Hiking the Big Tree Trail on Meares Island in Winter

Meares Island is located just off the coast of Tofino on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. We love the Pacific Rim in winter. It’s mild enough that you can be comfortable outside all day (provided you are prepared for the inevitable rain). 

We hiked Meares Island Big Tree Trail in January. If you’re in Tofino, there’s no bad time to hike the Big Tree Trail. But we think it’s pretty special to visit Meares Island in winter. 

How to Get to Meares Island in Winter

Meares Island is exactly that, an island. To get there, you’ll need to book a quick water taxi ride from the Tofino Harbour. 

You can also paddle over to the island as it isn’t far from the mainland, if you brought your kayaks. We’re big on winter kayaking on the west coast!

The trail typically takes 2-3 hours, though you can stay as long as you like provided you arrange that with your water taxi ahead of time.

Keep in mind that the majority of this trail is not accessible. While the first segment does have a boardwalk, the second half of the trail is muddy and requires scrambling over fallen trees.

A Quick History of Meares Island

Meares Island is some of the last true old growth forest on the west coast.  On the trail, you’ll find Western Red Cedar trees as old as 1500 years. These are some of the oldest cedar trees in the world.

The First Nations and allies successfully protested the logging of Meares Island back in the 1980s. This area is now protected land as a Tribal Park and maintained by the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation. 

A portion of our water taxi fare went directly to the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation as a donation for our use of the trail.

Our taxi driver knew the route incredibly well. Despite thick fog, he navigated us through the water of Clayoquot Sound seamlessly while giving us a bit of a history lesson on the island and the area. We highly recommend Tofino Water Taxi to get you there, but there are many options available!

We were so fortunate that it was a quiet winter day. We were the only ones on Meares Island once our water taxi pulled away.

Does anyone live on Meares Island?

Yes, the island is home to the indigenous community of Opitsaht, the Tla-o-qui-aht people from the Nuu-chah-nulth nation. You won’t encounter the village on your hike, however, as it is on the other side of the island. It is important to remember that Meares Island is protected as a tribal park and to respect the land and those who live there.

Hiking the Big Tree Trail

For the entire hike, you are surrounded by lush temperate rainforest. Mossy tree trunks and bright green hues span as far as the eye can see. 

It truly feels as though you have stepped into another world.

The first half of your hike is led by a well-maintained boardwalk. Remember that it’s pretty much always damp in the Pacific Rim, so the boardwalk can get slippery. Otherwise, it’s easy to navigate and you always know you are going in the right direction! 

Notable old growth cedars are well marked. Be sure to stop at the Tree of Life and take in its enormity. 

Knowing that these trees were here long before we were, and will continue to persevere long after we are gone, really helps to put our tiny lives into perspective. 

As you continue along the trail, you’ll spot the Hanging Garden tree. This is where the boardwalk ends and the scrambling begins!

You can turn around here, as many do. However, if you choose to continue on, there are trail markers to guide you. Look for coloured tags tied to branches to guide your way (they were blue when we visited).

We visited after many days of rainfall, so it was especially muddy. There were also small portions of the trail that were washed out. 

Overall, we highly recommend sturdy, waterproof hiking boots for this trek.

Towards the end of the trail, we ventured off the path into a clearing that opened up onto the beach. It was a foggy day, and the mist hung low in the air.

It was low tide when we reached the beach. During low tide, the beach is a tidal mud flat, which felt like we had walked out onto the surface of the moon: rocky and desolate.

At least, desolate until we realized that we weren’t truly alone on the Island. While we may have been the only humans there, we found paw prints that likely belonged to a wolf or cougar. We definitely started paying extra attention to our surroundings after that.

This is a good place to take a break and have lunch (sans wolf), especially if you have low tide providing you some space to sit down. 

As we headed back into the forest, we hiked the last kilometer of the trail. This section was much less muddy than the middle segment of the Big Tree Trail.

After passing a few more giant cedars, we spotted the sign for the return boat. As we headed out of the forest and onto the dock, our water taxi was already waiting to bring us back to the mainland. 

Canada’s west coast is the place to go to see wildlife. Even on our foggy water taxi ride back to the mainland, we spotted seals hanging out in the water!

Hiking the Big Tree Trail is definitely a must-do when you’re in Tofino and a bucket list item that should be on yours. We love Meares Island in winter, though there’s never a bad time to visit. 

If you like the quiet solace of the forest, winter is a great time to go as you may very well be the only one on the island. Tofino is a big summertime destination, so expect it to be much busier during the tourist season.

Looking for other hikes in the area? Tofino is just outside Pacific Rim National Park, which features 10+ amazing rainforest hikes.

Pin this for later!