Kwisitis Visitors Centre, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

The Kwisitis Visitors Centre is located on one of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve's most beautiful beaches on the western edge of Vancouver Island. Visitors can enjoy the sweeping views and information boards from the lookout deck. CREDIT: Venture Vancouver, SOURCE: www.venturevancouver.com

Learn about Vancouver Island's Pacific Rim National Park Reserve at the Kwisitis Visitors Centre on Wickaninnish Beach.

STATS

HOURS

RATES

Type:

Museum

Season:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Weather:

All Weather

Time:

1 hour

Cost:

Pay Parking

What to bring:

Camera, Questions, Sense of Curiosity

Vancouver Island's Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is located on the westerly shores of the Pacific Ocean. Coupled with spectacular scenery and a wide range of ecosystems which encompass a variety of flora and fauna, this National Park Reserve is visited by thousands of people each year. The Kwisitis Visitors Centre offers visitors to the park the opportunity to learn about the plants and animals in the Park as well as its geography and history through exhibits, videos, pictures and information.

Located on Vancouver Island's western coastline, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve spans between Tofino and Ucluelet, British Columbia (map), encompassing spectacular windswept beaches, shorelines, tide pools, bogs and temperate rain forests. Visitors to the Park can learn more about its history, geography and its flora and fauna at the Kwisitis Visitors Centre which is located in a unique wooden building (which also houses the Wickaninnish Restaurant) at the end of Wick Road on the Long Beach unit of the National Park Reserve.

The Kwisitis Visitors Centre is located in what was once the Wickaninnish Inn which operated from 1964 to 1977. In 1989, the Federal Government of Canada opened the Wickaninnish Interpretive Centre which provided a place for visitors to learn about the Park though exhibits, films and special events. In 2011, the Visitors Centre was renamed the Kwisitis Visitors Centre in honour of the region's First Nations heritage. Many improvements and new exhibits offer visitors the opportunity to learn more about the Park and its history including a larger emphasis on the region's First Nations history. Inside, exhibits range from a full sized canoe to murals depicting flora and fauna found throughout the region and as well, a scale model of the entire park which outlines hikes, points of interest and other unique features of the area.

Open seasonally, the Kwisitis Visitors Centre also overlooks Wickaninnish beach. Eagle eyed visitors can often spot a variety of animals from the viewing deck outside or on the second story of the Centre including whales, seals, sea lions and bears, and during low tide, explore the rock pools which form on the rocky outcrops on the beach below.

When visiting Vancouver Island's Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, be sure to stop by the Kwisitis Visitors Centre to learn about this beautiful Park and enjoy the spectacular West Coast views (live webcam).