Port Alberni in Nanaimo, British Columbia — Canada’s West Coast (North America)

Cathedral Trail

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 5, 2026

1. Cathedral Trail Marker

Inscription.
See Cathedral Grove on a short loop walk that takes you through a forest of giant trees. The largest are 800 years old, but most sprouted when a fire opened the forest about 300 years ago.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Horticulture & Forestry.

Location. 49° 17.465′ N, 124° 39.765′ W. Marker is in Port Alberni, British Columbia, in Nanaimo. It is on Alberni Highway (British Columbia Route 4), on the right when traveling east. Marker is located within MacMillan Provincial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 452 Alberni Highway, Port Alberni BC V9K 1S5, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Vancouver Island.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

on the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.

Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 13 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: David Douglas (1799-1834) (here,

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next to this marker); Forests: Our Future (a few steps from this marker); Nature’s Cathedral (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Trees for Tomorrow (about 120 meters away); The Big Tree (about 150 meters away); Forest Industry in British Columbia / L’Industrie Forestiere en Colombie-Britannique (approx. 12.8 kilometers away); Bicentennial of the Spanish Expeditions to the Northwest Coasts of America (approx. 12.8 kilometers away).

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 5, 2026

2. Cathedral Trail Marker

Biggest Tree on Cathedral Trail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 5, 2026

3. Biggest Tree on Cathedral Trail

This giant Douglas fir is the larget tree in MacMillan Provincial Park. It is over 800 yearss old, 250 feet high and 30 feet around.

Rest of the Biggest Tree in Cathedral Grove image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 5, 2026

4. Rest of the Biggest Tree in Cathedral Grove

Cathedral Trail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, September 5, 2026

5. Cathedral Trail

Credits. This page was last revised on September 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2026, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 11, 2026, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.