Vancouver Island: will Nanaimo-Tofino bus be affected by the snowstorm?
December 18, 2022 12:47 PM Subscribe
I live in Vancouver, and my partner and I are planning to visit the island for Christmas weekend and take the bus from Nanaimo to Ucluelet this Friday the 23rd. The forecast shows a lot of snow coming down between now and Thursday. Should we rethink our plans?
I've never been to the island before and my partner has only been there in summer, so we don't know much about how winter conditions affect the roads. (My experience with Vancouver roads when it snows doesn't make me optimistic.) Apparently the road is single-lane past Port Alberni. Should we be worried about the road being blocked or the bus getting canceled?
I've never been to the island before and my partner has only been there in summer, so we don't know much about how winter conditions affect the roads. (My experience with Vancouver roads when it snows doesn't make me optimistic.) Apparently the road is single-lane past Port Alberni. Should we be worried about the road being blocked or the bus getting canceled?
Best answer: I agree with LookOutBelow, give the company a call. I have driven to Ucluelet a few times in winter - the highway is well maintained and cleared during snow events. One time, I drove behind the snowplow at a safe distance all the way to the fork in the road where you turn right for Tofino and left for Ucluelet. It was slow but safe.
Yes the work near Kennedy Lake, just past fearsome Hydro Hill is continuing. There are times during the day when traffic goes through, while other times we must wait. See DriveBC for these times. And the bus company will most certainly know.
If the weather is iffy, BCFerries is another variable in your trip plan. As you know, the ferries get canceled now and again in bad weather. That time when I followed the snowplow, I had taken the very first ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. It was a bouncy crossing and the rest of the ferries on that route were canceled for the day.
Finally, one more data point for you - do read the posts on r/Tofino about the bus, you can ask your questions there as well. There an r/ucluelet if memory serves (perhaps r/ukie the town’s nickname) it’s a less active group but also will have info for you.
Enjoy your stay!! I miss Amphitrite lighthouse and the Wild Pacific trail, oh so very much.
posted by seawallrunner at 2:32 PM on December 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
Yes the work near Kennedy Lake, just past fearsome Hydro Hill is continuing. There are times during the day when traffic goes through, while other times we must wait. See DriveBC for these times. And the bus company will most certainly know.
If the weather is iffy, BCFerries is another variable in your trip plan. As you know, the ferries get canceled now and again in bad weather. That time when I followed the snowplow, I had taken the very first ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. It was a bouncy crossing and the rest of the ferries on that route were canceled for the day.
Finally, one more data point for you - do read the posts on r/Tofino about the bus, you can ask your questions there as well. There an r/ucluelet if memory serves (perhaps r/ukie the town’s nickname) it’s a less active group but also will have info for you.
Enjoy your stay!! I miss Amphitrite lighthouse and the Wild Pacific trail, oh so very much.
posted by seawallrunner at 2:32 PM on December 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
Hi. I live on Vancouver Island. I am also a search and rescue member.
I would not do this trip.
posted by makonan at 6:21 PM on December 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
I would not do this trip.
posted by makonan at 6:21 PM on December 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
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I took it recently and they're alternating between traffic directions at a certain part of the road. The road is notoriously sketchy so you may be right to be concerned.
posted by lookoutbelow at 12:50 PM on December 18, 2022 [2 favorites]