Backpacking the West Coast Trail
The West Coast Trail is one of the most well known and unique backpacking treks in the world. The journey is comprised of over 75 km of dense rainforest, slippery ladders, rugged Pacific coastline, and pristine beaches. The trail stretches across the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia connecting the two remote villages of Pachena Bay and Port Renfrew.
Before it was a national park Indigenous nations like the Pacheedaht, Huu-ay-aht, Claoose and Ditidaht traversed this land for thousands of years. As Europeans ships arrived in the 1800s the unpredictable weather and treacherous coastline around Vancouver Island caused the settlers to dub the area the Graveyard of the Pacific, as more than 500 ships perished around the Canadian island alone. So a telegraph line was installed to improve communication along the islands coast. Then the Canadian government improved the trail greatly and constructed a few cabins stocked with lifesaving supplies to assist shipwreck survivors.
In 1973 the trail officially became part of the Pacific Rim National Park. Since then its established itself as an extremely sought after backpacking adventure. If you’re looking to book this year, look here for the date that reservations open: Reservation Launch Dates. When you find the date, log on early that morning to Parks Canada Reservations to ensure you get a spot, as it books up almost immediately.
A couple things to decide before booking: which trailhead you’ll start at; and the number of days you’ll take to complete it. If you start at the north trailhead in Pachena Bay, the first half of the trail is flatter and less technical than the last half. So travelling south you arrive at the difficult section with lighter packs and lots of miles behind you. But if you start at the south trailhead near Port Renfrew, you get the hardest trail sections out of the way early. If you don’t have time for the full trek you can start at Nitinaht Narrows trailhead in the middle of the trail. Also, you don’t need to book sites, just the number of nights you’ll be in the park. Most people take 6 – 8 days. We split the difference and booked it for 7 days (6 nights). And we chose to start at the north end, mostly because it would be a shorter drive to our AirBnB in Victoria after.
The sites we were aiming for were: Darling River, Tsusiat Falls, Carmanah Creek, Walbran Creek, Camper Bay, and finally Thrasher Cove. This schedule is subject to change as there are plenty of other campsite options along the trail. Since you only book your dates and not sites, where you camp is completely up to you. Below is a map of our preferred campsites (blue) and the trailheads (green).
Day 0:
Day 0 started with a long drive to the small coastal town of Port Renfrew. When you get close to the coast the narrow road curves around mountains and at times makes unexpected hair-pin turns. Drive carefully. We booked a night at the Pacheedaht campground just outside of Port Renfrew. This is a popular campground for West Coast Trail (WCT) hikers as it’s very close to the south trailhead and right next to the Park Office. The campground also has a large parking lot where you can pay to leave your car when you’re on the trail.
We checked in to the campground and paid for parking. Then we went to the Park Office to pay our park entry fees, get our maps and tide tables, and listen to a short WCT safety orientation. The orientation is mandatory and is done at 9am and 2pm each day. We found our campsite and set up for the night. The old-growth trees were beautiful and the nearby beach was awesome.
We filled up on fish and beer at the Renfrew Pub as our last meal before 7 days in the wilderness. Then we headed to the tent to try to get some shut-eye before tomorrow.
Day 1:
We woke up early to have some coffee, finalize our packing, and prepare ourselves physically (and mentally) for what was ahead. The shuttle arrives at 9:30am from the Park Office to take us north to the Pachena Bay trailhead. So we’ll finish at the south trailhead where our car is parked. Make sure to reserve your shuttle ahead of time here: WCT Express.
For a breakdown of what gear we took (and our post-trip thoughts about it) check out the page linked below:
When the shuttle arrived at 9:30 we and the other eager hikers put our gear in the back and hopped on. The shuttle is a school bus but the seats at the back had been replaced with some shelves for luggage. The ride was crazy bumpy because it was primarily on old logging roads. I’m guessing the WCT shuttle service makes up most of the traffic on these roads. It took a little over 3 hours to get to the Pachena Bay trailhead.
The driver helped us unload our gear when we arrived, then we checked in at the Pachena Bay Park Office to get our permits for the trail. Then we were off! We wanted to get going quickly as it was after 1pm and we had a long hike ahead of us to our first campsite at Darling River.
