We are so happy with our decision to hike the West Coast Trail South to North. Over the 75 km there must be over 100 ladders. It’s ideal to get those out of the way early on and enjoy the rest of the hike!
About the Trail
Shipwrecks dot the sea floor along the trail reminding us of the rough history that carved this survival route into the coastal rainforest. Light house to lighthouse it twists and winds its way between the forest and the coastline. Originally a telegraph line maintenance route, the trail was maintained through the early 1900’s to assist shipwreck survivors in escaping the pounding Pacific coast. Now this trail exclusively sees hikers. People come from all over the world to experience this great Canadian trail that elegantly showcases our massive coastal rainforest and traditional Indigenous territorial lands.
Planning our West Coast Trail South to North Trek
When to Go
We booked our permits back in January, taking a total gamble on the weather and WON! 5 days of sunshine or clouds and just 1 day of drizzle at the very end. May was lovely! Warm and sunny, but not too hot. Very few hikers on the trail yet meaning less traffic at ladders, cable cars and campsites as well as just a general feeling of remote and wild. May’s challenges can be the spring rain but also damage from the winter may not be cleaned up yet so many trees had fallen and this required some bushwalking and minor detouring. Boardwalks and ladders are also just getting fixed, so you have to go carefully.
May 9-14 was our 6 day hike days, but the total trip was May 8-15 due to needing a day to get in and a day to get out, so 8 days/ 7 nights total.
Logistics
Getting in and out of the trail does require some advanced planning.
- For ease, use the West Coast Trail Express Shuttlebus to get in and/or out from the trail. Pricey, but easy.
- For cost savings (if more than 2 people), run your own shuttle with 2 vehicles or leave your vehicle at the end and shuttle back to the start.
- The shuttle runs through the active logging areas inland from the trail. Roads are rough and require good clearance to get through. Full details here.
You can camp at each trailhead for $25. Bamfield has a taxi from the Pachena Bay trailhead to town, another $10. We stayed at the Bamfield Centennial Park campground to be near the town (for hot meals and stuff to do).
Route planning is always important for a multiday trek. Plan the days out in advance to help with scheduling the bus and so you can leave the plan with someone who can activate help if you are 24-48 hours delayed. Always make a plan B, so you can be flexible and flex as needed along the way to allow for a safe and enjoyable trip. Here’s my post about Planning to Hike the West Coast Trail.
Day 1 – Gordon River to Campers Bay – 13 km – 8 hours
WX: ☀️ + 20C
Boy were we glad we started on this end! Moving less than our planned 2km per hour (1.6km/hr to be exact), we still managed to make it to Campers Bay before dark. Orientation at 10am, then 11:30am ferry, we got moving on the trail right around noon. First up, a vertical 50 foot ladder. If you can’t do this, go back now! The ladders are a thing most people complain about, but I liked them. I like them because they are protecting the steep slopes from erosion and because its faster and safer than trying to scramble up and down those gnarly banks. Up and down and up and down we climbed. Over and Over. This section of trail feels more like an obstacle course than a hiking trail. It’s fun, but also exhausting.
We were in the forest exclusively today and our mantra became “HEY BEAR!” pretty quick. Bears can only hear about as well as me (which isn’t very good) so you have to make a lot of noise as you move through the dense undergrowth to avoid any surprises.
At Campers Bay, we had our first cable car. What an excellent way to get across a river! No wet boots, no rock hopping, just load the packs and jump in. The campsite was lovely, with options for beach camping or a forest site, fresh water right there as well as access to the ocean for sunset! We had a late dinner, around 9pm, cleaned up and hit hay.
Day 2 – Campers Bay to Walbran Creek – 9 km – 7 hours
WX: ☀️ + 20C
With a shorter day ahead, we took our time this morning to enjoy breakfast and pack up. We were hiking around 11am. More ladders and bridges and up and down, bog and boardwalk. You really get it all on this trail and have to be ready for rough terrain while hauling your 30-50 pound pack. I was sore today!
Mid afternoon, we crossed the suspension bridge after descending some cockeyed ladders, only to find bear tracks in the mud about a kilometre from the bridge. My heart started pounding. I’ve never seen a bear while hiking and it’s one of biggest worries out there. We readied our bangers and spray, yelled out to ‘Thrasher’ the bear, serenading him with our tone deaf songs and thankfully never saw him for real.
We arrived into Walbran campsite around 6pm, just as the fog was rolling in. No-one else here, so we had a nice quiet night with exclusive access to the nicest tent sight and fire pit. Early to bed for us today.
Day 3 – Walbran Creek to Cribbs Creek – 11 km – 6 hours
WX: 🌫 + 15C
Grey foggy day! Cooler too, but perfect for hiking! Awake and doing morning routine around 6:30am. Today is our first day hiking along the shoreline, we were both very excited for that. Lots of eagle and duck activity at Walbran, nice to be able to watch them going about their morning too. We set off, first thought the frostiest, then out to the rock shelf as the tide got lower. We saw a grey whale feeding off Vancouver point, and could hear the sea lions from Carmanah Lighthouse.
