Why You Should Visit Little Huson Caves Regional Park on Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is home to over 1,000 documented caves, and while not all are accessible to the public, there are still a handful of areas open to public cave hikes and exploration! Among the Island’s best cave exploration opportunities are those at The Little Huson Caves Park. This regional day-use park on the north side of Vancouver Island has many reasons which make the short hike worth every step.

Reasons to Visit the Huson Caves

• The park has 15 caves: The Little Huson Caves are part of the Atluck Creek Canyon with 15 official cave structures located within the Regional Park. These caves are easy to access from the short hiking trail and are surrounded by small pools or the rushing creek, which connects Atluck Creek Canyon to Little Huson Lake.

• Photography: The landscape around the caves is considered karst terrain and is a shining example, with tons of karst features around the park. This includes the Little Huson Caves natural bridge, considered unique to Vancouver Island, and an excellent photo op. Additionally, the massive cedar and fir trees surrounding the limestone walls add plenty of colour to each photo.
• The park is free to enter: Whether you stop by for a quick picnic or a full afternoon exploring on the Little Huson Caves trail, this Regional Park is free to use and access!

The Huson Caves Trail Highlights

The short, sweet, and simple 1km trail around the Huson Caves Regional Park is filled with beautiful scenery that highlights the park’s most notable, unique, or interesting features.

• The first viewing area after the parking lot will be the collapsed natural arch, which shows how the stream has worn and weathered the limestone over time. This area has a second small cave to enter, too!
• The trail follows alongside the river and canyon before crossing a natural and non-collapsed bridge. The trail makes a fork with one direction leading to views over Atluck Creek, and the other to smaller caves.
• The trail itself is short, but with so much to explore, there are many reasons to plan for at least a couple of hours in the park.
• The caves can get quite dark on cloudy days, so headlamps or flashlights are a good idea for a hike at Huson Caves Park.

 

Camping or Staying near the Caves

Backcountry camping and free walk-in camping are available at both the Atluck Lake and Anutz Lake Recreation Sites. These lakes also offer gorgeous beaches for swimming and picnic areas. These sites do not offer facilities but rather a more rustic camping experience.

• More campsites are available at the nearby Windy Waters Campground on Highway BC-19, and to the north of the park in the Port McNeill area.
• Plus, Port McNeill, at just 56km north of Little Huson Caves, has several different hotel, motel, or inn options. There are also ferries which take guests to the islands around the Johnstone Strait and Port McNeill, which offer resort, camping, or hotel stays.

More Sightseeing on the Island Highway

Whether right off the highway, or some of the area’s logging and service roads or secondary highways, this part of Vancouver Island has some of the more unique Canadian scenery. As with the rest of the Island and BC’s west coast, this is the only rainforest climate in all of Canada. Along with the unique flora and fauna that come with the rainforest region, Vancouver Island also boast unique geographical and geological features that are on display all across the north Island.

• Heading north from Little Huson Caves on the Island Highway will offer up all of the scenery, and so much so that the massive Nimpkish Lake to the west is completely hidden from view. On the other side of that highway are views of Nimpkish Lake surrounded by tall mountains and more dense forests. This east side of the lake, from the highway, has two places to stop: the Regional Park and the Provincial Park.
• There is a gentle 2km trail along the shoreline and within the Regional Park and Recreation Site.
• A handful of tour operators work from Port McNeill to provide guests with sightseeing, wildlife viewing, or boat ride tours. Tour options include those with Sea Wolf Adventures, Vancouver Island Photo Tours, or At the Waters Edge Adventures.

Planning Your Trip – Little Huson Caves Park

What: Little Huson Caves Park includes a cave system within the Atluck Creek Canyon on the north end of Vancouver Island. In total, the park encompasses 15 distinct caves situated between Anutz Lake and Little Huson Lake. The park is open for day use activities like hiking and picnics, with a short trail winding around the cave system. The trail offers up-close access to various caves within the park.

 

Location and how to get there: 56km south of Port McNeill via BV-19; 160km northwest of Campbell River via BC-19; use the exit for the Atluck Forest Service Road from BC-19 to reach Little Huson Caves

Best time to go: open year-round

Cost: Day use free

For more information:

Little Huson Caves Park