hotspots on the western tip of Vancouver Island? You've come to the correct location! Pacific Rim National Park Reserve will steal your heart as a world-class birding paradise. Approximately 250 bird species have been documented in the park and surrounding regions, most of which are spring and fall migrants. Thousands of birds are intercepted as they migrate north and south around the Pacific Rim. The park's diversified ecosystem supports many bird species, from sandy beaches to mudflats, rocky shorelines to deep coniferous forests, and bogs to meadows.
The numbers and varieties of birds seen in the park change throughout the year. In January and February, residents and winter birds can be spotted in their natural habitats. With the entrance of spring migrants and summer inhabitants, most winter birds have departed by April or May. Bird numbers in the Pacific Rim are at their lowest in June. Shorebirds begin to throng the beaches in early to mid-July, and their numbers peak in August. Some winter species return in September and October, with only a few autumn migrants remaining in the area by the beginning of November.
Pacific Rim is home to a variety of breeding birds. There are a total of 54 breeding residents in the park, with an additional 36 species that winter abroad but come to nest in the park.

Pacific Rim National Park, located in Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island's west coast, contains some of Canada's most stunning and accessible Pacific Ocean beaches great for whale watching.
Visitors come to hear the crashing waves on the sandy beaches, hike through the thick coastal rainforest, kayak through the island archipelago, or simply relax and watch the morning mists turn into stunning sunsets. Razor clams, sea worms, and beach hoppers abound on the beaches, while barnacles, mussels, hermit crabs, tiny fish, sea stars, and sponges abound in the tidal pools. Shrimp, plankton, and small fish are eaten by halibut, sole, cod, and salmon schools off the coast. Killer whales, gray whales, sperm whales, humpback whales, blue whales, sea lions and harbour seals are among the ocean animals.