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Comber's Beach and the Spruce Fringe Trail
Hiking Difficulty
3 | Distance 1.5 km loop
The Spruce Fringe Trail begins on a gravel path. |
Boardwalks lead you through the spruce forest.
Take a walk through the midst of the forest. |
Imagine trying to make your way without a boardwalk.
The Krummholz Tunnel
Closer to the sea, the trees contort and huddle together against the weather.
The ocean's infulence has created the spruce fringe but also limits plant growth
and form. Strong winds, laden with salt spray and abrasive sand, have shorn off
the seaward tips of the trees, pruning them into a tight wedge. Behind this living
windbreak, other spruce are able to grow tall and straight. Inside the krummholz
tunnel, the dense tree canopy blocks the light so feww plants can frow on the
forest floor. Instead, some shrubs have grown as tall as the trees.
As you enter,
search for the following life forms...
1. spindly salal reaches for the sun
2. pruned cedar branches have become trunks
3. slender hemlock branches extend into the canopy
4. Sitka spruce most normal-looking trunk
The Krummholz Tunnel | Beautiful forest ferns are everywhere |
Spruce Fringe Trail is a wonderful walk.
Why Giant Conifers?
This landscape has not always been dominated by giant conifers.
A journey through time reveals past forests.
Text from Spruce Fringe Trail National Park boards
Winter Rogue Wave at Combers Beach
Signs in the Pacific Rim Parks warn of rogue waves during the winter. Perhaps you have read about how you should be careful on rock outposts - that rogue waves can suddenly reach up and make you lose your footing. Please take the rogue wave warnings seriously.
Rogue Wave at Comber's Beach
The photographs below show the experience we had out walking on Spruce Fringe
Trail. It was a beautiful day in December and we walked the trail to it's beach
end point. The boardwalk ended and there is about a 8 foot scramble down to the
beach (which has since been replcaed by steps). We looked out from the end of
the boardwalk . The beach was wet but it was low tide and the edge of the water
was over 50 metres away. I suggested that we take our two jack russell terrors
and stroll the beach in the sun. (1) Just after I spoke a wave rolled in quickly.
We watched in amazement, perched just above the driftwood on the boardwalk, as
the wave just kept coming. It rose to waist high level in no time. (2) The water
swirled around. Surrounding driftwood floated up and banged together in the choppy
water. And just as quickly the wave receeded (3) until the beach was as it had
been before the rogue wave.
It was truly an awesome and frightening display of nature's power. I was shaken thinking what would have happened if we would have been out walking on the beach with our dogs. We stayed there for another 15 minutes wondering if it would happen again. It didn't, but once was enough. We learned a valuable lesson.
What Did We Learn?
Do not underestimate the power and unpredicatability of the winter ocean.
Do not take chances on remote or unpopulated beaches.
R E S P E C T
Nature is glorious and mighty - we knew that, but a reminder is always good.
Read the warning signs at the beaches and take them seriously.
Be safe, be aware, be awed.
 Standing up on the boardwalk at Combers Beach overlooking the wet beach and low tide. (1) |
 Just after my suggestion of a walk on the beach, a rogue wave rolls in right under us. (2) |
 The wave receeds as quickly as it rolled in (3) |
 After a few minutes it's like it never happened (4) |
Comber's Beach and the Spruce Fringe Trail, Welcome To Ucluelet, BC
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