Backpacking

The West Coast Trail - Vancouver Island

 

The West Coast Trail, a challenging 77 km (47 mile) hiking delight between Port Renfrew and Bamfield on Vancouver Island is one of the most famous hiking trail in British Columbia, located in the southern part of the Pacific Rim National Park.

The West Coast Trail is an internationally acclaimed hiking trail that retraces an old telegraph route that once connected Victoria with Cape Beale near Bamfield.

The telegraph line was first carved through the virgin coastal wilderness in 1890, to serve as a communication link to aid in the rescue of vessels in distress off the southwest coast of Vancouver Island.

A lot of tragedy and history are part and parcel of this section of Vancouver Island's west coast. More than 60 ships have gone down in this part of the ocean, known as "The Graveyard of the Pacific".

The land of the West Coast Trail unit is temperate coastal rainforest dominated by old-growth spruce, hemlock and cedar. Some of the tallest and largest trees in Canada grow along the West Coast Trail and in the adjacent Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park. The topography of the region features natural wonders like the Hole-in-the-Wall, a natural sandstone arch carved by relentless wave action over time, the Tsusiat Falls at the mouth of the Tsusiat River, the Nitinat Lakes and Narrows and countless caves, creeks, coves, tidal pools and rocky headlands.

The merit and hardship of hiking the magnificent West Coast Trail are known around the world. This challenging five to seven day trek is both difficult and physically demanding - accidents and injury are common and the potential for hypothermia exists if heavy fog and constant wind prevail. If that doesn't scare you off, perhaps the reality that you may encounter black bears or cougar along the trail will do the trick. Described as the toughest trek in North America, the West Coast Trail is certainly not for the novice, casual or ill-prepared hiker.

The trail takes the hiker along the wild and remote west coast of Vancouver Island, through cedar, hemlock and spruce forests, along cliffs, beaches and sandstone ledges and over suspension bridges spanning rivers and flowing streams.

t West Coast Trail Map

 

Still ready for the rewarding challenge?

Call for details: 604-932-7711...