MacMillan Provincial Park

MacMillan Provincial Park is a protected forest on Vancouver Island containing Cathedral Grove, an old-growth Douglas-fir forest with massive trees that have stood for centuries. The park covers about 301 hectares and visitors walk through groves of these ancient giants.

The forest became a provincial park in 1947 after a timber businessman donated forest land to preserve the old-growth trees. This early conservation effort protected what remains one of the few surviving ancient forests on the island.

Indigenous peoples conducted ceremonies in this forest, with evidence visible in modified western redcedar trees where bark was harvested by hand over centuries.

The park is located about 25 kilometers west of Qualicum Beach along the main highway and is easily reached by car. The trails through the forest are well-maintained and accessible for people of different fitness levels.

The forest sits at the boundary between two climate zones, where dry conditions on the east meet wet conditions on the west. This transition point makes the location ecologically distinct and shapes how the trees grow differently on each side.

Location: Regional District of Nanaimo

Inception: 1947

Website: http://env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/macmillan

GPS coordinates: 49.29000,-124.66100

Latest update: December 6, 2025 16:03