Combers Beach

Combers Beach is a broad sandy shore on the Pacific, in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve’s Long Beach Unit. Its own trail drops from Highway 4 to the sand. The 500 m walk is rated moderate, and visitors often describe this beach as quieter than Long Beach. I'd make the stop if you want time on an open shore; the walk is short, but the grades and steps are real.

The Combers Beach Trail starts at a day-use parking lot about 3 km south of Green Point Campground. The first stretch is 2 m wide gravel with slopes over 10%; the rest is a narrower wooden boardwalk with several steps, winding through cedar-hemlock forest and spruce fringe. Allow 500 m each way to the beach, plus whatever time you want to spend on the sand. The lot has room for RVs and buses, and two large outhouses are by the parking area. A National Park Entry Pass is required for the Long Beach Unit. The short route can still be difficult for visitors who find steep slopes or steps challenging.

Winter storms and erosion can make the beach access difficult: it isn't maintained in winter or early spring, when the last section can have steep banks and driftwood piles. Dogs are prohibited on this stretch of coast and its trails under the current park order.

At the bottom of the boardwalk, the forest opens to a wide Pacific beach that shorebirds use as a resting place. Sandhill Creek reaches the sand on your left; it shifts course through the year and can run deep and fast. If you need to cross, Parks Canada advises trying closer to the ocean, where it may be shallower. Tides, swells and heavy rain can change the route along the shore, so check conditions before wandering far. Sea lions are sometimes seen on rocks offshore, though you may not catch them there.

The broad wet sand and shallow tidal pools make this a good beach for wide coastal photos. At lower water, look for a pool reflecting the sky between rippled sandbars; the dark sand and surf give the frame some shape without narrowing it to one rock or wave.