Gibson Marine Park

Highlights in this park

Located adjacent to Flores Island Park on Flores Island, Gibson 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.

Know before you go

Advisories

Safety information

Wolf advisory for Flores Island and Gibson Marine 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 by keeping 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.

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.

Special notes

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.

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.

Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.

Visit responsibly

Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:

Maps and location

Getting there

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.

Camping

Backcountry camping

Backcountry areas

Gibson marine backcountry

Operating season

2024: year-round

Winter season

Limited services

Marine-accessible camping

A campsite consisting of three tent platforms, a pit toilet and a food cache is located on the easterly end of the park near the sand dunes. There are additional popular camping areas along the Wild Side trail. Random wilderness camping is allowed, however, always practice "Leave No Trace" camping ethics. Gibson Marine Park is accessible year-round and there are no fees.

Winter camping

Gibson Marine Park is accessible year-round. Please practice “Leave No Trace” camping ethics.

There are currently no BC Parks fees to camp within Gibson Marine Park.

Things to do

Hiking

Gibson Marine, immediately south of the Nuu-chah-nulth community of Ahousaht, also provides access to the “Walk the Wild Side” route, a rustic 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. The trail is best accessed from the village of Ahousaht. Water taxis to Ahousaht generally depart from the 1st Street dock in Tofino.

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.

For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.

Swimming

There is no designated swimming area, however there are opportunities for ocean swimming in this park.

There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.

Canoeing

There are opportunities for canoeing or kayaking in this park.

Kayaking

There are opportunities for canoeing or kayaking in this park.

Fishing

The waters of Clayoquot Sound may contain a variety of fish species, including salmon, rockfish, halibut and lingcod. Fishing is permitted as per provincial and federal fishing regulations. All anglers should check the current regulations issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada prior to fishing.

Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.

Pets on leash

Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with wolves, bears and cougars. Pets/domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement.

There have been incidents involving wolves killing dogs in this park. BC Parks is strongly advising park visitors to not bring their dogs to the park.

Hunting

Portions of this park are open to hunting for specific species. Hunters must have valid licences and tags. Please refer to current printed Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis publication for closures and regulations.

Anyone hunting in British Columbia must comply with BC hunting regulations. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.

Facilities

Campfires

While small fires are allowed, we encourage visitors to conserve the environment by minimizing the use of fire and using stoves instead. If you do have a fire use small pieces of wood that will burn completely. Build your fires below the high tide mark. and do not burn live wood, burn drift wood instead. Never build fires next to or near beach logs, this could lead to a forest fire. Never leave your fire unattended and practice “ Leave No Trace” camping ethics.

Pit or flush toilets

A pit toilet is located at the most easterly beach in the park.

About this park

History

This park lies in the traditional territory of the Ahoushat First Nations. Gibson Marine Park contains many Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations heritage sites, including middens and Culturally Modified Trees (CMTs). Much of the park was a gift from the W.F. Gibson family.

Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.

Contact