Last year we had the chance to visit two National Historic Sites in the Sault Ste. Marie region of central Ontario. In our blog, we contemplated the value of trails taking us places – not just for recreation, but to cultural and historical destinations.

Our trip to Pacific Rim National Park last week had us thinking about similar themes. Home to the legendary West Coast trail, the park also has a variety of front country trails accessible to visitors vacationing in the park, or simply driving through. Whether you’re looking for an interpretive trail to take you deep into an ancient forest, to a prehistoric looking bog, or down to a secluded beach, the trails of Pac Rim do it all.
More than a Kodak worthy stop along a highway, trails allow us to explore beautiful and secluded areas while learning about the natural history, and cultural history of the land.
This was made perfectly clear to us during one of the days of trail assessment; as Parks’ staff showed us one of their many trails with a beautiful beach at the end, we were greeted with a traditional first nations dugout canoe steaming. The process, which uses hot rocks to engulf the canoe in steam, is used to provide the final shape to the canoe. While our guides jokingly told us this was “just another day on BC’s coast,” we knew the experience was a rare one.
Our time at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve taught us quite a bit about the types of stories that can be told through trails, and how proper trail design can facilitate those experiences as best as possible. Great thanks to all the Parks’ staff for showing us around the great site.

Last year we had the chance to visit two National Historic Sites in the Sault Ste. Marie region of central Ontario. In our blog, we contemplated the value of trails taking us places – not just for recreation, but to cultural and historical destinations.

Our trip to Pacific Rim National Park last week had us thinking about similar themes. Home to the legendary West Coast trail, the park also has a variety of front country trails accessible to visitors vacationing in the park, or simply driving through. Whether you’re looking for an interpretive trail to take you deep into an ancient forest, to a prehistoric looking bog, or down to a secluded beach, the trails of Pac Rim do it all.

More than a Kodak worthy stop along a highway, trails allow us to explore beautiful and secluded areas while learning about the natural history, and cultural history of the land.

This was made perfectly clear to us during one of the days of trail assessment; as Parks’ staff showed us one of their many trails with a beautiful beach at the end, we were greeted with a traditional first nations dugout canoe steaming. The process, which uses hot rocks to engulf the canoe in steam, is used to provide the final shape to the canoe. While our guides jokingly told us this was “just another day on BC’s coast,” we knew the experience was a rare one.

Our time at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve taught us quite a bit about the types of stories that can be told through trails, and how proper trail design can facilitate those experiences as best as possible. Great thanks to all the Parks’ staff for showing us around the great site.