As my son and I took the mandatory trail class by Parks Canada we were warned of many things that one might encounter. Along the shore there were the tides that can block beach routes and river crossings, fast changing surge channels that were responsible for the only death documented on the trail, and the remote possibility of a tsunami.

Along the West Coast Trail, time and logistics turns more by a maritime clock, whether by tide or ferry. The trail itself owes its creation to the sea, initially created as mariner rescue trail alongside the northern, lee shore to the entrance to the strait of Juan de Fuca, also known as the ship "graveyard of the Pacific". Along the shore sections of the trail metal bits and pieces of these wrecks can still easily be seen.

The trail consists of the main overland trail, as well as many options to walk the shoreline that in total extends 75 km (47 miles) in length. To permit passage of the shoreline, Parks Canada attaches a tide table to their map. On the map proper, locations are listed showing the maximum tide height allowing passage, while other sections of shoreline are shown as off limits due to surge channels or cliffs.

By land, there were the usual suspect hazards, and many manmade. Already that year someone had to be rescued from the trail. Others had been injured by crashing through rotten boardwalk planks. The trail while refurbished in the 80s has been slowly decaying in many sections, with not enough federal or user funds to do all the work needed. Nevertheless, the physical infrastructure of the trail is impressive; 38 ladder "sets", five suspended cable cars across rivers, and 108 bridges. Hikers also pass two lighthouses.

The trip was planned as an adventure for my 16 year old son and myself. We had done many hikes through Scouting, and I had wanted to find a hike that we both would find challenging. The number of risks detailed in the class initially sounded a bit overblown. However, the speaker got our attention when we found out that the speaker herself had to be rescued on one trip, and that 100 people are medically evacuated and another 200 become injured (but hobble off) each season. With those sobering thoughts in mind, we left for the day, to return the next morning to catch our starting ferry.

There are two "ferries" (actually small boats) that enable you to traverse the 47 mile trail that are run by the people of the First Nations who are the guardians of the trail. Coming from the south in Port Renfrew, one takes a remarkably short crossing (3 minutes) across Gordon River to the trail start. Roughly half way along the trail is another ferry (about 5 minutes) across the extremely fast, tidal driven Nitinat Narrows. Both crossings costs are added to your trail fee, and both ferries have particular hours of operation. After a certain point in the day (4 or 5 pm), you are just out of luck til the next day. This can leave you scrambling for a place to camp as no campsites are located in the vicinity of these locations.

One can hike the trail from either direction. South to north covers the most difficult land sections while you have a full pack, while the north to south starts easy and becomes progressively more difficult. We chose south to north for two reasons, 1) I wanted to get my old legs over the worst section while somewhat fresh, and 2) that direction worked best for our plan to take the water taxi as a celebration of our journey.

Impressions of the West Coast Trail

This is not your normal Forest service or National Park trail in any way, shape or form. Progress is very slow except for the most northerly 12 kms of trail. Movement in many spots feels more quadrapedal than bipedal as you are hanging on trees, roots, ropes, climbing ladders, and wading through calf deep mud. We found these challenges were well handled by a single bamboo hiking stick due to the ability to position hands at just the right position for the unpredictable climbing, descending, and balancing requirements the trail demanded.

Along the shoreline, stride is constantly being adjusted either due to slipping on seaweed, jumping or climbing between rock formations or trudging through soft sand. The trail makes you a very fast learner about which seaweed species one can walk on and which will land you on your backside or worse.

Traveling by either land or shoreline is very much a full body work out. While individuals have somehow managed to run the trail in less than 24 hours (they must have had angels protecting them from broken ankles), for most experienced backpackers their daily mileage expectations need to be greatly scaled back. The park map and hiker preparation guide recommends taking 2 days to cover the first 22 kms (13.5 miles) of trail heading north. We took 2.5 days to do this section, partially to do more beach hiking that required staging campsites for tides, but I would say that those first 22 kms were very challenging and tiring. The guide also suggests taking 5-7 days for the entire trail. We did the trail in 6 days. In retrospect 7 days would have been more appropriate for myself. On 2 days, my son urged me on an extra 3 and 7 kms in order to keep up with the cohort of folks that we began the trail with. Such is traveling with the young and nimble!

For us packing as light as possible was important under these strenuous conditions that required balance and radical weight shifting maneuvers. We entered the trail with 34 and 38 pound packs fully loaded with 2 liters of water. We saw other packs that were both much lighter and much heavier.

