Day 1: Flew Calgary to Nanaimo, picked up groceries and drove in to Ucluelet. Sunset walk at the Lighthouse Loop.
Day 2: Surf lesson with Wick'd Surf at Long Beach. Very fun to try the sport as beginners and our instructors were really patient and helpful. Wandered around the town of Ucluelet and did some thrifting and souvenir hunting. Sunset walk at Big Beach to check out the shipwreck.
Day 3: Canso bomber hike. It's a short hike, mostly civilized but has some steep and muddy sections. The graffiti covered abandoned building and the plane wreck (which had no fatalities) were unique points of interest for a hike. We stopped at Chesterman Beach for a snack and a nap. Afterwards we headed to downtown Tofino to check out the highly recommended Tacofino. I loved the mix and match tacos and the place lived up to the considerable hype. We found a Tofino art walk guide online and did a mini self guided tour afterward.
Day 4: Ucluelet Aquarium, small but interesting exhibition with a few "touch tanks" where we could feel the creatures. It was busy in there since it was a rainy day but staff were circulating to explain tanks and answer questions. Lunch at Ukee Poke was fantastic but again not cheap. My husband picked up a fresh caught salmon from the Ucluelet Fish Market for dinner and we sampled some tasty local craft brews that we picked up at the liquor store.
Day 5: Kayak trip to Meares Island. We signed up for the Rainforest Hike with Paddle West Kayaking. Even though it was pouring rain, there's no question this was the highlight of the trip. We kayaked to the Big Tree trail where we saw 800+ year old trees in Clayoquat sound. Our guide was excellent and this was a very suitable activity for beginners. After the trip we went to Savary Island Pies to warm up and consumed delicious pastries.
Day 6: Travel day returning home.
Overall this was a fun and chill vacation for our family of four with both kids in their late teens. Over-tourism is nowhere near as bad as Banff/Canmore, at least not in the last week of June. If I were to go again, it would be as part of a larger Vancouver Island road trip or for a dedicated multi-day kayak or surf focused vacation. If you like faster paced travel, 3 or 4 days is probably enough.
The price of accommodation in the area does reflect its popularity. However we regarded it as a big vacation on par with an international trip, so we were prepared rather than sticker shocked. There are few if any chain restaurants and every place we ate was excellent in quality - however if we had not cooked most of our own meals it would have been wildly unaffordable. Street parking in downtown Tofino is pay. Ucluelet has free parking. National Park fees are normally in effect, but we didn't pay as it's free this summer. We saw many rented RVs so this seems like a popular way to travel in the area.
Thank you Ucluelet and Tofino for your hospitality!