Heading to Half Moon Bay offers two options. You begin hiking the Willowbrae Trail and that leads to your options: Continuing the Willowbrae Trail to the South end of Florencia Bay Beach or hanging a left and hiking the Half Moon Bay Beach Trail to – yes you’ve got it. Both options are spectacular. Either trail has a lot of boardwalk stairs so if steps aren’t your thing, think twice.
Dog-friendly Pay Parking
Sheltered Halfmoon Bay Beach: sandy beach, sunshine, eagles’ nest, swing and a rocky surge channel around the corner.
The Willowbrae Trail begins as a wide level gravel path and becomes boardwalk.
In the photo above the trail splits into steep stairs down to Flo Bay or continues to Halfmoon Bay by the trail on the left.
Willowbrae Trail
Distance: 1.4 km one way from parking
The Willowbrae Trail is part of a sea and land route that linked Tofino and Ucluelet before the current road was built in 1942. Along this component of the route watch for signs of earlier activities. See notches on old growth stumps. These notches held ‘springboards’ which loggers stood on to get leverage to cut down the tress. See smaller second growth trees crowded together? That may mean that that area was a homestead site. There were many homesteads along the route from Tofino to Ucluelet.
We love this tree along the Halfmoon Bay Trail: 3 species in 1. Now that’s living as a community! And not too tiny either.
Halfmoon Bay Trail
Distance: 1.7 km one way from parking
This trail winds through old growth where fallen trees are nurse logs to young seedlings offering nutrients and stability. Cedar and Hemlock Forest gives way to Spruce Fringe Forest on the steep trail down to sheltered Half Moon Bay Beach.
The Tofino winter storms take a toll on the Halfmoon Bay Trail.
The boardwalk gets hit a lot by falling trees and branches. Here we scoot under no problem.
And there is Halfmoon Bay Beach glimpsed through the rainforest. Just waiting for us!
We bring a picnic and enjoy the afternoon at Halfmoon Bay Beach. Driftwood swings are all part of the scene.
Halfmoon Bay Beach during winter storm watching season. Looking North toward the bluffs of Florencia Bay.
Directions & Parking Directions from Tofino.
Coming Soon!
Difficulty is 4/5.
Half Moon Bay, Pacific Rim National Park, BC, Canada
Heading to Half Moon Bay offers two options. You begin hiking the Willowbrae Trail and that leads to your options: Continuing the Willowbrae Trail to the South end of Florencia Bay Beach or hanging a left and hiking the Half Moon Bay Beach Trail to – yes you’ve got it. Both options are spectacular. Either trail has a lot of boardwalk stairs so if steps aren’t your thing, think twice.
Dog-friendly Pay Parking