by Erin Linn McMullan

Summer is a state of mind. Slow down and savour these last lazy beach days this August.

Nothing is more rejuvenating than splashing barefoot along the shoreline of Tin̓uwis (aka MacKenzie Beach) and wiggling your toes deep in the sand as the waves swirl around your ankles. Feel the gentle pull of the summer tide hinting at the power of the ocean as you connect with a force eternal and everchanging. Breathe in deep and inhale that zestful sea breeze. Did you know the word inspire literally means “to breathe in”? Tune in to the downbeat and recalibrate your pulse in sync with the Pacific. Ground yourself in this stunning oasis which has been stewarded by the Tla-o-qui-aht people since time immemorial.

Everything you need to relax, reconnect with Nature, and celebrate summer is right here at your doorstep when you stay at oceanfront Tin Wis Resort in Načiks (aka Tofino). Enjoy this TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice 2024 in a world class destination within Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks where you can ethically travel and cultivate a relationship of reciprocity with the land and Nuu-chah-nulth culture on #IndigenousCoastBC.

What’s your favourite summer pastime?

A west coast summer is like nowhere else – with milder temperatures moderated by the ocean and that fresh incoming breeze, and amidst the Pacific Northwest Coast temperate rainforest – ḥumiis (cedar), qʷiƛ̓aqmapt (hemlock), and tuḥmapt (spruce) – with its incredible biodiversity. Breathe in respectful “vacation mode” and exhale.

No matter what’s on your summer bucket list: relaxing and recharging, family bonding or catching up with friends, active sports, eco-adventures, breathtaking scenery and marine life, it’s all here waiting for you. Drop your bags in your seaside suite and head straight to the beach.

Summer is a perfect time for families to connect

Play on the beach

However you get your Vitamin Sea, playing on the beach is fun for kids of all ages and the sensory combination of sun, sand, and surf signals your body and brain to relax and enjoy.

Build a sandcastle

The tide-swept sand on Tin Wis is perfect for building an elaborate sandcastle, fashioning a dragon, or some fantastical creature only you can imagine as the sun warms your skin amidst your family’s laughter. Tiny shells add the perfect decorative touch, and wash away with the next high tide.

The resort’s playground next to the dunes has swings, climbing equipment, and a slide that lands in soft sand. The BBQ Deck is nearby to keep your family bonding thriving.

Set up the bocce balls, throw a frisbee, fly a kite, or even build your own mini-golf course with found objects for hours of family fun. Outdoor toys like soccer balls, basketballs, and beachballs can all be borrowed from the resort. Smooth over the sand and start up the next game. 

Start your day with Beach Yoga

Or find your bliss on a yoga mat with the morning sea providing the Zen – Beach Yoga classes are held in front of the resort at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday during August. Come move to the ebb and flow of the tides in an “off the beaten mat” experience. 

Surf therapy = happiness

Tin̓uwis means “calm waters” and this protected cove is the perfect place to cool off in the Pacific Ocean. Wade into the refreshing waves, float near shore on your family’s favourite inflatable unicorn, or try out SUP or surf with onsite Tofino Paddle Surf rentals – their wetsuits range from child-sized to adult. For extra family fun, you can also rent a mega-sized SUP that fits up to 8 people and comes with an orientation to help you learn how to paddle as a team. Summer’s gentler waves also make boogie boarding and skimboarding a terrific launchpad for building kids’ surf skills and confidence in the water. Learn more about this homegrown company here.

Go beachcombing and explore

Locally known as “Fogust”, mist envelops the beach at dawn as warm summer air meets coldwater Pacific, burning off as the sun rises in the sky towards afternoon. Summer’s lower tides, especially the early morning lows during the week of the full moon on the 19^th, make it an ideal time to go beachcombing for marine treasures, upload a photo to iNaturalist™ for an ID, and leave untouched in its ecosystem for the next lucky person to discover.

Nearby Ḥiłwinʔis, (pronounced Hilth-win-is) aka Middle Beach is home to a constellation of sea stars below the bluff where a sandspit is revealed only at low tide and to an impressive barnacle colony on rocky headlands at the far end of the beach. It’s just a short hike from Tin̓uwis over the high tide trail. It’s also an easy walk along the MUP (multiuse path) to South Chesterman Beach where summer’s low tides provide rare access to visit Rosie Bay with its echoing sea caves and deep tidepools.

