Pacific Rim National Park
Pacific Rim National Park is a national park located on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The park was established in 1970 to protect the unique and diverse natural, cultural, and recreational resources of the area.
The park is made up of three distinct areas: the Long Beach Unit, the Broken Group Islands Unit, and the West Coast Trail Unit. Each of these areas offers a different type of experience and activities for visitors.
The Long Beach Unit is known for its long, sandy beach and is a popular destination for surfing, beachcombing, and picnicking. The Broken Group Islands Unit is made up of a group of more than 100 small islands and is a popular destination for kayaking, boating, and wildlife viewing. The West Coast Trail Unit is a challenging backpacking trail that runs along the rugged coast of Vancouver Island and is known for its beautiful, wild landscapes and diverse plant and animal life.
In addition to its natural resources, the park is also home to several historic and cultural sites, including the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations village of Yuquot, which has been occupied by the First Nations people for thousands of years.
VISIT Pacific Rim National Park:
Park Details
Pacific Rim National Park was established in 2001, and has a total area of 126,080 acres (197 square miles, or 510 square kilometers).
| Address | 2040 Pacific Rim Highway, Ucluelet, BC, V0R 3A0 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 250-726-4212 |
| Hours | Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year |
| Entrance Fee | Free-$11 per day, depending on age |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Pacific Rim National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Pacific Rim National Park is.
Our data shows the best months to visit Pacific Rim National Park are May, June, September & July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | data unavailable | |||||||||||
| Precipitation | 560 | 353 | 402 | 253 | 152 | 107 | 57 | 83 | 117 | 365 | 559 | 490 |
| Avg Temp | 47 | 50 | 52 | 57 | 64 | 68 | 74 | 74 | 71 | 60 | 50 | 46 |
| Max Temp | 56 | 61 | 66 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 74 | 60 | 54 |
| Avg Temp | 38 | 38 | 40 | 43 | 47 | 51 | 55 | 56 | 54 | 48 | 41 | 37 |
| Min Temp | 25 | 25 | 31 | 35 | 39 | 44 | 48 | 50 | 46 | 37 | 29 | 24 |
Pacific Rim National Park Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Pacific Rim National Park is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver Island & Pacific Rim | 510 | 9 |
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Pacific Rim National Park.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Gulf Islands National Park Reserve | 99 km |
| Olympic National Park | 119 km |
| San Juan Island National Historical Park | 132 km |
| Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve | 160 km |
| Lewis and Clark National Historical Park | 286 km |
| Mount Rainier National Park | 300 km |
| North Cascades National Park | 303 km |
| Fort Vancouver National Historic Site | 370 km |
| Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area | 397 km |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Pacific Rim National Park:
| Name | Location | Summit | Difficulty Score™ | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ridge | Port Angeles, WA | 5,500 ft | 48% | 119 km |
| Mount Washington | Comox-Strathcoma, BC | 5,216 ft | 54% | 129 km |
| Cypress Mountain | West Vancouver North, BC | 4,751 ft | 62% | 142 km |
| Grouse Mountain | North Vancouver, BC | 4,100 ft | 43% | 147 km |
| Mount Seymour | North Vancouver, BC | 4,150 ft | 35% | 156 km |
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Pacific Rim National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver International Airport | YVR | Vancouver, BC | 131 km |
| Seattle–Tacoma International Airport | SEA | Seattle, WA | 225 km |
| Portland International Airport | PDX | Portland, OR | 376 km |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Pacific Rim National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanaimo Airport | YCD | Nanaimo, BC | 81 km |
| Tofino / Long Beach Airport | YAZ | Tofino, BC | 89 km |
| Victoria International Airport | YYJ | Victoria, BC | 98 km |
| William R Fairchild International Airport | CLM | Port Angeles, WA | 109 km |
| Texada Gillies Bay Airport | YGB | Texada, BC | 119 km |
| Comox Valley Airport / CFB Comox | YQQ | Comox, BC | 120 km |
| Powell River Airport | YPW | Powell River, BC | 135 km |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.