Rainforest Trail A

Rainforest Trail A is a 1 km (0.62 mi) loop through the temperate rainforest in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve’s Long Beach Unit. Allow about 30 minutes, longer if you stop at the interpretive panels. It is a compact forest walk, not a beach route: Trail A is on the inland side of Highway 4 and returns to its own entrance. A national park entry pass is required. The park calls the route moderate, and the repeated stairs make the short distance more of a workout than a flat boardwalk stroll.

After crossing from the shared lot, the boardwalk follows the highway briefly, then bends deeper into the forest. A junction sends the loop down into the trees; the path keeps dropping and climbing through ravines before wooden steps bring you back toward the entrance. A short side trail is described leading to a small creek view; it is an optional spur, not the route’s endpoint. Rainforest Trail B is a separate loop, so the two sides of the highway should not be mistaken for one circuit.

Most of A is an approximately 80 cm-wide wooden boardwalk, with gravel between sections. Staircases and steps descend into and climb back out of several ravines. Handrails line the staircases and elevated boardwalk; the route is well marked, and wide decks hold interpretive panels. This is easy to follow, but repeated stairs and a narrow walkway mean it is not a flat accessible stroll. Look up for western red cedars and western hemlocks, canopy birds, and listen for trickling water. The trees are close to the path, so framing a curve of boardwalk with trunks gives a better sense of the walk than a canopy-only photo.

The forest is part of a coast where Nuu-chah-nulth peoples have lived for millennia and continue to actively manage their lands and territories. The region’s culture is interwoven with its temperate rainforest, islands, beaches and waterways; that wider context belongs alongside the tree and plant life described on the trail. Parks Canada describes the loop as a good experience in rain or shine.

The small shared Rainforest parking lot is on the ocean side of Highway 4, between Green Point Campground and Wick Road. Trail A starts opposite it; use the pedestrian-controlled crossing, activate the signal and take care crossing. Dogs are allowed on the trail on leash. The lot has two outhouses and a credit-card Park Use Machine, but RVs and buses cannot park there. Large vehicles can use the Combers lot and walk 2 km on ʔapsčiik t̓ašii to reach the Rainforest trails.