Bella Bella in Ucluelet

The beautiful village of Ucluelet is an amazing place, on the western coast of Vancouver Island. It is nearly 300 km northwest of Victoria, and looks out over the vast Pacific Ocean. If you sailed due west from here, your next stop would be northern Japan!

“Ucluelet” is a Nuu-Chah-Nulth First Nation word that means “people with a safe landing place.”

I visited Ucluelet this summer to go fishing with my friends Suzanne and Dave. We all stayed at the Canadian Princess Resort.

 The heart of this resort is a ship that was built in 1932, and called the William J. Stewart. For 43 years, this ship helped to map the coastline of British Columbia. Now it is a floating hotel! Imagine, you can stay in the old Captain’s Cabin, or the Bosun’s Mate’s Cabin, or any of the other rooms once used by the ship’s crew.

Sue, Dave, and I stayed in a gorgeous suite on land, overlooking the grand old ship. Get a load of our room’s great view!

There are lots of parks in and around Ucluelet. Have you ever heard of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve? Part of it lies between Ucluelet and Tofino, a town 40 kilometres to the northwest of Ucluelet. The park includes a 20-kilometre-long stretch of sand called Long Beach, where humans like to camp, go surfing, and sometimes watch big storms.

He-Tin-Kis Park is right in Ucluelet. It lies next to the Amphitrite Lighthouse, which was built in 1913 to help keep ships safe along this rugged coastline. You pronounce it AM-FI-TRY-TEE. In ancient Greek mythology, Amphitrite was a  goddess and the wife of Poseidon, god of the sea.

A great hiking path called the Wild Pacific Trail follows the coastline, often edging into the ancient coastal rainforest, and passing near the Amphitrite Lighthouse.

Oh boy, berries! Bears love to eat berries! These salal berries aren’t quite ripe yet, but they’ll be ready to munch on soon.

The wild coastline here is incredibly beautiful. What do you think makes it so rough?

In the past, the rugged coast has caused many ships to wreck. Look at this giant anchor: it dates from around 1852, and was recovered offshore in 1996 from water 540 metres deep. Who knows what ship it came from??

 This is the new Ucluelet Aquarium, which helps visitors learn about local marine life.

 I liked the “touch pool,” where I could reach in and touch sea creatures, much like I used to do fishing as a cub! Speaking of fishing, be sure to check out my next blog post ...

Photos and story © S. Clouthier