Botanical Beach, Juan de Fuca Provincial Park in Port Renfrew, Vancouver Island

Rich tide pools, a shoreline full of life and fantastic geological features impress visitors to Botanical Beach Provincial Park. The abundance of wildlife was what drew Dr. Josephine Tildon to choose Botanical Beach as the location for the University of Minnesota's marine station in 1900. For 7 years researchers and students came from all over the world to study here. To get to the station, a steamship would come from Victoria to Port Renfrew. From there it was on foot on a very muddy and narrow trail to the station. A better road in to the station was promised, however, it did not materialize and the difficult access was considered a reason for the station's closure in 1907. There are few remains of the station left today. Universities still use Botanical Beach for field trips and research, under park use permits. The area became a Class "A" Provincial Park in 1989; the highest level of protection to a park area.

Botanical Beach has 251 ha of upland habitat, but is best known for its abundance of intertidal life. A visitor can find hundreds of species of plants and animals. The organisms that live here must be able to handle a wide range of conditions. When the tide is out there are large changes in temperature, predators, food sources and salinity.Each creature has adapted to contend with these variable conditions. Organisms that can not cope with drying will survive in the tidepools or in shaded crevices. There you will find congregations of seastars, chitons and anemones, the seastars often piled together to conserve moisture loss. Barnacles, snails and mussels are able to survive by closing up tightly with a small amount of water inside their shells. There are some plants and animals that are specialists to the high impact waves found at Botanical Beach. The Gooseneck Barnacle, an animal, and the Sea Palm, a brown algae, are two of these. These organisms survive in the surf zone by being attached to the rock with flexible stalks that bend with the force of the waves. They are just two of the thousands of species of marine invertebrates and algae that can be found here at low tide. A low tide of 4 feet or less is best for wildlife and tide pool viewing. The area offers parking, toilets, information and picnic areas. A number of trails: Mill Bay, Botany Bay, and Shoreline are suitable hiking for young children and the elderly.

Killer Whales and Grey Whales have often been observed swimming past the beach or feeding just off the points. The best time to see Grey Whales is during their migration from the Mexican coast to Alaska during March and April. Both California and Northern Sealions can be found here from late August through May. Harbour Seals are often seen offshore, they can be recognized by their basketball-shaped heads bobbing at the surface.

More information at http://www.juandefucamarinetrail.com/botanical_beach.html

Directions: https://goo.gl/8ISPrc