A Walk in McLean Mill Historic Park

The market lights add the perfect ambience to this Mill site and its original cedar-shingled buildings.

After spending a day at the Mill, I came to learn that all these elements are indeed a part of the park’s history as much as they are a part of its present.

The lush forest walk is dazzling with twinkling market lights that guide you through this trail network at the Mill park.

Located on 12.5 hectares, with 35 buildings and structures, you can tour inside the belly of the original steam sawmill, experiencing life as it once was for the many generations that worked at McLean Mill. Take a walk around the mill pond, catch a fish, have a picnic or join a guided tour to learn about the R.B. McLean Lumber Company that operated from 1925 to 1965. The Mill was acquired by the City of Port Alberni in 1988 from the McLean family and MacMillan Bloedel, and with assistance from Parks Canada and Forest Renewal BC the sawmill and surrounding site has been completely restored.

Stroll around the Mill Pond to watch logging demos on the other side.

The tours which operate several times during the day welcome you to step back in time, off the platform or from the main gate, restaurant, and gift shop area through a Forest Walk, and out to the historic site where you can pop into the cookhouse, bunkhouse, blacksmith shop and check out machinery like the head rig that contains 50-inch and 54-inch circular saws. 

The old 1892 Chattanooga steam engine which was directly involved in producing beautiful lumber up until 2016 and the remnants of the heyday of steam power draws a niche crowd to the park each year. 

The head rig’s 50 inch and 54 inch circular saws in the sawmill building.

Inside the sawmill, you’ll also find “live edge” pieces of timber that was in it's final days of opporating the McLean Mill’s signature style. People in Port Alberni are proud to share the fact that they have McLean Mill countertops and pieces in their homes to this day. In fact, many homes in town used to be powered using sawdust. Mill life overflowed into the everyday for Port Alberni.

“You’ll notice a lot of debris. I always say that people who lived in the ‘20s, ‘30s, and ‘40s were the ultimate up-cyclers, and we are just catching on now," Deanna said as we walked past some old gas station pumps on our way to the steam donkey and logging demo area.

"At McLean Mill Historic Park, we are home to the only operational Steam Powered Donkey and Logging show in all of North America. The guys that put on the attraction are real characters," said Deanna. "It's a family fun, interactive steam show that runs all summer." We had already visited an old caboose in a shed by the railway tracks that is one of many restoration projects; in fact the whole site looked a little like that 20 years ago. It's amazing what can be accomplished with heart! 

Old cars, new growth, some of the really cool photo ops around the Mill site.

Spend the afternoon wanderlusting through a park that intertwines past and present, stroll foot bridges and rest upon worn natural benches that await. Cross Kitsukis Creek and you’ll find logging demos, gas and oil sheds, and make sure you have your camera as there are some feature shots, rusted out classic cars that are perfect for photo walks. 

This national historic site and the surrounding park offers much more than an abundance of logging and timber history. In recent years, the park has begun a series of programs that invite locals and visitors alike to enjoy its lush landscape.

“Enjoy a day of low tech with your family. It’s an opportunity to come and reconnect,” Deanna told me after she shared that she has been biking to work all week – taking her just over 20 minutes from Port Alberni's city centre. “We’re really trying to open up the venue, all these gems – so much to explore."