Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, B.C. // Pacific Rim National Park (Chris Cheadle/Photolibrary)

Larger image

Chris Cheadle/Photolibrary

Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, B.C.

While Pacific Rim National Park in British Columbia has impressive groves of old-growth Sitka spruce and surf-washed scenic headlands, it is also Western Canada's surfing capital. Almost any day, the parking lot at the park's famous 16-kilometre-long Long Beach is filled with surf wagons — including old-fashioned "woodies," lovingly restored — and young wave zealots scanning the horizon for incoming swells. Nearby Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, is a delightfully laid-back former timber town with lodging and dining that ranges from ultra-deluxe to funky-chic.

* Video: Twirling Finback Whale dives under boat