Alberni-Clayoquot · CA

Alberni Valley Lookout

The Alberni Valley Lookout is Port Alberni's most beloved viewpoint: a broad, open bald on the hills above the east end of town where the trees give way to a sweeping panorama of the whole valley below. Once a firewatch site, this vista rewards a short, manageable hike with one of the best effort-to-reward views on Vancouver Island's mid-island — the town, the long Alberni Inlet, two lakes and a ring of mountains laid out beneath you. It sits just minutes from the highway and downtown, on Lacy Lake Road behind the well-known Coombs Country Candy shop, so it doubles as an easy half-day outing you can pair with fudge, coffee and other valley hikes to waterfalls. With a 4.8 rating from dozens of visitors and hundreds of photos, it has earned its reputation as the quintessential local climb.