Always keep track of the tides online or ask at the resort’s reception for a handy pocket guide to carry and help plan your low-tide adventures.

Visit the Tla-o-qui-aht story map to learn more local beach names. “The language of this land is infused with ancient cultural teachings and intimate knowledge of the natural world, which are vital to maintaining a respectful relationship with the biological diversity of this living landscape,” as Gisele Martin, who helped develop this map, points out.

Still curious? Visit the touch-tanks at Ucluelet Aquarium 

To satisfy your family’s growing curiosity, you can also drive to visit Ucluelet Aquarium – Canada’s first collect-and-release aquarium. Collected from local tidepools, kelp forests, and eelgrass beds, its seasonal residents include a wide variety of marine life from the tiniest mollusk and young hasaamac (Dungeness crabs), to Bay pipefish, relatives of Pacific seahorses, to Giant Pacific Octopus, like T̓aakwiił, (pronounced “Taak-weel” meaning “Ocean Dancer”), recently returned to the ocean. While Octopus typically stay 3-4 months, most seasonal residents are released with help from the community at the end of November.

Children enjoy playing hide-and-seek with the fishes behind the glass and swishing their freshly rinsed hands in the cold water of the touch tanks to gently discover smaller creatures.

With a unique flow-through system, the aquarium’s water is pumped right from the ocean to help marine life thrive and provide plankton for filter feeders like barnacles, scallops, and plumose anemones. The aquarium offers programs both onsite and out in the community from weekly storytime on Fridays at 10:30 a.m., to beach seines, and free interactive self-led education such as the Salmon Trail, at locations in Tofino and Ucluelet, in partnership with Redd Fish Restoration.

Outside, the wall-to-wall harbourfront window on the public dock, sea lions congregate with the more vocal California sea lions sounding like they’re exchanging the best dad jokes.

Hike the Wild Pacific Trail (Ucluelet)

While you’re in Ucluelet, the traditional territory of the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ, you can also enjoy a comfortable hike along the Wild Pacific Trail. This trail network, the brainchild of Oyster Jim Martin, offers several different routes to choose from: the Lighthouse Loop where you can sometimes spot whales offshore and playful seals and sea lions off Inspiration Point; Browns Beach, which follows the coast through rainforest with spectacular overlooks offering unobstructed ocean views; and the Ancient Cedars and Rocky Bluffs wends through Giant Red cedars – some 800-years-old – that remain vital to the Yuutu?it?ath and to coastal First Nations to arrive at an unparalleled viewpoint of the coast with dizzying whirlpools attracting shorebirds below.

Beach Hikes and Ebikes

This summer, you can rent an Ebike or regular bike onsite at Tin Wis Resort from T̓iick̓in (T-Bird) Ebikes, Canada’s first Indigenous-owned Ebike company. With an Ebike, you can plan a longer adventure to the co-managed Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, pack a picnic, and go. Simply lock up your bike at any of the beach parking lots or trailheads and explore. T-Bird’s Ebikes are outfitted with batteries capable of making the 80 km-round trip from Tofino to the Junction via the local MUP and connecting ʔapsčiik t̓ašii (pronounced ups-cheek ta-shee) multiuse trail, with judicious use of the pedal assist. Learn more about the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Taylor family’s mission to use low-impact travel to help heal the land here.

Summer Beach Reads by Indigenous Authors

Or simply stay put. Snuggle up on a beach blanket or in one of the big red Adirondak chairs on the resort’s lawn with one of these compelling reads from Indigenous authors.

• Making a Chaputs: The Teachings and Responsibilities of a Canoe Maker by Joe Martin, Tla-o-qui-aht master carver, and Alan L. Hoover.
• Andy’s Tribal Canoe Journey (Grades 3-8) by Authors Seabacola Beaton (Haudenosaunee (Iroquois); Kanyen’keha:ka (Mohawk); Salish; Interior Salish; St’at’imc (Lillooet, Lil’Wat), Jorja Johnson (Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl); Dzwada’enuxw; Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka); Hesquiaht); Cadence Manson (Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka); Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation); and Artist, Natalie Laurin (Métis).
• Indigenous Communities in Canada: Nuu-chah-nulth by Dawn Smith (Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka)).
• Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, Eds. Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr.  Are you ready to be un-settled?

