Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park

Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park is a protected area on Vancouver Island in British Columbia that conserves old-growth temperate rainforest and some of Canada’s tallest coastal trees. The park is significant for its stands of Sitka spruce and western red cedar and for protecting intact rainforest ecosystems.

Hiking routes and boardwalks lead into dense old-growth forest where very large Sitka spruce and cedars are visible; visitors go to view the large trees and experience rainforest ecosystems. Trails can be remote and often involve rough forest roads and unpaved access before hiking into the protected stands.

The park was created to protect remaining old-growth forest on Vancouver Island after commercial logging and associated campaigns to conserve intact rainforest stands in the late 20th century. Conservation and management have focused on preserving habitat values and rare large-tree specimens.

Located on the west side of Vancouver Island, the park occupies coastal and near-coastal terrain within British Columbia and is accessed from forest roads and trailheads inland from the island’s west coast.

• Old-growth rainforest: Protects one of the last significant tracts of low-elevation old-growth temperate rainforest on Vancouver Island, including substantial stands of Sitka spruce and western red cedar

What to See #

• Carmanah Giant: A named, very large Sitka spruce within the park often cited among Canada's tallest trees and reachable by boardwalk and trail from the park's trailhead