Ucluelet

Ucluelet sits at the southern tip of the Ucluth Peninsula, where Barkley Sound opens to the open Pacific. Less famous than its neighbour Tofino, Ucluelet has always attracted a different kind of visitor — one who prefers lighthouse walks over surf lessons, storm-watching over beach volleyball, the quiet of He-Tin-Kis Park over a crowded coffee shop. There's a ruggedness here that feels earned.

The town and the surrounding coastline make up the traditional territory of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ (Ucluelet First Nations), who have lived here for over 10,000 years. Their name translates directly to 'people of the safe harbour' — a reflection of the protected waters of the inlet that have sheltered canoe journeys for millennia. In 2011, the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ signed the Maa-nulth First Nations Final Agreement, becoming a self-governing treaty nation — one of the first on Vancouver Island. Their community at Hitacu, across the bay, continues cultural revitalization programs alongside modern governance.

The Wild Pacific Trail is the centrepiece — 10 kilometres of rugged coastal path that winds from the lighthouse at Amphitrite Point through ancient rainforest and along storm-carved headlands. In winter, waves that have crossed the entire Pacific arrive here with nothing to stop them. Every illustration in the Inklands Ucluelet coloring book comes from a real place on this coastline.