Tofino Visitor Centre

Overview

About Tofino Visitor Centre

Why stop

A Tla-o-qui-aht carved canoe and local makers give the shop character.

Map

Where it is

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Full map

Visitor centerTofino Visitor Centre49.10649, -125.86721

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Plan your stop

Before you go

7 active Pacific Rim alerts

CautionWolf warning in Long Beach UnitMentions Long Beach Unit, referenced in this guideA wolf warning remains active in the Long Beach Unit; leave pets at home because dogs attract wolves. Check current trail conditions before travelling.Official details
CautionLong Beach trails: limited access and boardwalk hazardsMentions Long Beach, referenced in this guideShorepine Bog and Willowbrae trails have limited access, and Combers Beach Trail is rated Caution; use care and follow posted signs.Official details

See all 7 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Pacific Rim Tour Guide

Your drive to Tofino Visitor Centre, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Pacific Rim audio tour

Recorded for this area

A Whale's Mouthful of Mud

0:00 / 0:31

“Grey whales can make a meal out of a mouthful of mud. They roll onto one side, suck up sediment, and strain out tiny animals through baleen, the stiff plates hanging from the upper jaw.”

Plays on the road 0.6 km from Tofino Visitor Centre in the Parkwolf Pacific Rim Tour Guide.

More about Tofino Visitor Centre

Get oriented before the coastThis staffed visitor-information centre is at 1426 Pacific Rim Highway near Cox Bay, about 7 km…

This staffed visitor-information centre is at 1426 Pacific Rim Highway near Cox Bay, about 7 km south of Tofino. It’s a useful first stop for maps and local advice on trails, tours, restaurants and events, and you can buy a Parks Canada pass here. If a pass is your reason for stopping, check availability: the centre’s own hours and the pass-service hours differ. A valid park-entry pass must be displayed in your vehicle while stopped in the Long Beach Unit.

Make a practical stopThere are accessible, gender-neutral washrooms, free Wi-Fi, a water-refill station, picnic…

There are accessible, gender-neutral washrooms, free Wi-Fi, a water-refill station, picnic tables and Level 2 EV charging. Two beach wheelchairs can be reserved here. Transit stops at the centre, and the Tofino Free Shuttle serves it in summer.

Look up in the shopA Tla-o-qui-aht dug-out canoe carved by Master Carver Joe Martin hangs from the gift-shop…

A Tla-o-qui-aht dug-out canoe carved by Master Carver Joe Martin hangs from the gift-shop ceiling. The shop also carries work by local artists, carvers and authors, alongside Tofino apparel and souvenirs.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Pacific Rim

All Pacific Rim wildlife maps

11 sightingsOrcaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map

16 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 5 PMSighting map

174 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map

16 sightingsSea OtterMost seen around 6 PMSighting map

134 sightingsSteller Sea LionMost seen around 6 PMSighting map

18 sightingsCalifornia Sea LionMost seen around noonSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Pacific Rim. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

About Tofino Visitor Centre

Why stop

Where it is

Before you go

7 active Pacific Rim alerts

Your drive to Tofino Visitor Centre, narrated.

More about Tofino Visitor Centre

Wildlife in Pacific Rim

Near Tofino Visitor Centre

Trails nearby

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