Take a cultural workshop onsite

If you’d like to learn how to weave cedar roses in the Tla-o-qui-aht tradition, Maria Clark, the resort’s Assistant General Manager, is offering an intimate workshop (max. 7 people) onsite at Tin Wis on August 3^rd from 1-2 p.m.

Learn more about Indigenous art

You can walk, bike, or use the summer shuttle to enjoy the free online Tofino Arts & Culture Walks audiotour featuring Indigenous art. You’ll learn about local public art from the artists and lifelong learners themselves. Beginning with the stunning collaborative č̓iinuł (totem pole) Tiičswina, We Survived! onsite at Tin Wis, you can follow the MUP Art Walk section to the Tofino Visitor Centre and see Joe Martin’s exquisite traditional Nuu-chah-nulth dugout canoe. Or head downtown to Anchor Park to sit and listen to Tla-o-qui-aht artist and master carver, Joe David speak about the Tlaoquiaht ha’wiih Totem, and to hear master storyteller Roy Henry Vickers, of Haida, Heiltsuk, and Tsimshian ancestry, share his journey with art and the origins of the Roy Henry Vickers Gallery as you visit. Across from the gallery, in the Village Green, you can also view ally and artist Godfrey Stephens’ Weeping Cedar Woman, a “protest sculpture” carved in support of Tla-o-qui-aht during the Meares Island blockade when the Tribal Park was first asserted.  

Visit the Big Tree Trail on Wanachus-Hilthuu’is (Meares Island)

Tla-o-qui-aht recently celebrated the 40^th anniversary of the declaration of Meares Island Tribal Park, the first of its kind in Canada.

Clayoquot Wild offers an historical tour with Tla-o-qui-aht elder, Moses Martin, 7th generation descendent of War Chief Nookmiis, who was the Chief Councillor during the 1984 Meares Island blockades and subsequent trial that kept these old-growth suč̓as (trees) standing and Tofino’s watershed intact. His insight can help make your visit to these Giant Red Cedars and old-growth forest deeply relevant.  

That stewardship practiced by Nuu-chah-nulth peoples is a living legacy, with 76,000 hectares of Indigenous-led conservancies in Clayoquot Sound now in effect as of June 26, 2024, thanks to a collaborative effort between the Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht First Nations working together with the province of BC. Both Moses Martin and Ahousaht Ḥaw̓iiḥ Maquinna (Lewis George) attended the celebration of this historic development on June 21^st, 2024 – a first step towards increased oversight and implementing land use visions for the future. 

Enjoy eco-adventure through an Ahousaht lens   

Tin Wis Resort partners with ITAC award-winning Ahous Adventures, to help provide your portal to eco-adventure in Clayoquot Sound only a quick phone call away.

Spend a day out on the water and relax at the Hot Springs and learn more about history, culture, and marine life through the Ahousaht lens with Ahous Adventures. With exclusive access in the mornings and evenings to the Ahousaht-managed Mux̣šiƛa Hot Springs within their Unceded traditional territory, it’s an opportunity to enjoy the rejuvenating experience of these natural springs oceanside where its hot steam and the Pacific meet. Marvel at the old-growth rainforest on the easy boardwalk hike in from the dock and breathe in the oxygen-rich air the Pacific Northwest temperate rainforest provides.

Ahous Adventures’ mandate is to share Ahousaht culture with the world, to help build capacity for its community through eco-tourism, and steward their ḥaḥuułi for future generations.

Both Tin Wis Resort and Ahous Adventures are Original Originals and Authentic Indigenous and part of a larger network of Indigenous-led businesses on #IndigenousCoastBC.  

Dance in the trees

Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks Ally, the Aeriosa dancers, have been using rope and harness safety equipment to climb up into the forest canopy and perform beautiful aerial choreography suspended between Sitka Spruce trees since 2013 – an art, local choreographer, Julia Taffe first developed here in Tofino. On August 31^st at 3 p.m., the Aeriosa company and aspiring tree dancers participating in a public Creative Lab will perform a free tree dance at the North Chesterman Beach Trail at Lynn Road and Osprey Lane. This family-friendly show will leave you breathless. Bring a camp chair, mat, or blanket for your comfort.

