Lone Cone

This past summer I was fortunate enough to live (and work) in Tofino, a place with no shortage of camping or hiking spots. One of these hiking trails takes you to the top of a Mountain called Lone Cone. You can actually see it jutting out of Meares Island when you look across the inlet from town. Once you get to the top of Lone Cone you are supposed to get a beautiful view of Tofino and the surrounding area.

All summer long my friends and I talked about hiking it and we finally got organised to do it at the end of August or "Fogust". This summer the weather had been quite pleasant and the fog would usually burn off by mid-day (if there was any). The particular day we'd planned to hike it was foggier than usual, but it was our only chance and we were optimistic that the fog would be gone once we got to the top. The 7 of us chartered a boat for $30 each and it took us across to Meares Island. When we got to the Lone Cone dock we followed red flag tape to the trail entrance. The beginning of the trail was pleasant enough, we traversed through a boggy area on makeshift boardwalks and beautiful greenery. But then the trail started to go up, and up and up and up... I won't go into much detail because I don't want to discourage anyone but it is a very steep trail.

After 2 or so hours we finally made it to the top but to our dismay the fog was still there. We were literally surrounded by a white wall. Still hoping the fog would lift we ate our snacks and tried to stay occupied. Unfortunately after 2 hours of waiting the fog had still not budged so we packed up and headed down the Mountain. My legs were shaking the whole way down but finally we made it to the bottom and took the boat back to town where we celebrated with Tacofino and a group nap. I would definitely recommend Lone Cone as a hike if you're up for a challenge but make sure you do it on a clear day !

Trail to Lone Cone

"View" from the top