Due to it’s location – down a trail and a large number of steepish stairs, Halfmoon Bay in Tofino is one of the more isolated/quiet beaches that you will find in the area. The name of the beach describes it perfectly – it is a small bay in the shape of a Halfmoon. The sand is beautiful and soft and there are rocks on each end of the bay that are super fun to explore.
Accessing the beach requires that you hike a 1km trail that ends with 123 stairs leading down to the beach area. The trail itself is an easy walk but the steps can be challenging if you (or your dog) have mobility issues. There is a railing on one side of the stairs and the other side is open.
It is important to note that all beaches in Tofino require dogs to be on-leash. That said, Halfmoon Bay is one of the areas that the Tofino town council has been considering declaring an off-leash beach. This is because it is a small area, isolated from other beaches, and does not have an abundance of surfers or visitors like many of the other, larger, beaches in the area do. However, unless the beach is declared officially off-leash, you do risk a ticket if you allow your dog to run free.
Our Visit to Halfmoon Bay Beach:
Avy and I visited Halfmoon Bay beach while on a trip to Tofino with my family in August 2020. We (12 of us plus Avy) packed a picnic lunch and headed down to enjoy the afternoon, The beach was deserted when we arrived (and we had the entire thing to ourselves until we left several hours later) so I felt somewhat comfortable letting Avy off her leash. With 12 adults present she was never unsupervised and enjoyed her time swimming and playing with us in the sand.
The trail to the beach was somewhat challenging for me as I had knee problems at the time and had not yet had my knee replacement surgery. The trail was an easy walk but the 123 stairs down to the beach at the end took a bit of extra time. That said I hung back so I wouldn’t hold the rest of my group back, held on to the railing and made it down to the beach without incident.
There were plenty of logs on the beach to sit on while we enjoyed our lunch, and the lovely white sand was perfect for walking and playing in. Everyone had a great time walking the beach, playing with Avy and exploring the rocks on each end of the bay. When we were done for the day I got a head start on the rest of our group and tacked those stairs to go back up. Again – I made it to the top without incident.
This beach is quiet and absolutely beautiful – I definitely recommend it if you are visiting Tofino with your dog.
