Gibson Marine Provincial Park

Located adjacent to Flores Island Provincial Park on Flores Island, Gibson Provincial Marine Park offers sheltered anchorage in Matilda Inlet. The park is home to a natural warm spring, contained in an open concrete tank, located on the shores of Matilda Inlet. A non-maintained historic route connects the warm springs, which are considered to be of therapeutic value, to the broad sandy beaches at Whitesand Cove. This route once provided access to a life-saving telegraph line and an old homestead.

Gibson Marine, immediately south of the Nuu-chah-nulth community of Ahousaht, also provides access to the “Walk the Wild Side” route, a route that extends 10 km from Ahousaht to Cow Bay. Most of the route follows sandy beaches and trails cut across headlands to join with the next beach. At this time, muddy and slippery sections are present on this route.

Visitors from around the world come to explore Clayoquot Sound, and Flores Island is one of the most popular destinations for kayakers, who can find ample opportunities for camping and wildlife viewing from the Island’s beautiful sandy shores.

Safety Notes

• Wolf advisory for Flores Island and Gibson Marine Provincial Park

  It is imperative that park visitors going to Flores Island:

  • Be extremely mindful about how they store their food as wolves have learned how to get into kayak hatches;
  • Have equipment available to hang food in the event food caches are full.
  • Due to high frequency of wolves coming into campsites during the night, BC Parks is advising against campers sleeping outside their tents.
  • Park visitors are advised to not bring pets to Flores Island. Dogs are a high level attractant to wolves and other large carnivores. Protect your pet – keep them at home.
• Please do your part when recreating in wolf country and help keep wolves wild. Please click the links for specific information on how to avoid wolf encounters and to practice proper backcountry etiquette.
• If you encounter an aggressive wild animal, report it by calling the Conservation Officer Service 24-hour hotline toll free at 1 877 952-7277 (RAPP) or #7277 on the Telus Mobility Network.
• Bring your own drinking water as potable water is not available in the park. There are two freshwater creeks in the park, but all surface water must be boiled, filtered or treated prior to consumption.

Park Access

• The trail is best accessed from the village of Ahousaht. Water taxis to Ahousaht generally depart numerous times a day, from the 1^st Street dock in Tofino.

Fees

• There are currently no BC Parks fees to camp within Gibson Marine Provincial Park. For more information or to purchase permits to hike the Walk the Wildside Trail, please contact the administration office at info@wildsidetrail.com or call 1 250 670-6803.

Guiding in Parks

• In Provincial Parks, any person acting as a guide or offering guiding services, including vessel drop-offs, must hold a valid Park Use Permit (Park, Conservancy and Recreation Area Regulation, Section 4). Please ensure the company you hire is legally operating in the park.

Tsunamis

• Tsunamis are a series of unusually big waves caused by a large-scale disturbance of a body of water. If you are on the beach and feel strong shaking from an earthquake or if the water suddenly recedes, move immediately to higher ground (greater than 15 metres or 45 feet above the tide line). There is no way to be certain how high a tsunami is going to be. The first wave to arrive at the coast is often not the largest, and each wave may be separated by up to an hour or more. Waves may continue for up to twelve hours, so you must stay on high ground until advised otherwise. Do not go to the beach to watch.

Gibson Marine Park is located in the central portion of Clayoquot Sound, north of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The park is located on the south side of Flores Island and is accessible only by boat from Tofino. Boaters can reference marine chart #3674 and #3673 for more information on this area. Water taxis from Tofino and Ahousaht offer access to the park via the Village of Ahousaht. Nearby communities include: Tofino, Ahousaht, Hotsprings Village.

• Clayquot Area Parks: Brochure [PDF 4.46MB]
• Clayquot Area Parks: Map [PDF]

• Management Planning Information
• Approved Purpose Statement and Zoning Plan [PDF]

Canoeing

Fishing

Hiking

Hunting

Pets on Leash

Swimming

Campfires

Pit or Flush Toilets

Walk-In/Wilderness Camping

Winter Camping