West Coast Trail

After being picked up by your courteous guide team in Nanaimo, we drive to Port Renfrew, where we sleep tonight. Following registration at the trailhead office, we install our campsite on the beach. Get to know your hiking companions as we discuss logistics for the trail ahead.

Meals:  Nil

After breakfast, get ready for the beginning of an exciting hiking trip on the West Coast Trail. The day starts around 8:00 a.m. with a transfer by boat across the Gordon River to the trailhead. As we negotiate our first series of ladders, hiking amidst forest, creeks, and waterfalls, the challenging terrain (elevation gain +/- 180m/590ft) makes the short distance to Thrasher Cove longer to navigate. Our campsite is located at a small cove with excellent views of Port San Juan and Port Renfrew across the water. Please note that given the challenging nature of the hike for the next three days, the campsite locations are provided as a guideline only. It’s subject to change based on different factors such as group ability and weather.

Meals:  B,L,D

If the tide is in our favour, we’ll leave the forest and hike along the bank to Owen Point. This section, only accessible at low tide, features sandstone bluffs, caves and caverns, moonscape rock formations and eroded surge channels. The beach hike is shorter than the trail and with better views, but it is characterized by huge boulders, so make sure to watch your step. We eventually leave the shelf because of impassable headlands and sample the beauty and denseness of a west coast old-growth forest to Camper Bay. We set up our campsite by a creek, flanked by magnificent sandstone bluffs.

Meals:  B,L,D

By now, you’re ready for the trail’s most rugged sections, and the challenges that make the West Coast Trail so notorious. Camper Bay to Walbran may not be far in the distance, but soaks up the most time of any other section. Today, we will encounter a series of eight large wooden ladders that need to be climbed across creeks and cliffs, taking us deeper into the embrace of the rainforest. This is the adult jungle gym portion of the trail and continues to the trail end. From Cullite Creeks, we continue along the boardwalk over the wet bog. Your guide will point out interesting fauna, including stunted cousins of hemlock, spruce, cedar, and a species of carnivorous plant. Our campground at Walbran Creek lies adjacent to a fantastic swimming hole.

Meals:  B,L,D

Leaving behind the most challenging section of the trail, today will be a shorter day hiking primarily on the beach. Your guide will be happy to recall many tales from past visits as we arrive at a special spot, once known as Chez Monique. This legendary trail haven and food shack recently closed with the passing of Monique and her husband Peter but holds plenty of memories for locals and travellers alike. A short walk takes us to the Carmanah Point Lighthouse for a visit to the station. Perched on top of the cliffs, marvel at the magnificent view and be on the lookout for resident sea lions, often spotted on the rocks below. We set up camp at The Cribs, a natural breakwater formed by volcanic rock, with colourful tidal pools to explore.

Meals:  B,L,D

The morning tide will determine if we hike the beach or follow the trail as it edges along steep cliffs. It’s an enjoyable walk on hard packed sand, with imposing cliffs and some of the most varied sandstone rock formations. We descend near the Cheewhat River to a beautiful sandy beach. After crossing the Cheewhat River, we re-enter the rainforest and carry on to Nitinaht Narrows. The family operated "Crab Shack" here has been in operation for about 40 years and there is fresh seafood for purchase. After lunch we pick up our mid-hike food drop for the last part of the trip, before crossing the Narrows. The Narrows must be crossed by boat with the assistance of the local First Nations. The segment to Tsuquadra Beach is particularly spectacular.

Meals:  B,L,D

We break camp via the forest and stop at the remnants of a Didadaht Warrior village from the turn of the century. Old lodge poles continue to stand in tribute to the memory of these historic coastal inhabitants. After this we reach the Hole in the Wall; a wave-worn hole cut into the rock at Tsusiat Point. Just up the beach is Tsusiat Falls, the perfect location for lunch and a refreshing swim. From the falls, we hike to the Klanawa River and one last cable car crossing, before reaching our camp for the night.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we follow the beach to Trestle Creek, where we re-enter the forest. Along the shoal, we’ll see where the SS Valencia ran aground in 1906, the catalyst for the trail’s creation inside today’s Pacific Rim National Park. From here, we cross two suspension bridges and our last ladder and emerge from the coastal rainforest at Tsocowis Creek, home to the first of three Guardian Cabins where members of the local First Nations live while maintaining the trail. It’s a 4km/2.4mi hike along the beach to our campsite at Michigan Creek.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today is our last day on the trail, and it’s on the easiest portion of the trail. We remain immersed in the coastal rainforest on an old supply road until arriving at Pachena Bay. This is the end of your hike on the West Coast Trail. From here, we drive to Port Alberni for lunch before hitting the road to Nanaimo where we say our goodbyes to the team. Service ends after a transfer to Nanaimo.

Meals:  B