Up until a few months ago, I had never heard of Ucluelet. I was interested in visiting Tofino, and upon researching places to stay and things to do in Tofino, I found nearby Ucluelet met all my needs for a more affordable price.
Located on Vancouver Island’s rugged west coast, Ucluelet is smaller and the less hipster sister of its famous northern neighbor Tofino. With a population of just over 2,000 and growing, the small downtown features several coffee shops, a few retail stores, and some nice restaurants.
Hiking trails and beaches surround the village whose names comes from the local Nuu-chah-nulth language and translates to people of the safe harbor. Below are a few things to do in Ucluelet.
Table of Contents
Visit the Aquarium
The first day of my visit to Ucluelet in mid-June was rain-filled. As a result, I found an indoor activity and visited the Ucluelet Aquarium. To my knowledge, it is the first time I have ever been to a catch and release aquarium.
The aquarium is built on the waterfront, and the water for its tanks is sucked in directly from the harbor. As a result, the specimen, all collected locally, have an easier time adjusting to the conditions while on display.
Most of the marine life is collected around February and is released about nine-months later. The one-room aquarium features kid-friendly touch pools and aquariums with critters that range from sea stars to a pacific octopus.
Grab a Beer
Up the hill from the aquarium, is the Ucluelet Brewing Company. The brewery refurbished the St Aidan’s Church whose reclaimed wood is used at the tasting bar. I like that their craft beers are more than just IPA’s.
Ucluelet Brewing offers a Kolsch, Belgian, and Red Ale along with a food menu. Throw back a cold one while enjoying the harbor view.
Take a Hike
Outside of town affords visitors many outdoor activities. I spent a lot of time hiking around Ucluelet. The Wild Pacific Trail travels along Vancouver Island’s rugged coastline and may be hiked in three sections. With both history and beauty, the Lighthouse Loop is a favorite among many and is a great place to catch the sunset.
Another popular hike close to Tofino is the Canso Bomber Trail which leads to a World War II bomber plane relatively intact. This hike is not as easy as the nearby Wild Pacific Trail, but the crash site is pretty amazing, especially since the entire crew survived.
Bike to Tofino
If hiking isn’t your thing, don’t worry. Rent a bike from Ukee Bikes and follow the trail to Tofino. The 25 km multi-use, path parallels the highway as it passes through the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
Bike riding to Tofino allows you to stop at many beaches along the way without having to pay the parking fee. It also let’s you visit Tofino without having to hunt for parking. You can grab lunch at Tacofino and head across the street to Chesterman or McKenzie Beaches.
Catch a Wave
At the beaches, hang ten! Vancouver Island, particularly Tofino and Ucluelet are known for surfing in Canada. You don’t need to be a hardcore wave runner here. There are many surfing schools in Tofino and Ucluelet which help beginners learn to surf.
I watched several folks give it their best shot on beginner friendly waves as I explored the tide pools and walked the sandy shores.
Beach Hop
In fact, you can spend an entire day beach hopping. There is over 20 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline on Vancouver Island with a laundry list of beaches. My three favorites were Long Beach, Chesterman Beach, and McKenzie Beach.
Both Long Beach and Chesterman Beach have a long sandy shoreline. The tide pools on the right hand side of Chesterman Beach and the left-hand side of McKenzie Beach were full seastars, crabs, trilobites and more!
Go Paddling
Kayaking is another popular activity in Ucluelet. Tours run from the harbor right next to the aquarium. Paddle West Kayaking offers day trips, multi-day trips, and even rentals. Paddling through the tranquil waters of Clayoquot Sound in Tofino and Barkley Sound in Ucluelet is truly spectacular.
The incomparable landscape of temperate rainforest and mountains provide sanctuaries for seals, otters, bald eagles and more. Any outing on the water won’t disappoint! That is unless you go with me to see bears!
Watch for Wildlife
Black bears are also a common sighting in Ucluelet and Tofino. So much so that Jamie’s Whale Station guarantees a sighting, or you get a raincheck to come back for free!
I suppose I will have to come back. We got skunked on the bears, but saw a whale along with seals, otters, and bald eagles. I will offer a few tips about bear watching in Tofino and Ucluelet I wish I knew.
I had planned to go around a full moon, and this is a good idea due to the differential in tides, but the dates of my trip changed. As a result, the tides did not fluctuate enough for the bears to come to the beach.
Additionally, I mistakenly timed my visit to Ucluelet right when the salmon berries ripened, so the bears went berry eating instead of fishing. Of course the berry season changes slightly due to weather, but I suggest not looking for bears the third week of June! Go earlier or try again in August when they are salmon fishing.
Fortunately, I’ve seen plenty of bears in Alaska (up close and personal), so it wasn’t too big of a disappointment because I was at least out on a boat in amazing scenery.
Soak in the Hot Springs
Another place that requires a boat ride is Hot Springs Cove. The tour to the hot springs includes approximately four hours on the boat roundtrip, a forty-five minute hike, and an hour in the natural springs. This is a very popular tour operated out of Tofino and Ucluelet. As with the bear tour, you will have a chance to see whales, sea otters, bald eagles and more.
Eat at Pluvio
Of course, all this activity will increase your appetite and there is no better place to eat in Ucluelet than Pluvio. Pluvio is an upscale restaurant with a multi-course, seasonal tasting menu.
The menu included five courses, three with choices, as well as a few surprises. The plating, experience, food, and service was all divine. I highly recommend this restaurant in Ucluelet.
Where to Stay in Ucluelet
I chose to stay in Ucluelet instead of Tofino because the prices were more affordable. I found a VRBO that was perfect for a single or a couple. It included a living area, bedroom, bathroom, and small kitchen that was attached to the owner’s house. The charming apartment is decorated with the owner’s paintings which are available for sale.
The location was a short drive south of town with a view of the ocean! I basically had my own little private beach, all be it mostly rocky. And it changed a lot with the 13-foot tide.
Along with VRBO’s there are condos, hotels, and beach resorts. I recommend booking early for the summer. There were not too many options left for June when I booked in April.
How to Get to Ucluelet
Normally I don’t write about how to get somewhere because it is easy to look up Google Flights, but I think it is worth noting a few things about getting to Vancouver Island.
I flew directly into Victoria because I didn’t want to risk not being able to get on a ferry from Vancouver that typically needs a reservation during the summertime for cars. Airline flights have been so unpredictable that I wasn’t willing to risk waiting two days if my flight was late. As a result, my flight cost a lot more money.
It is worth looking into flying into Seattle, taking a passenger ferry to Victoria, and renting a car in Victoria. This requires Uber or Lyft, lugging your bags around, and a lot more logistics, but it is a much more affordable option.
Anyway, while Ucluelet and Tofino take a little more effort to reach, their rugged beauty is worth the effort! ETB
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This article is also featured on GPSmyCity. To download this article for offline reading or create a self-guided walking tour to visit the attractions highlighted in this post, go to Walking Tours and Articles in Ucluelet.
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I was surprised when you said Ucluelet has an aquarium, but reading it is a acatch a release makes a lot of sense for that community, and a lot more interesting. Maggie
Yes. It is a neat venture!
I had never heard of Ucluelet before but it looks absolutely beautiful!
The biking and hiking seems RIGHT up my alley – beautiful photos too!