Hiking The West Coast Trail — Eoghan Bell Photography

The West Coast Trail is a 75km thru hike which runs along the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, between Port Renfrew and Bamfield. Hiking through Pacific coast rainforest, bogland, beaches, rocky coastline, ladders, bridges and boardwalks, the West Coast trail has something to challenge even the most seasoned of hikers. The trail is considered by many as one of the most beautiful beach hikes in the world while also being one of the most challenging hikes in Canada.

Being honest, I hadn’t heard of the trail until a friend of mine, Korbi, told me about the trail while we visited Port Renfrew to photograph him climbing Big Lonely Doug. I think it may have been the January blues but on January 21st, Hannah and I were discussing hikes for the summer and the West Coast Trail came up. As fate would have it, the highly-sought-after places places on the trail were going live on January 22nd. Alarm set, we woke at 6:50am and by 7:01am we had our spots.

*Hannah on the* *West Coast Trail Express*

Whilst not as remote as some places in Northern Canada, this part of Vancouver Island is out there. Access to the trail is only possible at either end or at the middle (more on this later). There is no cell service(unless you are from the US in some locations), and rescue can take a long time if you run into difficulty. Each year up to 100 people are rescued from the trail. The numbers are limited to 75 people per day(as of 2024) so meeting people on the trail isn’t very common outside of some of the camping areas. Most people will spend 6 to 8 days in the backcountry living on what you can carry in.

Now if you know anything about me I love the outdoors but I’ve never done a hike like this. People in Canada often ask me about hiking in Ireland and my go-to line was the only thing I worry about in Ireland is the weather. The West Coast Trail combines the coastal dramatic weather changes from Ireland, along with some real technical hiking and the ever present threat of running into Black Bears, Wolves and Cougars. With that all in mind, here is my experience on the West Coast Trail.

Day 1 : Gordon River - Camper Bay

We left our car at the exit point on Pachena Bay the day before the hike and headed south on a bus that reminded me of those old Swilly buses that I would take to primary school in the 90’s called the West Coast Trail Express. The gravel roads were windy and shook the bus to within an inch of its life until we arrived at Port Renfrew. My second visit here but it was no less interesting. We wandered around and had dinner at The Renfrew Pub before getting an early night at the trail started the next day.

We grabbed that same bus the following morning back to Gordon River where we would get to the Trail Head Office to register for our orientation session to get a briefing on the current trail conditions and things to be aware off on our hike in the coming days. We met some of the fellow hikers who would be starting with us and were given a waterproof map of the trail along with a tide table for the week ahead.

Once completed, we walked a upriver a little and were ushered onto a boat to take us across the Gordon River to the trail head. The sun was shining and spirits were high on board as we rounded the river bends and the first ladder made itself visible marking the start of the trail. I knew it was coming. In all my research about the trail it was always noted but, it was so much bigger and more intimidating than I thought it would be but that all melted away as soon as you got up those first couple of rungs. As with most things the first step is the hardest.

I arrived at the top and while waiting on Hannah I surveyed the bay at Port Renfrew and some of the other hikers getting ready for the trail. As the orientation wasn’t until 11am we got started a lot later than we had originally planned we were behind. We had aimed for Cullite Cove but with our late start and after the briefing we realised this would be a tall order to get through 18km on the hardest section of the trail which we were advised would take 3 days to get through the first 20km. With the new information in mind and the tide table in hand we headed to Camper Bay via the inland route.

The trail got narrower and the reality of the West Coast Trail’s infamous southern section hit. Navigation isn’t an issue as there was only 1 way through the dense woodlands but these trails were very technical and muddy. This was mentally draining, watching every step to ensure you didn’t get caught on a root while trying not to get poked in the eye by stray branches, all with a 20kg weight on your back. It did certainly make me question what the hell I was doing at a few points.

It really was one of those days, but when those ocean views presented themselves and (along with some snacks) provided the motivation to push on to Camper Bay. We arrived and got the camp set up and dug into our food pouches and the evening meal before settling in for the night. We did speak to a solo hiker heading south who had been on the trail for 7 days and gave us a more up to date idea of what was ahead. I was asleep before 10. 14km down 61km to go.

Day 2 : Camper Bay - Walbran Creek

Rested and refuelled, I woke at 7 and listened to the water from the nearby river and the ocean crashing against the beach. It was overcast and you could hear some boats off in the distance but couldn’t see them. Motivation wasn’t all that high after the struggling on Day 1. With this in mind we adjusted our goal for Walbran Creek as we were still within the toughest section of the West Coast Trail.

*Boardwalks were a welcome sight on the first 2 days!*

11 km was the goal, we replenished our water supplies, doubled up on our breakfast and hit the trail at 10:17am. Today was bog day. More roots and a lot more mud… like so so much more BUT we had decent boardwalks too. This was really the thing that lifted the mood. Although you’d be trudging through mud once you hit the boardwalks it felt like walking on a cloud. Although these could be a hazard in themselves with the bogs trying to reclaim them. They were mossy, slippery and barely together in a lot of places but were always a welcome sight.

Coming out onto some of our first cliff walks was just awesome. The sun was burning off the mist of the morning and blue skies were coming through and we could see for miles along the coast line. We met our first piece of wildlife on the trail. A Bald Eagle flying along the coast up and down who seemed to have his eye on some prey. We watched a while and made out way to Cullite Creek.

Ladders on Ladders. 38 ladders on the trail. We can verify this and at least 10 of them are at Cullite Creek. We made our way down 7 on the entrance to the creek. With 2 left, we met a family hiking south with some kids who just seemed to have way too much energy for me at that moment. However they were super friendly and waited until we finished out way down and at that point we thought a water break was in order. Cullite was full of activity with 2 more groups coming across the cable car while we had a light lunch.

