The multi-use trail that skirts along Highway 4 west between Tofino and Ucluelet will have the last 1.2-kilometer gap closed thanks to a grant from BC Active Transport.
According to the ACRD (Alberni Clayoquot Regional District), who received the $500,000 grant, the funds will go towards finishing a gap in the trail near the Tofino/Ucluelet junction on Highway 4. The announcement was made in an ACRD media statement issued Feb. 22, 2023.
“Once complete, the path will close the 1.2-kilometre missing link between the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve ʔapsčiik tašii ̓ Trail and the ACRD Multi-Use Path that begins at the junction and connects to the District of Ucluelet’s MUP,” the statement reads.
Tofino’s MUP (Multi-use Path) runs from the village for eight kilometres, connecting with the north end of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve ʔapsčiik tašii ̓ Trail.
The closure of the 1.2-kilometer section of trail will mean that the paved multi-use path will extend fully between Tofino and Ucluelet, allowing users to walk, run, bike, skateboard or scoot safely on the 40-kilometre paved trail between the two villages without having to use the shoulder of the busy highway.
“The ACRD has been working on this project for more than five years, through many grant applications, and we are pleased the missing link will finally be closed,” explains ACRD Director Marilyn McEwen, District of Ucluelet. “With the completion of the apsčiik tašii trail ̓ in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, traversing the trail through Ucluelet, Tofino, ACRD, and the park has become another popular tourist activity.”
According to the ACRD the grant adds to others that have already been committed to finish the project. Other contributions are an Island Coastal Economic Trust Grant of $200,000 and more than $700,000 from the Canada Community-Building Fund that has been committed by the ACRD Board.
The ACRD Multi-use Path is expected to be complete by March 31, 2024.
Established in 1966, the Alberni–Clayoquot Regional District is made up of member municipalities including Port Alberni, Tofino, Ucluelet, Bamfield, Beaufort, Long Beach, Sproat Lake, Beaver Creek and Cherry Creek.
According to the ACRD, it is the first regional district to welcome full participation on the board from the treaty First Nations of Huu-ay-aht First Nations, Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government, Uchucklesaht Tribe Government and Toquaht Nation.
The ACRD is within the territory of the Nuu-chah-nulth nations.
