Earlier this week, the whole family drove up to Tofino for Ecquire’s epic Nerds on Vacation. Passing through the (relatively young) forest we saw a sign for the “Rainforest Trail”. Staring at the small trees buzzing by, it was hard to imagine that a rainforest might be hidden just beyond our view.
But there’s a massive rainforest hiding in plain sight.
Two one kilometre loops take you past massive trees. Their crowns are lost in the canopy; only 5-10% of all the light that hits the forest makes it to floor. The age of the trees is almost overwhelming; one dates back to 1271.
Both of the trails are on raised boardwalks; the ground is too soft to walk on. Skunk cabbage and ferns cling to the side of numerous creeks; water is everywhere.
On the “B” trail there an incredible feature: a tree has fallen a ravine and been planed into a bridge – the most solid bridge you’ll ever walk across. One of the neatest features I’ve found in any national park.
Elsewhere 10ft wide trees have fallen down and are becoming nurse trees with new trees growing off them:
Everywhere just bursts with green; my crappy iPhone camera can’t do justice to either the scale or the verdant nature of the forest.
Well worth a visit; these short tails pack an enormous amount of punch.