Halfmoon Bay Beach

Halfmoon Bay is a small, sheltered sandy beach at the end of a wooded branch trail in the Long Beach Unit. It is one of the less-frequented beaches in the area. Come for a quieter cove and low-tide pools if a stair-heavy walk suits you; this is a 3.6 km return trip, not a roadside stop.

From the Willowbrae Trailhead, the Halfmoon Bay branch starts about 1.3 km into the route. The full walk is 1.8 km each way and rated moderate. Expect an 80 cm boardwalk section, muddy stretches, and long flights of stairs down to the beach. The stairs are the main commitment, so this is a poor fit if you can't comfortably manage them.

Willowbrae Road turns off Highway 4 about 2 km south of the Ucluelet–Tofino junction, then runs about 250 m over gravel to the trailhead. The trailhead isn't signed from the highway and park visitor parking is very limited. Nearby spaces serve Wya Point Resort, so don't count on them. The trailhead lot has a composting outhouse; no beach-side facilities are listed.

Low water exposes pools among the rocks. At the bottom of the stairs, walk left along the rocky edge to reach them; plan around the tide if that's your reason for coming. Winter storms and erosion can make access to the beach more difficult.

The approach passes through old-growth cedar-hemlock forest before descending through spruce near the beach. Fallen trees become nurseries for new seedlings, growing from the decaying wood. It gives the walk something to notice before the cove opens up.