A panorama taken from the broadwalk through Shorepine Bog next to Florencia Bay. The image was taken in early spring, and the stunted and twiested lodgepine trees rise under an overcast sky. The floor of the bog is tainted red from the sphagnum moss.

Shorepine Bog - Pacific Rim visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Shorepine Bog' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Vancouver Island.

Shorepine Bog is close to Florencia Bay within the Pacific Rim National Park of Vancouver Island. The bog has a 1km broadwalk that allows visitors to explore it while protecting the fragile ecosystem. It is named after the shorepine trees, which are actually stunted lodgepines. The lodgepine can grow up to 30m tall in the protected interior of Vancouver Island, but in these exposed, acidic environments these trees rarely grow more than 5m high. Some of the shorepines here are over 300 years old.

The plants that grow within bogs like this have to cope with extreme conditions. The soils are kept acidic by a blanket of sphagnum moss, which gives the ground a reddish colour. In addition the winters are harsh, with sub-zero temperatures and strong storm winds. Successful plants that manage to survive here include Yellow Cedar, Crowberry, Labrador Tea, Bog Laurel, and Evergreen Huckleberry. Many were used for various things by the early Nuu-chah-nulth peoples. Sedge Grass was used to weave fine decorated baskets, an art which is still practiced today. Examples of these and a history of the region is displayed at the Wickaninnish Interpretive Center on Wickaninnish Beach.

Shorepine Bog is on the road to Wickaninnish Beach and Florencia Bay, 5km from Ucluelet and about 35km from Tofino in the Pacific Rim National Park. Visitors must Must purchase a Park Use Permit, available at the car park.