Tofino Transporation Question
 

What is the closest major airport to Tofino, and is there transportation (other than renting a car) to get to Tofino from there? Would like to go to the Wick for winter storm watching but coming from Arizona, I'm not used to driving in stormy, snowy weather.

The closest 'major', (if you can call it that), airport to Tofino is Nanaimo which is a three to four hour drive to Long Beach and Tofino. If you do drive you're very unlikely to hit much snow even at the higher elevations of the route because the climate of the area is quite mild. However there is a high liklihood of gusting rain though and for that reason you should not drive the route at night which occurs before 5 PM during the winter.<BR><BR>Certainly there are busses from Nanaimo to Tofino and if driving really bothers you I would take that route. In fact you should fly to Vancouver, take the ferry to Nanaimo and the bus from there. In that case you're looking at about 6-8 hours of travel time from Vancouver Airport depending on how quickly you can get on the ferry.

I'm planning a trip to the Wick Inn too, and if you check their website they have an pkg that flies you in and out, with a shuttle/car that picks up and drops off at the airport. This of course means no driving for you. Check their website for details.

Hi there..<BR><BR>Remember seeing this outfit in the North Shore News.<BR><BR>North Vancouver Air has a schuttle service that goes to Tofino.<BR><BR>http://www.northvanair.com/sche.htm<BR><BR>Good Luck...<BR><BR>

Thanks for the info. I checked out the link for North Vanair and that may work. Will check into the Wick's package, too.

Has anyone flown on Northvan Air to Tofino? Wondering about flying in a small plane in the winter.

I would wonder about it too, and wouldn't want to book until I saw what the weather was like. As for driving, there might be some morning frost but most of the time the roads are clear.

As a pilot who flies the west coast, if there is a storm, the flight will be very bumpy and have a barf bag ready.

For Arizona Fran:<BR>Hi there! I'm a native of BC and have been to Tofino many times!! Please don't worry about driving in 'snowy' weather - just because there are storms that are worth seeing on the coast, that doesn't mean there is snow or excessive wind inland during your drive. Many visitors from the southern States are told about snow in Canada - this is mostly untrue (except in the FAR north!) and you can expect weather similar to Portland or Seattle here. It will be crisp in the mornings, but you will not need a parka!!! have Fun!

Deborah, I spoke to someone at the Wick and was told I would probably encounter snow on the drive there. She said there would be no snow once I got there, but that my car should be equipped for driving in snow on the way over. While I would love to see the winter storms, I think we may settle on going to the Washington or Oregon coast, and maybe go to Tofino at a different time of year.

Tofino is heaven! We go from Vancouver several times a year. The trip takes us about 3 - 3.5 hours but that includes stops as often as we like (starbucks in Nanaimo, Gas in Port Alberni) Gotta get there types could do it in 2.5. The Road starts out multi-lane ends up two land with about 30 minutes of incredible twisty two-lanes - I have a little fear of Heights and &quot;edges&quot; so often prefer to do the drive at night - so I can't see the drop off! If we go during the day it's best if I drive - then I'm farther from the edges. Have seen a bit of snow - but the road doesn't get higher than 1000 feet. The twisty nature of the road keeps speed down too. The destination is so worth any kind of drive, plus it's nice to have a car to explore the whole area. Have a great time!