Vancouver Island Day 5: To Tofino

Long, long day on the road today, but the rewards were so worth it!

I started from Port Hardy right around sunrise as the fog was just burning off of Port Hardy’s marina:

Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada

Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada

Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada

A half-hour or so down the road, I stopped at Nimpkish Lake to take in more views of the fog and mountains:

Nimpkish Lake, south of Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada

Sunrise peeking through a very thick orange fog. · Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada

Nimpkish Lake, south of Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada, 2023 · south of Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada

Knowing that daylight was short and time was tight, I stayed focused on the road until I hit the turnoff from Parksville to Tofino. And then I couldn’t resist. Highway 4 is easily among the most scenic drives I’ve taken in recent memory. Here are a few highlights from when it was safe to stop:

west of Alberni, British Columbia, Canada

Looking across Sproat Lake at fog and a waterfall. · Sproat Lake, west of Alberni, British Columbia, Canada

Larry Lake, north of Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada

Larry Lake, north of Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada

Kennedy Lake, north of Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada

Kennedy Lake, north of Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada

Happy New Year’s to you all!