A Brief Tour of
Clayoquot Sound
By John Kimantas 
It’s unlikely any of the
protesters knew it, but the biggest step to preserve the forests of Clayoquot
Sound came before the famous protest in 1993.
Destined to become the largest
case of civil disobedience in Canadian history, 726 people were arrested at the
Kennedy River Bridge, the focal point for a logging controversy that had been
simmering in Clayoquot Sound for about a decade. It reached a head in the
summer of 1993, and to the surprise of many of those arrested, the price of
breaking the court order against blocking the logging road was hefty, with an
average jail sentence of 21 days.
For their efforts, in 1995 the province created a scientific panel to make recommendations on how and where to log the sound. The result has been an average drop in the amount logged from 400,000 cubic metres a year before the panel to as little as 100,000 cubic metres today. That may sound like a victory for the environmentalists, but many still grumble that old-growth forests are still being logged, and the previous logging level was unsustainable anyway as the harvestable timber disappeared.
More apparent to visitors to
Clayoquot Sound, though, are the measures the province took in the spring of
1993 to ward off growing controversy. The Clayoquot Sound Land Use Decision
more than doubled the amount of parkland in the sound, adding parks to the
Megin River watershed, upper Shelter Inlet, Sydney Inlet and outer coastal
areas including the Hesquiat Peninsula, Flores Island and Vargas Island.
The result is almost unbroken
protection of the open oceanfront in the sound. Combined with Pacific Rim
National Park and previously created parks along Juan de Fuca Strait, the land
use decision created a bridge of parks extending from the south entrance of
Nootka Sound to China Beach near Jordan River, northwest of Sooke.
Several parks within the
interior of Clayoquot Sound were also created: Clayoquot Arm, Clayoquot Lake,
Clayoquot Plateau, Kennedy River Bog, Kennedy Lake, Tranquil Creek’s
headwaters, Hesquiat Lake, plus several more smaller coastal areas such as
Dunlap and Morfee islands (in Epper Passage Provincial Park), Dawley Passage
and Lane Islet. 
So while logging continues in
Clayoquot Sound, you won’t see it along the outer coast anymore. And after
traveling along seemingly endless clearcuts in places like Quatsino and Nootka
sounds, I have to think that’s a blessing.
Today most visitors to Clayoquot
Sound tend to focus on Tofino, which is blessed with sweeping sand beaches and interesting
rock headlands as well as services such as restaurants, hotels, cabins and
interesting shops. One of the biggest changes is the growth into a year-round
resort. During a visit this November I was surprised to find most resorts
almost full. One attraction is the concept of storm watching: sitting in a cozy
cabin or bed and breakfast and watching the crash of surf on the neighbouring
beach. But storms weren’t an issue this past November; with no wind and no
clouds, it was probably a warmer weekend that fall than any in the summer.
Tofino is also an entry point to
the sound itself, with tour boats and zodiacs darting out every few minutes
during the peak season. Whale watching is a big attraction, as gray whales can
be found just about any time of year off the north end of Flores Island near
Rafael Point.
Another key destination is Hot
Springs Cove, a small spot on the north entrance to the sound famous for its
heated sulphur spring. It is, unfortunately, a victim of its own success, with
boats and floatplanes regularly disgorging more people than the spring can
accommodate. Visit in the early morning or later in the evening if you want any
semblance of privacy.
Clayoquot Sound is best enjoyed
by boat, of course, with a definite attraction for kayakers in the sweeping
white-sand beaches in locations like Ahous Bay on Vargas Island and Whitesand
Cove on Flores. More likely to attract crowds, they can be escaped by finding
pocket beaches along some of the more remote stretches, like the shoreline under
the Catface Range and the northwest end of Flores Island.
Beginner kayakers can rent in
Tofino and head out into the sheltered water of Lemmens Inlet on nearby Meares
Island, home to Fort Defiance, a recent archaeological discovery dating to
1791. Boaters face numerous challenges in this area: extensive mudflats and
narrows passages choked with rocks, particularly in places like Tsapee Narrows.
Enjoy, but use caution.
The amount of recreational
traffic tends to drop significantly in the north end of the sound. A favourite
spot of mine is a waterfall just east of the Megin River. At higher tides you
can paddle up a short waterway and play in the pool in front of the waterfall.
It was also near here in a visit in 2002 that my partner and I spied about a
dozen eagles fighting over a fish too large to carry. Their preoccupation with
the fish meant they ignored us, so it was a great opportunity to paddle close
see these beautiful creatures up close and at their most primeval. 
While Clayoquot Sound is clearly
better suited to those with a boat, there are ways to enjoy the sound without.
If you bring loads of cash you can stay at a place like the Clayoquot
Wilderness Resort. With its main lodge in Quait Bay north of Meares Island, it
has an outstation at the head of Bedwell Sound with tents for accommodation.
But these aren’t your average tents. They have propane stoves, antique
furniture, rugs and even china and silver. Add hot running water, a lounge and
spa; you can enjoy it for about $10,000 a week.
One of the cheapest and most
overlooked ways to enjoy Clayoquot Sound is the Ahousaht Pride. For a fraction of the cost of a water taxi, the
boat makes trips twice daily between Tofino and Ahousat, a small settlement on
Flores Island. There you can stay at the Hummingbird Hostel, or (recommended)
hike along a short trail through Gibson Marine Park to Whitesand Cove, where
you can set up a tent with wonderful views down the sound and over the Catface
Range (the spa, lounge and china would be yours to carry in, though, but the
rates are much cheaper).
Partway along the trail to
Whitesand Cove is the Ahousat Hot Spring. The spring empties into a concrete
tub, and tends to be more tepid than hot, but is a good diversion after a few
days of camping.
Water taxis are another good way
to get around the sound, with a good outing the five minutes across Browning
Passage to Meares Island and a drop at the entrance to the Big Cedar Trail. The
trail takes about three hours and stops by features like the Hanging Garden
Tree, the fourth largest western redcedar in B.C., with a circumference of 18.3
metres (60 feet).
Most hikers tend to keep to the
trails in Pacific Rim National Park, though a few hardy veteran hikers may want
to try more ambitious routes such as the Clayoquot Valley Witness Trail. Built
by the Western Canada Wilderness Committee back in 1994, a huge volunteer
effort was undertaken to boardwalk the first 2.5 kilometres. Unfortunately, the
rainforest had other ideas, and has since swept away most of the work. During a
visit a few years ago much of the boardwalk was in disrepair, and a lack of
maintenance left much of the rest of the 23-km trail nearly impassable. I rate
it the most difficult trail I’ve tried on the coast, and I expect it to be in
much worse condition now. I’m not sorry; I think it’s fitting that Clayoquot
Sound isn’t so easily trespassed. We may visit it, may even try to develop
parts of it, but the central spirit always seems to remain unchanged—wild,
beautiful and untamed.
John Kimantas is a Vancouver
Island-based outdoor writer and author of The Wild Coast series of B.C.
kayaking guides.