Surprises on the Trail

It was a wonderful experience for my son and I to get to know the hikers that we camped with each night. There was a Swiss family of 3, a German fellow, and a large Canadian contingent including folks who had hiked the trail before. Sharing a fire, relaxing, and telling our war stories of the trail each evening with folks from varied places added much to the trip. The extended one on one time with my son, and seeing him fully engage in our route planning each day will be memories I will never forget.

Due to the popularity of the trail and limited campsites, if one is looking for a solitary wilderness experience, this is probably not the trip for you. For these folks, I would suggest looking into the North Coast Trail at the northern tip of Vancouver Island which my early research suggested was less well known. For those tired of reserving campsites, you will be pleased to know that beyond the start date reservation requirement, the West Coast Trail has no campsite reservation system or total hike duration. The downside is that popular campsites like Tsusiat Falls or pre-ferry staging campsites such as Thrasher can get really full. For such locations early arrival in the day can be very helpful.

One of the pleasantries of the trail are the two oases of quality, fresh cooked food! Approximately 31 kms (day 3 on our trip) north is Chez Moniques. Located on First Nations land, it is a covered outdoor eatery where you get a well decked out burger. Heaven! Similarly, another 12 km further up the trail (day 4 on our trip), at the Nitinat ferry dock one can get salmon, and fresh boiled crab taken from a pen hanging off the dock that was so naturally sweet you thought it had already been dipped in butter.

Lastly, I can't speak more favorably of using the Juan de Fuca Water Taxi that runs between Pt Renfrew and Bamfield. While one must have contingency plans to make this work, it is the perfect culmination to the trip, as you get to see the trail from the water. One must put in an early reservation as there is just 1 trip a day that leaves at fixed times, and the daily trip can be cancelled due to weather. Therefore, one must have at least a day of flexibility. For us, this flex was best placed after the hike in Bamfield because if you miss your start date, your trail reservation is lost. Brian Grisbone is a fantastic guide, and the trip is more of a field excursion than a taxi ride. Brian, who assists biologists researching marine mammals, stops several times along the way to observe feeding gray whales and to watch the antics on sea lion-filled rock islands. Seeing the gray whales was a real treat for us as we could only hear them blow offshore on our last days trekking north. Compared to the $80 per person to sit on a bouncing bus on logging roads, the water taxi is really an excellent value for the extra $55 (at the time this article was written).

Costs

The trek is not cheap. On a per hiker basis, trail reservations at the time of this writing cost $28 CAN, and $28.50 CAN per night, with trail ferry costs at $32 CAN for both. Much of the cost of the trail fee is to cover emergency injury extractions. One nice aspect is that if you do become injured and are extracted by Parks Canada, the cost is covered by your trail fee. Add in the water taxi at $135 CAN per person, one is looking at just over $300 CAN per person for logistics from trailhead and return.

Money well spent in our book....the trip was awesome and one we will always remember! I recall fondly asking our Canadian friends who had done the trail multiple times, "why more than once" during the harder days of mud and soft sand. The reply was, "with time you only remember the good stuff". Within six months, I completely understood and agreed with their explanation. If you are up for a challenge, physically and logistically, and crave a change of pace from mountain trekking, this trip is worth a look!

To obtain a trail reservation, dates for June 15-September 15th open on April 17th. I would recommend using their online reservation system for high use periods simply because the online system begins to take reservations at 12 am, while phone reservations do not open up until 8 am.

Best Time to Go

The trail is open for overnight hikers from May 1st to September 30th. From June 15th to September 15th, reservations and hiker number limits are in place. Weather along the exposed coast is unpredictable at any time in the season. The most popular time is August due to the slightly improved odds on weather, however early September can also be quite nice.

Getting There

Access to Vancouver Island is most easily obtained by the BC Ferry from Vancouver, BC (Tsawwassen) or from Port Angeles, WA (Black Ball Ferry). The drive from Victoria to Pt Renfrew is approximately 1.5 hours, and Victoria to Bamfield is 4 to 4.5 hours and includes driving on logging roads. For those without a car, West Coast Trail Express offers a shuttle, and includes a pickup option in Victoria. Juan de Fuca Express Water Taxi is another option.

Books & Maps

Hiking the West Coast Trail: A Pocket Guide. Tim Leadem. 2006. Greystone Books. This book is really useful as it describes the hike starting from both directions. An additional comprehensive guide is also available. Other resources include the Utmost West Coast Trail Hiking Guide and more reading can be found here at Amazon.com. You can find an official map of the trail and additional information here.

Editor's Note: This article by contributor Jim Grob originally appeared in Issue 15 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.