 The island is located in the Clayoquot Sound region and is the location of Opitsat, the main village of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, and was the location of Fort Defiance, a short-lived American fur-trading post founded by Captain Robert Gray.An attraction for tourists visiting Tofino is the Big Tree Trail, the small section of Meares Island that contains a boardwalk that features some of the tallest trees in British Columbia.It is a spectacular site for photography and has been viewed in many nature publications and television.