Guide to Broken Group Islands
Everything you need to know to plan your kayak and camp trip to the Broken Group Islands (BGI) on Vancouver Island.
Broken Group is a spectacular group of islands in the Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island. You’ll want at least three to four nights for this trip, the best time of year being July and August.
Reservations/Permits
Two reservations/permits are required; 1) a Backcountry Camping Permit available through Parks Canada, and 2) a valid National Park Entry Pass for the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
You can buy a daily National Park pass for each day of your trip, but the discovery pass - an annual pass to all national parks, may be better value. Update: free admission to National Parks as part of the “Canada Strong” program from June 19 to Sept 7, 2026.
Launch Site
Secret Beach Campground and Kayak Launch is located just outside of Ucluelet and is the launch site for Broken Group. Secret Beach offers camping, paid parking, a boat launch and drinking water. As it can get quite busy, I definitely recommend making reservations even just for parking your vehicle there while you’re kayaking.
From Secret Beach into the Broken Group involves an open crossing - if you’re an intermediate paddler, you are way better off taking the water taxi into the sheltered islands of Broken Group. If you’re an advanced paddler but don’t have flexibility in your trip plans, you may want to take the taxi as well to avoid waiting for a weather window to do the crossing. Once you’re in Broken Group itself, the interior islands are quite protected.
Water Taxi
The Broken Islands Lodge offers kayakers a water taxi departing Secret Beach to Broken Islands Lodge daily at 10:15am, 12:15pm, and 4pm for $105 per person roundtrip. The boat can fit 12 people and up to 8 kayaks. This is a great option if you’re getting in late - you could taxi to the lodge, spend the night, and hit the water early the next morning. This is also a good option if anyone in your group needs a kayak rental or if you need to pick up maps/nautical charts.
Broken Islands Lodge also offers a water taxi service from Secret Beach to Dodd or Clarke Island if you want to be dropped in the islands with Dodd being the more sheltered site of the two. Note that they will drop you near the campsite but not directly there, so you will need to kayak to the campsite from a nearby designated location. These options are $100 and $110 per person, one way. Contact Broken Islands lodge to schedule.
Route and Campsites
When making your camping reservation you need to reserve the specific campsite/island you intend to camp at. Should the weather change and you need to camp elsewhere, there are signs posted with a phone number to phone-in the change in your camping location. There is cell service in most of the Broken Group but do bring a back-up form of communication like a VHF radio or satellite phone.
Clarke Island is the crown jewel for camping but the most exposed. On my last trip to Broken Group it was too choppy for us to make it out there. We actually ended up needing to get picked up by the water taxi to safely get out of there due to a significant change in weather, but that’s another story.
All of the campsites are beautiful - we opted to stay at Willis Island as our “base camp” and explored the other islands as day trips. Note that as of 2026, Willis Island is closed due to significant wind damage.
Recommendation
Day 1 - ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo, drive to Ucluelet and check into Airbnb. Order pizza and head to Long Beach for sunset. Spend the rest of the evening packing your drybags and preparing for the trip.
Day 2 - take the 10:15am water taxi from Secret Beach to the lodge. Fill water bladders, pick up maps and tide charts, and talk to the staff about recommended sites to see. Head to Turret or Dodd Island, set-up base camp.
Day 3-4 - explore BGI
Day 5 - paddle back to lodge, arrive for dinner time and check-in. Overnight at lodge and enjoy a hot home cooked meal and the wood fired hot tub. They also have a “dry room” they let us use to dry out all our wet gear - that made arriving home and putting gear away so much smoother.
Day 6 - water taxi back to Secret Beach, drive to Nanaimo and ferry back to Vancouver
More Information
Parks Canada has put together an amazing “Broken Group Islands: Paddlers Guide” that is worth downloading and reviewing.
Remember that the Broken Group Islands are part of the Pacific Rim Park - if you’ve ever been to Tofino, you’ll know that the weather there is significantly cooler than Vancouver and very damp. Pack layers accordingly and be ready for damp weather and foggy mornings - you absolutely will need rain gear.
Fresh water sources are unreliable - bring all the potable water your group requires (4-6 litres per person, per day).
Fires are allowed below the tide line as long as there is no fire ban for the area.
Windy is your best bet for wind forecasts in this area or VHF Channel 21 B. Hypothermia warning - the water temperature in Barkley Sound ranges from 7-15ºC. Know how to prevent, identify and treat hypothermia.
This is a trip for intermediate to advanced paddlers, your group must be able to:
plot a course by chart and compass;
pilot your vessel(s) safely in fog;
read weather patterns and signs, obtain and interpret up-to-date marine weather forecast;
assess water hazards that vary with tide, sea state and weather;
interpret tide tables;
competently handle your boat if caught in adverse conditions (some crossings may take 3 or more hours and weather conditions can change in a matter of minutes - consider the water taxi!);
perform a group rescue and self-rescue;
camp in prolonged windy and rainy conditions;
call for help; and
administer first aid.