The first few hundred meters was on the beach before diverting into the gorgeous red cedar rainforest. Early on we crossed paths with a group who warned us of a mama black bear and her cub that they just passed. We kept an eye out but didn’t see them. The path was mostly flat and decently wide. Occasionally it would open up to a nice bridge or boardwalk to cross a creek.
About 5km in there was a side trail leading to the “sea lion haul out rock”. It was about 500m of descent to a little cliff lookout where we saw a huge group of sea lions bathing on the rocks.
A few kilometers after the Sea Lion side trail we started a steep and slippery descent towards the beach. There we found Michigan Creek campground, the northernmost site on the WCT. This site wasn’t anything special. It’s the closest site to the Pachena Bay trailhead though, so it’s fairly popular. The site we wanted was still a couple kilometers away. This was our first long section of beach hiking and the deep sand proved challenging. It’s much slower than walking on the hardpacked trail as the sand shifts beneath your feet each time you step.
We made it to Darling River after a tiring first day. Upon arrival we said hello to the other campers and spotted a gray whale feeding just off shore. Loved watching the whales. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip. There weren’t many people here so we had our pick of tent spots.
All sites are on the beach and marked with buoys hanging from the trees. Some sites also have a couple tent spots in the forest. Every site we stayed at also had bear bins for food storage and outhouses. The only site without these amenities is Orange Juice Creek. Additionally, all sites have a fresh water source, usually a creek. However, we were warned during orientation that there hadn’t been substantial rainfall in over two months on Vancouver Island! This is extremely unusual. The park ranger said it typically rains here 260 days a year. This meant many of the freshwater creeks were reduced to just a trickle.
Luckily Darling River was big enough that it still had enough water to swim in. After setting up camp we took a short walk over to the river to wash off in the frigid water.
While we were swimming another camper told us there was a waterfall just upstream. Only a couple minutes of walking later we found the super cool waterfall with a nice swimming hole at the bottom.
Back at the site, dinner was dehydrated backpackers mac n’ cheese. All of our dinners were dehydrated backpacker meals. For breakfasts and lunches we had various snacks that we would spread out throughout the day, like trail mix, goldfish, jerky, pepperettes, energy gels, protein bars, apples, etc.
We threw our food into the bear bin then did a bit of stretching and reading before bed. We had no problem falling asleep, especially with the soothing crashing of the waves. On Day 1 we travelled 14.5 km in 4 hours, totaling 29,500 steps. Here’s a look at our travels:
Day 2:
It was a foggy morning as we enjoyed our coffee while watching some gray whales feed offshore.
Once we’d packed up our gear, we strapped on our packs and headed out. The first few kilometers were along the beach. We spotted another gray whale feeding off shore. At one point he stuck one of his fins up in the air like he was waving at us. We also spotted a few harbor seals and lots of bald eagles.
We soon passed Tsocowis Creek camp. It looked like a decent site. There was a neat suspension bridge crossing over the cascading creek. Right after the bridge we were faced with a series of very tall and steep ladders that took us way up into the forest.
We then passed by some long-abandoned logging equipment. There was a motorcycle (seemed pretty weird), a “donkey engine”, and a grader.
We stopped for a snack at Valencia Bluffs which had a couple Muskoka chairs overlooking the ocean.
Shortly after the lookout a set of ladders took us all the way down to the beach. It was low tide at this point, allowing us to walk on the sandstone rock that’s submerged during higher tides. The sandstone gets a bit slippery but it’s a lot easier than walking in the deep sand further up the beach. There were little crabs everywhere trying to bite our boots.
A few kilometers of beach/sandstone walking later we reached Klanawa River camp. Another nice campground on the beach with some monstrous pieces of driftwood. Klanawa River was actually quite wide and deep so it’s impassable except by cable car. The car rests in the middle of the cable so you have to pull it to your side of the river.
Once you’ve pulled it to the platform you can fit two people and two packs snugly into it. Then you just let go!
Gravity takes you about halfway across the river. Then you have to pull the cart with all your weight up to the platform on the other side. It was harder than we expected! It probably took 6 or 7 minutes from the mid-point to pull ourselves to the other side.
It was a fun little break from hiking. A few kilometers of forest hiking later we crossed the Tsusiat River. After crossing the river there was a large set of ladders leading down towards the beach where the Tsusiat Falls camp was.
