What is Clayoquot Sound?
Clayoquot Sound is the region of inlets, islands, and coastline surrounding Tofino on the west side of Vancouver Island. It brings together several ecosystems — temperate coastal rainforest, open ocean, and rocky shore — across roughly 349,947 hectares. Tofino is its gateway town.
A UNESCO Biosphere Region
Designated in 2000, the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region is one of British Columbia's three biosphere regions and one of 19 in Canada. UNESCO biosphere reserves are recognised for demonstrating a balanced relationship between people and nature — not wilderness sealed off from people, but a place where communities and ecosystems are managed together.
The area is stewarded by the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust, the only organisation in Canada that is both a community foundation and a UNESCO biosphere region.
Nuu-chah-nulth heritage
The original inhabitants of Clayoquot Sound are the Nuu-chah-nulth peoples, including the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, whose traditional territory surrounds Tofino. A guiding philosophy here is Hishuk-ish ts'awalk — "everything is one" — the understanding that communities, cultures, economies, and environments are interwoven and shape one another.
What to see
The most accessible piece of the Sound is Meares Island, a short boat ride from town, where the Big Tree Trail boardwalk leads through ancient red cedars. Kayak tours thread the sheltered inlets and coves, and the salmon-bearing watersheds and kelp forests draw the wildlife the region is known for.
Common questions
- What is Clayoquot Sound?
- Clayoquot Sound is a region of inlets, islands, and old-growth rainforest surrounding Tofino on Vancouver Island. It has been a UNESCO Biosphere Region since 2000.
- Why is Clayoquot Sound famous?
- For its temperate rainforest and biodiversity, its UNESCO Biosphere status, and the 1990s logging protests that made it a landmark in Canadian environmental history.
- Whose traditional territory is Clayoquot Sound?
- The Nuu-chah-nulth peoples, including the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, whose territory surrounds Tofino.
- Can you visit Clayoquot Sound?
- Yes — by kayak, on a boat tour, or on foot on Meares Island's Big Tree Trail, all departing from Tofino.