Big Tree Trail - Meares Island
What it actually looks like
What the children do
A boat drop off from Tofino to the Big Tree trailhead on Meares Island, where guests walk the 1.2 km wooden boardwalk through old growth rainforest on their own. The site lists the tour as all ages and 1.5 to 3 hours, with adults $37.10, youth 13 to 18 $31.80, children 4 to 12 $26.50, and an infant rate for ages 3 and under. Hiking the boardwalk briskly takes about 40 minutes, most guests spend 1 to 1.5 hours, and a full 4 km natural loop beyond the boardwalk adds about 1.5 hours. The crossing is made by zodiac, dogs are not permitted, and the site notes the boardwalk is split logs that may be soft, slippery or missing.
Cross by boat, then walk a narrow wooden boardwalk of split logs through old growth forest, looking up at cedars six metres across, and turn back whenever they have had enough.
Good to know
Cheapest of the Tofino trips and the only self guided one, but the boardwalk has no railings described, no washroom on the island and boards that can be soft or missing. Not recommended for anyone using a mobility aid, and strollers are not mentioned at all.