The Taylor River rest area provides one of the most breathtaking views on Vancouver Island. This location is absolutely stunning, and there is a bonus ability to swim in the extremely cool cove area.
Locating the Rest Area
You may think it will be complicated to find such a secluded and secret rest area, but it is super simple. Depending on which direction your are coming from (either Port Alberni or Tofino/Ucluelet), there is only two rest areas along the Pacific Rim Highway.
Coming from Port Alberni, the rest area is about 32 minutes along the highway and the first rest area sign. Once you see the blue signs pointing towards a rest area, follow them down the road to the right turn. The road leads to a small parking lot and bathroom area before you see the river. This is another benefit of this rest area, as there are not that many bathroom stops along the highway itself so I’d take advantage if needed!
If you are coming from the direction of Tofino/Ucluelet, then this will be the second rest stop along the 90 minute drive. There should be a sign stating a rest area is upcoming and then it will be an upcoming left turn.
Once you have pulled into the rest area I suggest parking not too far from the restrooms/cove area because, spoiler alert the water is freezing and you might want to be in the car asap after dipping in. There are also plenty of picnic tables and rock spots to have lunch or just take in the view before absolutely freezing yourself!
Here is the address to plug into your GPS so you can find easily: 858 Pacific Rim Hwy, Kildonan BC V0R 2B0, Canada.
Swimming in the Taylor River
So the deal with swimming in the Taylor River is that it isn’t necessarily going to be swimming. It is more like a jump, dunk, or dive in and then get directly out. The water is the absolute coldest water I have ever been in during my entire life.
Basically, you have to understand that you are signing up for a ‘polar plunge’ type of swimming event. I believe I went into the water and automatically felt like an icicle and got out as fast as possible. It was certainly a fun experience and memory I will have with my family, but I do not recommend staying in longer than 60 seconds.
Getting the Best Picture
On a sunny day there are amazing opportunities to get high quality pictures. The water is stunning in the sunshine, looking like a glowing blue. There are a few angles that you can get different pictures from.
One particular place for a solo or duo picture is on the mini cliff you can climb. It gives an outlook (and cliff which some people jump off of) and view of the entire cove and the down the river sight. These pictures were taken from that spot and if you had no idea how cold the water truly is, it almost looks tropical.
One particular place for a solo or duo picture is on the mini cliff you can climb. It gives an outlook (and cliff which some people jump off of) and view of the entire cove and the down the river sight. These pictures were taken from that spot and if you had no idea how cold the water truly is, it almost looks tropical.
Another spot, is where I saw a professional photographer taking pictures from when we were there. It was along the rocky area, to the left. When parking you would start walking to the left until you saw an opening of rocks that lead into the water (you can see it from the road as you pass by coming from the direction of Tofino). This view shows you looking down the river, showing the direction it flows out of the coved area. This would be a great spot for group pictures since you can center yourself in front of the river with multiple people.
In total, the Taylor River rest area is certainly a great spot to stop along your travel route in Vancouver. It holds gorgeous views and is a great place to stop for lunch or walk after being I the car for a long time!