We had left early in the morning and moved pretty quickly so we were the first ones to arrive at the Tsusiat Falls camp. We had our choice of tent spots so we picked a nice site close to the falls.
A couple gray whales greeted us as we set up our site.
Then it was time for a walk down the beach to check out the falls. They were beautiful, but you could tell the water flow was greatly diminished because of the drought.
Dinner was dehydrated chicken fettucine alfredo, an excellent meal. Today we travelled 13 km in 4 hours and 50 minutes, totaling 21,300 steps. Here’s a look at where we went:
Day 3:
Sleeping in front of the large rock wall we could hear waves crashing on the beach and the echo bouncing off the cliff behind our tent. The interesting acoustics didn’t impact our sleep though. Well rested, we woke around 6:30, packed up our gear and got to walking.
Continuing along the beach we soon reached “Hole Point”. It is aptly named. It’s a rocky peninsula with a large cave that you can walk right through. That is, as long as the tide is low enough.
After we passed under the tunnel the tide wasn’t quite low enough to walk along the sand around the rocks. The only option was to walk through the surf. After a quick sock change (and a swear word or two) we were cooking again.
After a long stretch of beach we ducked back into the forest for a while. A nice feature of the WCT is that the terrain is always changing. And often there was an option to take the forest or coastal route. So if you’re sick of one or the other you can switch it up.
After a nice trek through the rainforest we reached the Nitinat Narrows. It’s a wide river with a strong current ripping towards the ocean. The cost for the ferry across is included in your WCT reservation fee. The operator is a Nitinat man named Carl who has been operating the ferry here for over 40 years! Carl runs the ferry with his big chocolate lab Kenai and his new puppy Duke.
Across the narrows lies the Crab Shack. People from the nearby Nitinat village boat down to this spot everyday to run a rest stop for WCT hikers. They sell fresh caught fish, crab, cold drinks and more. We had an amazing crab lunch here with a bunch of other hikers. Make sure to pack some cash as you don’t want to miss out.
After filling up on some great food and drink we bid farewell to the Crab Shack and continued south along a stretch of boardwalk. As we approached the beach we spotted a big black bear. He seemed to be following the trail through the woods so we headed toward the beach to try to avoid him. To get onto the beach we had to wade through a small river.
We spotted the tracks of our bear friend. Looks like he was following a mink or marten.
The next few kilometers of the trail took us past a number of gorgeous beaches.
At one point, around kilometer 40 of the trail, we took the optional forest route to get a break from the sun (mistake). This section was incredibly overgrown and difficult to walk through. When we had the option to get back to the coast we took it. Instead of beach it was a boulder garden this time.
After reaching Cribs Creek camp we decided to stay here for the night instead of continuing 3 more kilometers to Carmanah Creek as planned. It had been a long day and it was getting close to dinner time. Cribs Creek was a really nice site anyways. Just down the beach was Coal Creek which had a large shallow freshwater pool. So we set up our tent amongst the driftwood and went for a dip in the creek.
After a dehydrated cheddar rice and broccoli dinner we watched some sea lions playing in the waves. And we finally got to see a phenomenal west coast sunset.
On Day 3 we hiked 18.5 km in 6 hours and 30 minutes, totaling 32,743 steps. Here’s a look at todays hike:
Day 4:
It was a cold and cloudy morning on Day 4, so we were reluctant to leave our warm sleeping bags. But after tending to some blisters and getting some caffeine into us we were ready to rip.
Todays hike began along a hard-packed beach. There was a group of sea lions playing in the water. It looked like they were play-fighting and sometimes they would surf and jump into the big waves. Just offshore from Cribs Creek there’s a rock that they all hang out on.
Then we were rerouted to the forest where ladders and a staircase took us up to the Carmanah lighthouse. We took some pics and said hello to the lighthouse keeper who was out for a walk. Then headed down another set of steep ladders towards Carmanah Beach.
Carmanah Beach was really nice. Carmanah Creek diverged into a bunch of smaller creeks when it hit the beach. We had to hop across the sandy islands in between the streams. There is a cable car further upstream if you prefer.
Past Carmanah the beach turned to sandstone. We spotted a couple harbor seals (also known as ocean sausages) near the water.