Back along the shoreline was now sandy beach where we saw lots of wolf tracks going back and forth from the forest to the sea edge. Other tracks too, raccoons or otters? Not sure. Lots of rock crabs and ducks just chilling in the intertidal zone. We were at Cribbs creek camp by 3pm and were joined tonight by other hikers, going both ways. A pair of guys from Boston told us about their bear encounter which made me nervous for tomorrows section through ‘The Wildlife Zone’.
Day 4 – Cribbs Creek to Tsusiat Falls – 17 km – 8 hours
WX: ⛅️ + 15C
Up and on the go 6am for our big day on the WCT. We were hiking by 8am since we wanted to give ourselves lots of time for both the distance and the unexpected. Right away we saw a whale go by, th sea lions we listened to all night and multiple eagles. The coastline here reminds me of Newfoundland, rocky and rugged, many sedimentary layers, and even a few fossils.
We were back in the forest again, doing our ‘HEY BEAR!’ thing and singing outrageously, when we spotted a bear out on the beach at the mouth of the Cheewhat River. We stopped and waited for another group of 4 behind us before yelling and banging and passing through the bears route. We continued to see lots of scat along the trail enroute to Nitinaht Narrows. Alice and I decided to cross right away before having our trail side lunch to avoid the chaos at the little restaurant. We meandered along through the forest and wide expansive beaches until Tsusiat Falls. This was the busiest campsite we stayed at yet.
Day 5 – Tsusiat Falls to Michigan Creek – 13 km – 6 hours
WX: ☀️ + 20C
Nothing like a 40 foot ladder to start the day! Followed by a cable car ride and a stroll along the seashore our 13 km day was already feeling less challenging than any other day so far. The terrain as now levelled out and the trail is very even, allowing us to increase our pace and take longer breaks where there are beautiful views. Originally planning to stay at Darling river campsite, we decided with it being just 2pm and such a nice day, that we continue on to Michigan creek.
We arrived into camp around 3:30pm and it was still low tide. We threw up camp and decided to explore the tidal pools – and boy did we see some cool stuff! Anemones, hermit crabs, rock crabs, urchins, green sea sponge, muscles and barnacles are just a few of the critters we found. We chatted with a gal who’s mom was a marine biologist and she sowed us a few more shellfish we saw but didn’t know the names of like the limpit snail. Yeah, we are nature nerds!
To top off our night, we got to hang out with Al and Krissy from Comox, chatting about adventures on the island and were gifted a glimpse of a small pod of orcas!
Day 6 – Michigan Creek to Pachena Bay – 12 km – 4 hours
WX: 💦 + 10C
Our first day of rain, but the rain was soft and warm with no wind. Our day started slowly, enjoying breakfast and coffee in the shelter of the forest. We finally packed up and headed out. We quickly peeled of our rain gear (too hot) and kept our fastest pace yet until the sea lion rock. What a racket! We paused to watch them and have a snack, then carried on. This section of the trail is so mellow, such nice way to end our trek. Pachena beach is huge (at low tide) and we took the chance to walk on the smooth, white sand beach as we pushed toward the finish line. We arrived at the Parks Canada office at 2:30pm only to be greeted by a locked door and payphone that didn’t work. Soaked and getting cold fast, we were able to get the operator to call the taxi to Bamfield for us. Our driver was lovely, giving us lots of info about the little village and dropping us off right at the community campground.
We hit the hot shower just as the rain stopped. With our camp set up and clothes drying, we wandered into town for a hot meal and celebratory hot chocolate with baileys!
We did it! We hiked the West Coast Trail and were feeling strong, reset and relaxed after a full 6 days of living the simple life.
Final Thoughts
75 km’s is a long hike and we were surprised at how many people were doing this trail as their first backcountry hike. There are pro’s and cons to this approach but ultimately due to the low level of terrain difficulty, no route finding and rescue systems in place, it can be a good place to start over night hiking if you’re already an experienced day hiker who has done overnight camping in bear country.
We carried too much weight due to packing very last minute and not reviewing our packing list together in detail. Alice and I each started with about 45-50lbs including water and were down to 35-40 lbs at the end. We didn’t bring much that we didn’t use but there were extra clothes and perhaps more to our kitchen than was really nessecary. I guess our gear just isn’t as lightweight at the modern hiker and we did allow for a couple luxury items like nutella 😉 We did it anyways and are stronger for it.
I can see how this trail can become very challenging when it rains!! Those ladders and boardwalks would become instantly slippery and there are so many places the bog would just want to eat you. We got super lucky with the weather and this definitly made our hike immensely enjoyable.
What trail or adventure are you planning next? Will it be the WCT?
Share your thoughts below!