Last October we took a road trip to the west coast, first stopping in Victoria to visit our friends Hannah and Davis, where we met some of their friends who told us to definitely check out the bomber trail when we got to Tofino. It’s a hike that isn’t widely known or established because it’s easy to get lost and it’s kind of in a giant swamp for most of the year. We decided to check it out.
This was a memorable part of our trip, partly because it’s so secret, having to follow directions we found online telling us to walk along the highway and then to turn into the dense forest at the 15th post along the road (where previous hikers had left a couple walking sticks with a note scribbled on a post that they would be needed), then to reach an abandoned machine shop where coloured markers behind it indicate the beginning of the trail. We were lucky it was October and wasn’t as swampy as other times of the year. We managed to follow long stretches of rope that previous hikers placed to point the daring in the right direction. It was also very cool because this piece of history, although stripped of any potential souvenirs, was left behind. You can’t see it on google maps, there’s no well worn trail full of tourists, and no plaque in front of it describing what you see. Just a plane crash site from 1945.
When we left and got to the road at the 15th post, we put back our walking sticks for the next adventurers.
Here is a link to the directions we used: https://www.tofinohiking.com/hikes/canso-plane-crash-site/