Cape Beale Lighthouse
Cape Beale was the first lighthouse installed on Vancouver Island , and today it continues to mark the entrance to Barkley Sound for mariners. The lighthouse was built in 1874 and sits upon a bluff 51m (167 feet) above sea level. This rocky point is fringed with reefs and over a dozen shipwrecks have occurred here on these rocks. The views from here are nothing short of spectacular, and it gives people a sense of how treacherous these waters are to mariners even today.
Directions:
About 1.5 km (40 min.) in from the trailhead you will come to a junction on the trail that is marked. Hikers can travel from here to Keeha Beach , or to Tapaltos Beach and the Cape Beale headlands. Take the trail to Tapaltos Bay/Cape Beale westward, as it crosses the Kichha Lake slough over a fallen log. The trail to Tapaltos Beach is approximately 2km. Cape Beale Lighthouse is on an island, about 3 km away from Tapaltos Beach . Allow 2 hours for hiking this stretch. The trail passes through a swampy bog then rises over a steep, rocky hill with drier vegetation and dwarfed trees. At the end of the trail, the lighthouse can be reached by crossing the sand flats at tides lower than 1.8m, so check the tide tables before you go!. It is approximately 12km for the round trip. Allow 8 hours
