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Shorepine Bog Trail, Tofino, BC
Shorepine
Bog Trail
Location: On the Wickaninnish Beach Road, .3 km south of the Florencia
Bay turnoff
Small bogs are a type of forest that make up part of Long Beach National Park.
Bogs are found in cool, moist regions once covered by glaciers. On this trail
one walks on a level boardwalk that rests upon the bog surface - no posts were
driven into the sphagnum moss that carpets the forest floor. This is a delicate
and fascinating environment so be careful, five minutes of carelessness can undo
twenty-five years of natural development. Please stay on the boardwalk and refrain
from picking any of the wild plants or flowers. This trail is wheelchair accessible
and pets are allowed provided they keep their owners on a leash. An informational
booklet is provided at the beginning of the trail. You can stroll the short boardwalk
in about twenty minutes or spend hours sitting on the benches taking in this unique
setting. Enjoy. 
Information based on the Shorepine
Bog Trail booklet. |
Beautiful and fascinating.
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Take your time. |
The boardwalk rests on the delicate moss carpet.
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It is important not to stray off the boardwalk. |
The entire trail is level and wheelchair accessible. |
The bog is home to many varieties of plants. |
Looking out over the bog. |
The muskeg forest of the bog. |
Now that's twisted. |
The entire bog lies on glacial deposits. |
The bog is home to sedges, flowers and trees. |
Clump-topped shorepine dominate the bog. |
What to Watch for in The Bog
| Dwarf
Trees |
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| Shorepine |
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The
dominant tree of the bog is the clump-topped Shorepine. Some of the pine trees
in the bog are over three hundred years old but remain only a few metres high.
This tree grows tall and straight in other parts of the country where it is known
as the lodgepole pine. |
Yellow Cedar
Hemlock
Red Cedar |
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These trees grow where hummocks of peat that rise above the water level. Hummocks
form when sphagnum moss piles up around the base of a tree or stump. These trees
may grow only one metre high in a century. |
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| Muskeg
Forest |
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Bracken
Fern
False Hellebore
Dwarf Dogwood
Deer
Fern |
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The
muskeg forest is on higher ground than the bog and as rainwater drains away the
soil accumulates and bacteria and fungi flourish. This is a true rainforest with
more than three metres (120 inches) of rain falling each year. While not boasting
the famous giant trees muskeg forests occupy nearly half of the National Long
Beach Park. |
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Bog Animals |
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Bear
Cougar
Deer
Wolves
Stellar
jays
American Robins |
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Robins
and Stellar jays are two of the few creatures that can live on the open bog where
there is little food or cover. Bear, cougar, deer, and wolves use the bog as a
corridor to feeding area in the surrounding areas. Although it is unlikely that
you will see the animals, you can look for their narrow trails in the moss. Deer
will stop and graze on some of the sedges, shrubs or tree shots. In spring bears
eat skunk cabbage, then forage for sedges or berries during summer. |
| Dwarf
Shrubs |
| Labrador
Tea - often mistaken for a small rhododendron, blooms May - August |
| Bog
Laurel - leaves point up stem, pink flowers bloom May - June |
| Evergreen
Huckleberry - shiny leaves: green, red or purple, berries ripen late summer |
| Crowberry
- resembles tiny, short and fat fir-needles, evergreen leaves |
| Bog
Plants |
| Sedge
- resemble grasses, half dozen or so species, First Nations weave fine baskets
from sedges |
| Skunk
Cabbage - harbinger of spring, displays yellow torch March - April, large broad
leaves |
| Bog
Dandelion - dominate the bog, only distantly related to the ones on your lawn,
blossoms May - August |
| Bog
Miniatures |
| Sundew
- carnivorous plant that eats flies, mosquitoes and ants, thin stems with leaves
at top |
| Bog
Cranberry - tiny creeper, over-sized berries hard & green in summer, soft
& red after first frost |
| Sweet
Gale - fragrant yellow wax on leaves, releases scent when brushed, pussy willows
in spring |
| Bog
People |
| Fairies
- not easily sighted but sometimes when the sun is just right... |
| Leprechauns
- they vacation here, watch for them when the mist is in, but don't follow them |
| Locals
- may be sighted on the boardwalk, welcoming and friendly creatures |
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Information based on the Shorepine Bog Trail booklet. |
Shorepine Bog Trail
Welcome To Tofino, BC
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