Ucluelet, BC

Know the town

About Ucluelet

Ucluelet — “Ukee” to locals — is a harbour town on a peninsula at the southern end of the Pacific Rim. Still very much a working fishing community, it pairs a busy inner harbour with a rugged outer coast, and it is home to the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet First Nation).

The Wild Pacific Trail

Ucluelet’s best-known attraction is the Wild Pacific Trail, a series of paths along the clifftops and through the rainforest on the open-ocean side of the peninsula. Viewing platforms and benches look out over surge channels and crashing waves, and the Lighthouse Loop circles past the small Amphitrite Point light station. It is spectacular in winter storms and on calm summer evenings alike.

The harbour

The inner harbour is lined with fishing boats, docks and a growing number of cafés, restaurants and galleries. The Ucluelet Aquarium, beside the docks, borrows sea life from nearby bays and returns many of the animals to the ocean when each season ends. Whale-watching, fishing and kayak tours depart from the docks.

Beaches and the park

Small beaches around the peninsula are perfect for tide-pooling, and Long Beach in the national park reserve is only minutes up the road. The park’s rainforest boardwalks and the Kwisitis Visitor Centre offer an introduction to the natural and cultural history of the coast.

Getting here

Ucluelet is reached by Highway 4 from Port Alberni; turn south at the junction before Tofino, which is about thirty-five minutes north. Allow about three hours from Nanaimo.

Ukee’s local businesses follow — each one checked against its own website — plus west coast events.

For council, permits, garbage and recycling, parks bookings and other local services, visit District of Ucluelet.