Cathedral Grove

MacMillan Provincial Park protects a small stand of old-growth Douglas fir on both sides of Highway 4, and the largest trees are around eight hundred years old, seventy-five metres tall and nine metres in circumference, with western redcedar among them. What makes it unusual is the access: flat boardwalk loops start metres from the parking pullouts, so the forest is reachable by anyone without a hike. The stand survived because the land was donated by the MacMillan lumber company in 1944. A windstorm on new year's day 1997 flattened part of the grove, and the fallen trunks were left in place to show how the forest regenerates.

History

Indigenous peoples are believed to have used the grove for ceremonies long before settlers arrived in the mid-19th century, and western redcedars stripped of their bark here have been dated as far back as AD 1137. The name Cathedral Grove is said to come from the Governor General, Viscount Willingdon, in 1928, and the stand was a well-known stop for travellers in the 1920s and 1930s; after years of public pressure H. R. MacMillan, the first chief forester of British Columbia and head of a lumber company, donated 136 hectares of his company's timber in 1944, and the park was established in 1947 (Wikipedia, MacMillan Provincial Park).

What you'll find

• The big firs - Douglas firs up to nine metres in circumference.
• The flat boardwalks - loops accessible without climbing from the roadside.
• The 1997 blowdown - fallen giants left to show forest renewal.
• The redcedar stand - a separate loop on the north side of the highway.

When to go

April to October; the grove is open year-round but the highway is snowy in winter and branches drop in storms. Early morning avoids the tour bus traffic. Rain suits the forest.

What to expect

The parking is roadside pullouts on a fast highway with awkward crossings, and it fills completely in summer. The grove is small and walked in under an hour. Trees are fenced to protect the roots.

Nearby

Port Alberni lies west; Qualicum Beach is east.

Key facts