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Hike to the Bomber Plane Crash Site in Tofino, BC

Tofino, British Columbia

4.8/5
based on 4 reviews

Details

Distance

2.5 miles

Elevation Gain

100 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Sarah Schu

Hiking to the bomber crash site of an old Canadian Army plane is a truly unique adventure. Everyone survived, so there is no guilt involved in this 2.5 mile jaunt through a muddy bog to the twisted metal wreckage of a 1945 plane crash.

PARKING:

Park in the Radar Hill lot on the west side of the Pacific Rim Highway, 7.3 miles (11.7 km) south of Tofino. Make sure you buy and display a parking pass at the kiosk or you will get a ticket. I have seen it happen.

There is a large sign for Radar Hill so you should not miss it, but if you are coming from Tofino and you see the airport, you have gone too far. If you are coming from Ucluelet and you see an enormous sign saying you are leaving the Canadian Parks land then turn around, you just passed it.

FINDING THE TRAILHEAD:

The trailhead is not marked. The trail is not officially maintained by the Canadian Parks System so I think this is their way of deterring most people. If you can find the trailhead, you will be absolutely fine on the trail. Some people have been lost overnight in the past and because of this, the trail is actually well defined once it gets confusing in the bog. It is only 1.2 miles to the crash site so this hike is relatively short, but you will probably spend thirty minutes to an hour exploring the plane.

Leave the parking lot and head south on Pacific Rim Highway. No need to cross the road as the trail is also on the west side of the highway. Walk about 500 meters. At one point the west side of the road will have a low cement barrier wall on a sharp curve, keep going. Look for an old service road, it will be obvious as there is a utility pole at the entrance and a metal fence on either side of the service road. There will also be multiple no parking / tow away signs on the highway, this is a great indication that people have parked here in the past for the trail. Head up the service road.

You will walk up this road for a good 15-20 minutes and it will end at an abandoned building, there is no way to mess this part up. The trail is to the left of the building, but head around to the right of the building (the left side was overgrown when I was there) and around the back and continue walking straight, you’ll see the trail heading down the hill.

At the beginning of the trail there are very few markers because the path is quite obvious. After five or so minutes you will start to see strings and signs denoting the path. Look for these and also pink and orange ribbons tied to trees, this is the way. It is boggy and quite muddy, so look up for the ribbon, but then plan your best route to get to it, don’t just step into a sinking mud patch. I say this only because I did that once.

After about thirty minutes of meandering, you will see glimpses of shiny metal up in the trees to your right. Do not rush this part, it is very muddy here, take your time and follow the ribbons instead of trying to cut across and hurry up to the plane.

Here are the exact coordinates of the crash :

49°04'43.1"N 125°49'18.4"W

49.078651, -125.821776

Once you have made it to the crash site, climb around, marvel at the bent metal, enormous engines, and what the experience must have been like. Don’t cut yourself on the rusty stuff and have fun!

It is a great place for a picnic, but please pack your trash out with you.

This is an out and back trail, head out exactly the way you came in. 

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Hike to the Bomber Plane Crash Site in Tofino, BC Reviews

Semi difficult hike, but a lot of fun! Lots of boardwalks, and interesting sections! It gets quite boggy and wet in the spring, so be aware of that! Absolutely amazing  wreckage, i'd encourage you to look up the history behind the crash site, it's an interesting read for sure.

The trailhead wasnt marked but we found it. Nice easy hike. Cool to see the plane

Very cool hike to a crashed plane! The coolest part was seeing the giant puddles that I am assuming was caused by bombs.

excellent hike well worth the effort!!!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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