Tatchu Peninsula

The Tatchu Peninsula is a promontory of Vancouver Island bounded by Esperanza Inlet to its south and Kyuquot Channel to the north. Tatchu is found on the coastal hiker’s map as the next significant stretch of coast to the north of Nootka Island.

The Kyuquot Channel end of this part of the Island’s coast is well known for Rugged Point Provincial Park, and the bustling logging camp at Port Eliza marks the south terminus of the peninsula and the hike along its shore. The ravages of the logging along the beaches and on the hillsides above have been somewhat healed by the maturing second growth forest and, happily, the industrial activity in the area does little to diminish the beauty of the Tatchu Peninsula.

A complex maze of offshore rocks and reefs protects much of the shoreline from the full fury of the Pacific Ocean, and sea otters, bears and other wildlife thrive in this unique ecosystem. The diversity of the beaches from black pebbles to shimmering white sand, interesting geology in the small cliffs and extensive rock shelves and the sense of pioneering on this until now overlooked shoreline are just some of the highlights of the Tatchu coast.

The name Tatchu comes from an old Ehattisat word ‘Tatchtatcha’, which means ‘to chew’ and refers to the abundance of food in the area.