(BC) Meares Island and Tofino Trailbuilding – July 2025

Event Details

This trip takes place on the territories of Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Coast Salish peoples.

We ask our allies to allow BIPOC members only to sign up for this event, thank you!

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Come trail building with Colour the Trails! Join us as we explore and learn to take care of the trails and forests on Meares Island, one of many stunning islands surrounding Tofino, BC.

Partners: Wilderness Committee and the Tribal Parks Guardians of the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation

This trip is supported by our community investor – Arc’teryx

We hosted this trip in the summers of 2023 and 2024. Participants had great time connecting, building trails, learning about nature and history from the Guardians, watching sunsets in Tofino.

It is an opportunity to spend extended time with other like-minded folks, enjoy the beauty of Tofino nature, learn from Indigenous Guardians.

We will be staying three nights at the Tofino Hostel and making day trips to maintain the trails on the legendary Big Tree Trail on Meares Island. We will be walking moderate distances with light hand tools, building boardwalk, trimming undergrowth to keep the trail clear and potentially carrying and lifting heavy loads of wood for those who are able. We will work alongside Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Tribal Park Guardians.

Trail building can be a physically demanding but highly rewarding volunteer activity. We only work according to personal capacity.

Required equipment/what to bring:  backpack/bag/suitcase, water bottle, daypack, food (including bagged lunches for the trail, and ingredients for cooking breakfast and dinner at the hostel), hiking boots and socks, trail clothes, rain gear, change of clothes for indoors, hat, bug spray, toiletries. More detailed list provided closer to the date.

Accommodations: We’ll be staying three nights at the Tofino Hostel. The rooms are mixed-gender dorms with bunk beds. No camping.

Accessibility: This is the most accessible trail building trip provided by Wilderness Committee for folks with different abilities. No camping gear is required. Days will consist of physical activities including but not limited to: snipping growth along the trail, transporting wood while hiking along a mostly-flat trail, laying down boardwalk pieces, and nailing wood down to create new boardwalk sections. Activities can be tailored to folks’ needs and energy levels though participants must come prepared to build trails and have fun!

Transportation: We will connect all participants to try to figure out carpooling or travelling together. We will give priority registration to those who can drive. We will reimburse drivers for ferry costs.