Ahousaht Wildside (Flores Island) Trail Project
Work on the Wildside, and help connect ancient rainforests and picturesque white sand beaches!
The Wildside Trail runs for 11 km along the southern edge of Flores Island in unceded Ahousaht territory, between the village of Maaqtusiis and the wide sandy beach at Cow Bay. The trail is accessed via water taxi from Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Wilderness Committee staff and volunteers have supported the Ahousaht Nation on the Wildside Trail for decades, and our trail maintenance program is a continuation of that.
We will be dropped off by boat at the village of Maaqtusiis and staying at Ahousaht Nation’s community hall for three nights. The hall has a full kitchen and bathrooms (no showers) and we will be sleeping on the floor (volunteers will need to bring sleeping mats and sleeping bags).
We will be hiking along the Wildside trail and working on the inland sections of the trail to help keep them clear and easy to pass. This is our most challenging trip, requiring up to 11 km of hiking per day (for two days) with day packs, hand tools and water. The terrain is mostly flat and includes long stretches of beach and small sections of forest. The days are long and include a mix of trail clearing and lots of hiking to work sites along the trail.
TRIP DATES: June 14-17 & July 5-8
ITINERARY & PACKING
Exact times are subject to change but will involve a mid-day rendezvous in Port Alberni, with volunteers coming in carpools from Victoria, Vancouver and other areas. The Wilderness Committee will organize carpooling and cover costs for all transportation. Volunteers will be required to bring their own food and gear (we can help arrange rentals if needed). See the gear list below, and contact us if you help with meal planning.
- Friday a.m. Leave Victoria, Vancouver and other locations between 6 and 8 a.m., to meet in Port Alberni by about noon.
- Friday p.m. We will arrive in Tofino between 2 and 3 p.m., depending on road and traffic conditions. We will travel by water taxi to the village of Maaqtusiis on Flores Island and will walk 5 minutes through the village to the community hall, where we will set up our beds (ie. thermarests) on the floor.
- Saturday We will wake up and have breakfast, walk to the dock and take the water taxi to a section of the trail between 8 and 9 a.m. We will hike and trim and clear undergrowth from the trail for most of the day, with frequent breaks and a lunch break, and return to our campsite by dinner time.
- Sunday We will wake up and have breakfast, and hike to a section of the trail, leaving between 8 and 9 a.m. We will hike and trim and clear undergrowth from the trail for most of the day, with frequent breaks and a lunch break and return to our campsite by dinner time.
- Monday We will wake up and pack up and walk to the dock to catch a water taxi around 9 to 10 a.m. We will return to Tofino and meet at a cafe/restaurant to debrief, fuel up for the ride home. We will depart Tofino around noon, returning to Nanaimo (for ferry to Vancouver) around 3pm and Victoria between 4:30 and 5 p.m.