Cathedral Grove ranked top forest walk in Vancouver Island region

VICTORIA – Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park has been ranked the No. 1 forest walk in the Vancouver Island region on a top 10 list published by Tourism Vancouver Island.

Located 16 kilometres east of Port Alberni, Cathedral Grove features a network of trails through stands of giant Douglas fir trees, some more than 800 years old, and ancient western red cedars. One of the Douglas firs measures more than nine metres in circumference.

The list includes two multi-day treks — the 58-kilometre North Coast Trail and the 75-kilometre West Coast Trail — as well as two hikes near Tofino in Pacific Rim National Park (Schooner Cove Trail and Rainforest Trail).

Other hikes include Ucluelet’s Wild Pacific Trail; Nanaimo’s Cable Bay Trail; Juan De Fuca Marine Trail, west of Victoria; Big Tree Trail on Meares Island; and Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park Reserve (currently closed to the public).

Tourism Vancouver Island published the list in its IslandMoments newsletter: www.islandmoments.ca/issue42.