Pacific Rim National Park - Definition and Overview

Pacific Rim National Park is a Canadian national park made up of three separate regions: Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands, and the West Coast Trail. The entire park encompasses 511 km² of land and ocean.

Long Beach

Long Beach

Broken Group Islands

The Broken Group Islands region is made up of over one hundred small islands and islets in Barkley Sound. The largest forested islands are Effingham, Turret, Turtle, Dudd, Jacques, Nettle and Gibraltar Island. The area is accessible only by boat, and is popular with kayakers. There are eight camping areas scattered among the islands.

West Coast Trail

The West Coast Trail is a 75 km trail along the west-coast of Vancouver Island from Port Renfrew to Bamfield. The trail was built to aid in the rescue of shipwrecked sailors. Construction on the trail started in 1907 and by 1910 the "Lifesaving Trail" was complete. The trail was abandoned in the 50s. By 1970 the trail was transformed into The West Coast Trail, a challenging trail that takes visitors along rocky beaches, through rainforest, and across sometimes rough and muddy terrain. The trail has been improved greatly over the years and can be traversed comfortably in 5-7 days. Notable sights include the largest tree in Canada, a gigantic Sitka Spruce 95 m tall, in the Carmanah Valley.

External links

• Parks Canada Page (http://parkscanada.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/index_e.asp)
• Long Beach trails information (http://www.longbeachmaps.com/parks.html)
• Photos of Pacific Rim National Park - Terra Galleria (http://www.terragalleria.com/north-america/canada/pacific-rim/)