Let Tofino Browns Socialhouse do the cooking

Perfect for the picnic table or Browns’ pet-friendly patio, this onsite restaurant has hand-stretched pizza with gluten-friendly crust from the Classic Marg to Old Faithful, the Montreal, and the Dirty Bird (garlic cream sauce, mozzarella, Cajun chicken, pico de gallo, buttermilk ranch). Ask your server or order online from their “Secret Kids Menu” for kid-sized portions of some of Browns’ most popular dishes to appeal to their appetites. Top it off with an indulgent housemade dessert. You’re on vacation!  

Enjoy a technicolour sunset

There is no better show than a Tofino sunset when the world slows down and everyone stops to witness its magic weaving across the hiłaayił (sky). Choose your favourite vantage point, whether it’s on your patio/balcony sipping something cool, in the bubbling hot tub, or ringside on the beach. Or you can immerse yourself out on the sea on a sunset paddle and saturate yourself in vibrant colour, as it glows ephemeral on your sun-warmed skin and reflects off the water’s canvas. Join Tofino Paddle Surf for a sunset tour (1.5 hours) daily – it includes all the gear, basic instruction, a guide to yourself, and epic sunsets!

As August progresses, this showstopping sunset slips back from 9 p.m. at the beginning of the month to 8 o’clock as the light slips away towards autumn.

Keep the magic alive

Make of the most of every last sunset and keep the magic going, when you rent a portable propane fire kit overnight to set up on the dunes by the beach, as the sun fades and the t̓at̓uus (stars) twinkle on in the night sky. With a geomagnetic storm predicted as the calendar turns to August, you may even glimpse an aurora. The full Sturgeon Moon on August 19^th brings more extreme tides and a beacon of light beaming across the silvery-blue surf and bioluminescence.

Give into temptation and take a dip, mesmerized as the sea sparkles up close, rippling out from your fingertips and limbs as you displace the dinoflagellates – the tiny marine plankton emitting this enchanting glow.

Warm up afterwards – the hot tub stays open until 10! Wrap yourself in a big fluffy towel and linger at the railing, gazing out at the night beach as time seems to suspend, and this unforgettable summer is etched indelibly within. Carry the magic of Tin Wis everywhere.   

Visit our live beach cam to re-experience its magic anytime.

PS September is even more spectacular but let’s keep that our little secret.  

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Register for our new Best Western promo and get 10,000 bonus points when you stay three nights between now and September 2, 2024. Book Here.

You can also return for Storm Season (3-night minimum from November through February) at a 30% discount by following the link OR by using the promo code “STORMS30”. Book Here.

During Storm Season (October 1, 2024–May 1, 2025), Tsawaak RV Resort & Campground offers long-term (off-season) monthly rates for RV Sites and Cabins. For more information Visit Here: and to Book, email: manager@tsawaakrvresort.ca

Guests of Tin Wis Resort and Tsawaak RV Resort & Campground receive 15% off a session at the Tuff City Sauna at Mackenzie Beach, or for a mobile sauna that can be delivered right to the resort! By Storm Season, a sauna will be installed onsite. Book Online using the discount code and present your Tin Wis Bonus Card.

Order food to go or make reservations for lunch or dinner via Tofino Browns Socialhouse online portal here. Ask for our Secret Kids’ Menu! Open from 12 p.m.–11 p.m. with a full menu until closing time. Social Hour daily from 3–6 p.m. Come relax and #socialize on their dog-friendly patio.  

Guests of Tin Wis Resort and Tsawaak RV Resort & Campground receive a 10% discount with their discount code on T-Bird Ebikes’ rentals now available onsite. Book Here.

Guests of Tin Wis Resort and Tsawaak RV Resort & Campground enjoy a 10% discount for online bookings at Tofino Paddle Surf onsite year-round. Open daily in August from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. or later. Book Here.

Beach Yoga is available this summer on Tin Wis Beach at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Online reservations are mandatory. Book Here. 

Guests of Tin Wis Resort and Tsawaak RV Resort & Campground receive $20 off with their discount code when booking with Ahous Adventures online or by calling 250-725-0650. Ahous Adventures is located downtown at 368 Main Street, Unit 313. Present your bonus card on arrival for your tour.

Plan ahead for next summer’s Tofino Wine & Dine 2025 (June 5-9) with an Early Bird special of 25% on a minimum 3-night stay at Tin Wis Resort. Book Here or with Promo Code WineDineEB before December 31, 2024. Purchase your weekend showpass for Tofino Wine & Dine 2025 (June 7-8) Here.