Just after the ocean sausage sighting a group of hikers warned us of a black bear just around the bend. When we rounded the corner the bear was sitting right in our path. We made a bunch of noise and gave him plenty of space. But he didn’t seem to mind our presence at all. He lounged on the rocks for a while, occasionally grabbing some scallops to munch on. It was over 30 minutes before he finally went back into the woods and we could continue.
We sang loudly as we passed where the bear had disappeared into the woods. Just after that we arrived at Walbran Creek camp. It was a really neat setting. The tents were on the rocky beach in between lots of massive driftwood logs. And across the crystal clear creek were some imposing cliffs.
After setting up camp we ventured upstream. The clear blue/green water was gorgeous but really cold.
After a refreshing swim we cooked up some dehydrated chicken pot pie for dinner. The wind really picked up so we cooked in the vestibule of the tent. We thought the large vestibule would be nice to cook in during heavy rain. But I guess we didn’t need it this time, we had near perfect weather.
Today we travelled 12.4 km in 3 hours and 50 minutes, totaling 22,267 steps.
Day 5:
The entirety of Day 5 was spent in the woods. There was a lot of elevation (ladders and gradual climbs).
There were some boggy areas but most had boardwalks or logs laid across to keep your feet dry.
There was also a really cool suspension bridge over Logan Creek.
We made great time and got to Camper Bay before anyone else. So we sniped the “VIP” tent site; a private spot on the edge of the woods right across from Camper Creek. It was pretty windy by the main beach where the other campers set up, so it was nice to have a bit of protection.
After a swim in the creek we took a walk around Camper Bay. It was a neat little protected inlet with huge cliffs and caves on either side. There were some crazy surge channels nearby as well. Surge channels are long, narrow crevasses eroded into the coastal sandstone. When waves hit the shore the water surges up the channel and sucks everything in it back out to see. So be careful when crossing or walking near one.
While eating our dehydrated chicken pesto pasta for dinner we watched a little hummingbird flutter around us.
Today we travelled 11.5 km in 4 hours and 22 minutes, totaling 19,356 steps.
Day 6:
Today we had a choice to take the coastal or forest route. The forest would have some tough elevation gains. The coastal route avoided elevation, but a couple sections including Owens Point were only passable at low tides. And the section between Owens Point and Thrasher Cove is a boulder garden with some dangerous surge channels. Coming from small town Ontario we were a bit weary about the unpredictability of the ocean, so we opted for the forest route.
Lots of incline made for some tired quads, but the rainforest hiking was really peaceful. The last kilometer before Thrasher Cove is a super steep descent. It started with switchbacks then a series of big ladders down to the beach. It will be quite the climb tomorrow morning. We set up our tent amongst the driftwood and settled in. Don’t set up too close to the water as the tide rises really high on this beach.
Thrasher Cove had an awesome little beach. Not much in the way of fresh water though, so we had to swim in the ocean. There was just enough of a stream to collect some clean drinking water. Coastal route hikers had to wait for the tide to lower before passing Owens Point, so we had the beach to ourselves for a while.
Dinner was dehydrated beef stew. Not great. Could’ve been because we were dreaming about all the food we’re going to eat in Victoria tomorrow, though. Today we travelled 9.83 km in 3 hours 35 minutes, totaling 18,954 steps.
Day 7:
We were up real early as we couldn’t wait to get going on the last day. There wasn’t much distance left to cover but today would be the hardest section of trail we’d seen due to the elevation and terrain. It was a foggy morning which made the forest looked enchanted.
A few kilometers in we reached the highest point on the trail, 243 meters above sea level. There were a few sketchy sections where it felt like we were scaling the side of cliff face. This bridge had seen better days…
The trail descended a ton after that and we begun to hear waves crashing as we got close to the ocean again. Then we heard a bunch of voices. We turned the corner and saw this. Just one more ladder to go and we were there!
After bidding good luck to the hikers starting the trail (and asking them to take a pic of us) we hopped on the ferry and headed across Gordon River towards Port Renfrew. After the ferry it was actually another half kilometer hike to get back to the Park Office where we checked out. Remember to check out so they don’t send a search party (and to report wildlife sightings). We also grabbed a couple iron-on patches for our packs.
What a trip. It really couldn’t have gone better. From the hike to the weather to the wildlife it was outstanding. Highly recommend the WCT to anyone who loves backpacking. We’ll definitely be back one day but we have a few more trips to cross off the bucket list first…
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