The West Coast Trail is a world-renowned 75-km point-to-point multi-day backpacking hike in the Vancouver Island which stretches from Port Renfrew to Bamfield, British Columbia.
This hike treated us with amazing views of Vancouver Island's West Coast with sea lions serenading us, humpback whales breaching and spouting as we walked along the shores, colorful sea urchins, corals and other diverse marine flora and fauna, sea caves, gazillion of seagulls, sunset and sunrise, waterfall and many more.
No doubt this hike is not easy. We tackled numerous ladders, scrambled on boulders and driftwood piles, beat tide restrictions, walked on deep sand , surge channels, crossed rivers by manual cable cars, and to top it all, had two bear encounters. I'm thankful for the beautiful weather all throughout our hike, the beautiful people we met, and great supportive spirit of our hiking team which helped us finish this hike safely.
This hike could be done in different directions:
- South to North (Gordon River, Port Renfrew to Pachena Bay, Bamfield) - hard part first when you have fresh energy and mellow part later when you have less energy. This is what we did for 7 days.
- North to South (Bamfield to Port Renfrew) - easy part first when your pack is heavy and hard part later when your pack is lighter
- Start midway at Nitinaht Narrows and go either south or north
Some logistics to consider (this list is not all-inclusive):
1. Permit from Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is required and books really fast. More info here: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/activ/SCO-WCT/sco-wct-reservations
2. Since this is point-to-point, you need to plan your transportation after the hike to get back to where you parked your car. The road between Bamfield and Port Renfrew is rough and around three hours drive. Taking the shuttle bus which runs between trailheads, in my opinion, is the best option. Booking the shuttle bus in advance is required. More info here: https://trailbus.com/
3. Ferry schedule at Gordon River and Nitinaht Village
4. Tide tables
5. Pre-hike briefing at the trailhead
Sharing our itinerary with sections on this video:
0:00 Intro / Highlights
1:31 Day 1: Gordon River to Thrasher Cove Campsite
- hiking distance: 6 km - all inland; no tide restrictions; highest elevation on the entire trail;
rough, rooty, muddy and challenging sections; 14 ladders
- Gordon River ferry crossing
- Highlights: Donkey Engine at KM72, views of Port Renfrew and Port San Juan
4:37 Day 2: Thrasher to Owen Point then Camper Bay Campsite
- Hiking distance: 7 km for beach route (inland trail alternative exists for this section); Beach
route has tide restrictions; scrambling on boulders and driftwood piles; several surge
channels; 7 ladders
- Highlights: Owen Point - passable at tides below 1.8 m.; unique rock formations, Camper Bay
9:45 Day 3: Camper Bay to Walbran Creek Campsite
- Hiking Distance: 9 km; 28 ladders and the longest are on this section
- Highlights: Cullite Cove, Logan Creek Suspension Bridge
11:12 Day 4: Walbran to Cribs Creek Campsite
- Hiking Distance: 11 km
- Highlights: Bonilla Point, Carmanah Creek, Nytom Burger Shack, Carmanah Lighthouse,
sea gulls, lots of sea lions and whales on this section
15:10 Day 5: Cribs Creek to Tsusiat Falls Campsite
- Hiking Distance: 17 km; Nitinaht River ferry crossing
- Highlights: Cheewhat River suspension bridge, Crab Shack at Nitinat River, Hole in the
Wall, Tsusiat Falls
19:56 Day 6: Tsusiat Falls to Michigan Creek Campsite
- Hiking distance: 13 km
- Highlights: Klanawa River cable car, Donkey Engine, Red Chair at Valencia Bluffs viewpoint,
Tsokowis Creek bridge, Darling Creek, Michigan Creek
21:50 Day 7: Michigan to Pachena Bay
- Hiking distance: 12 km
- Highlights: Pachena Point, Pachena Bay
23:26 Summary of the Hike
Music:
Music by Marko Topa from Pixabay
Music by Vitaliy Levkin from Pixabay
Music by Lexin_Music from Pixabay:
Music by MarkJuly from Pixabay
Music by Daddy_s_Music from Pixabay
Music by Stock_Studio from Pixabay
Photo / video credits to: Daniel, Kenneth, Eve, Lenie, Jolene
Huge thanks to Daniel for all the hard work in planning, organizing and leading us on this hike
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