After a number of ladders out of the Cullite Creek we hit more bog and boardwalks. These ones reminded me of the trails at Derroura Mountain in Galway. It was smooth sailing to the bridge at Logan Creek which seemed somewhat out of place with it’s concrete anchors and metal cables.

We arrived in Walbran at around 4:30pm and were happy to be there early so we could relax a little more this evening once we got camp set up and food onboard. It was a welcome change of pace. Optimism was building as we ate and looked around the river, dipped our toes and discussed the plans for the upcoming days.

Getting more comfortable on trail we started to prep a few things for the following day. Mainly filtering some water so we’d have some ready for the morning. I ventured upstream to the cable car to start filling when I encountered my first bear on the trail. Only my second bear encounter since I arrived here. A black bear just wandering up river on the opposite side of the river from me. It seemed oblivious and continued upstream. It was about as close as I’d ever want to get to one in the wild. 25km down 50km to go.

Day 3 : Walbran Creek - Cribs Creek

The heavens opened and the rain arrived. We knew it was a gamble going this early in the season as it can often rain right the way through May. This was a strategic hike day. We needed to get to Cribs in order to make it through the following section in one day. We lay in the tent and watched the rain run of the fabric and hoped it would stop. We gave it until 11 when we decided to get a move on resigning ourselves to the fact this may take an extra day to complete.

We packed up our wet tent but luckily we had all the waterproof gear we needed and managed to stay relatively dry. The first task was a river crossing right beside Walbran Creek. Thank you Aoife for my crocs as they were perfect for these. We crossed over and went into a cave to get ourselves gathered and ensure the rain stayed for as long as we could. We met Nathan who had a rough night. Camped at Cullite in his hammock, a gap in his tarp meant when the rain came it filled his hammock and started at 7am and took some rest in the cave to try and dry off.

Once we left the cave not 20 minutes later the rain eased up and we got our first of 3 whale sightings on the trail. I caught a tail out of the corner of my eye and then we saw the sprays of water from the blowholes. It was my first encounter and I just wanted to see more and more. No pictures I just enjoyed the moment.

This was our first taste of beach hiking on the trail with some rock shelves thrown in with the low tides. It was glorious and made it feel like we were really covering some ground. The rain had stopped and we were getting some warm sun on us and the mood just kept improving. All 3 of us took a break at Caramanah Lighthouse where I reported our bear sighting to the lighthouse keeper.

These lighthouses are surreal. You push through the dense rainforest and are presented with a little fence, well cared for buildings with perfectly white paint and immaculately mowed lawns. I sat on the concrete path, ate a peanut butter sandwich and watched the Sea Lions roar on a rock just off the coast. They almost sounded like an engine humming off the coast.

Fuelled and ready to go Hannah and I headed towards Cribs which was less than 3km from the lighthouse. We could hear the sea lions the whole way and even caught a smell of them on a few gusts of wind. We arrived at Cribs Creek which was by far the busiest camp we arrived at on the whole trail. We set up camp, ate and were invited to join a group around the campfire.

Too many people to name but it was so enjoyable to share stories from the trail so far and our plans for the upcoming days as we watched sunset together. Cribs was busy due to its locations. Its the last campsite on the southern section of the trail before the Nitinat Narrows which was just over 10km away. Between these 2 places there are no places for fresh water and a ban on wild camping due to heightened animal activity. The next campsite from Cribs Creek is Tsusiat Falls which as approximately 18km along and will be most peoples longest day of hiking. The same is true in reverse which makes these sites that little bit busier than the others.

Spirits were certainly higher. I don’t know if it was the sun drying everything off, the chats or the little bit of whiskey I had but I was ready for Day 4 with a new found optimism. Also Cribs had my favourite poo with a view location. 37km down 38km to go.

Day 4 : Cribs Creek - Tsusiat Falls

The campsite was a hive of activity on the morning of Day 4. The day would be split by a boat crossing at the Nitinat Narrows about 11km in. Hannah and I were among the last to leave camp at around 9am.

We ventured around Dare Point which brought us away from the lovely open beaches into more close quarters encounters with the trees with a few ladders and bridges thrown in for good measure. No animal encounters today but we did come across some tools used to clear some of the sections of trails and given that it was so early in the season it was still a work in progress.

For me this is where I feel the really challenging parts of the hike were over. The trails were a lot easier with muddy sections here and there. The closer we got to some of the reserves, the trails seemed to resemble some of the more manicured trails around Vancouver that I used to build up my cardio for the West Coast Trail.

The secret to this part is the treat at the Nitinat Narrows. The famous Crabshack. You come down through the forest which opens up to a hedge which leads to a couple of walkways leading down to a barge. Cold beer, sugary treats and fresh crab is the name of the game. We had caught up with some of the hikers who left earlier, and sat over a couple of beers in the sun resting. Also notable are the 2 good boys Duke and Konai making sure everything is in order.

When you are ready to go, you just jump on the boat with your trail pass in hand to be dropped on the other site of the narrows to continue your adventure in the wilderness. Leaving here with a full stomach of beer and crab had me in a great mood. Would we able to do this in 5 days still?

The landscapes opened up for the remaining 7km passing through some more reserve sections and back out onto the beaches. This last section was a lot more exposed to the elements and the winds blew along the last 4km of this section. There wasn’t much more chatter as you pretty much couldn’t hear anything with the wind rushing passed your ears. We did see some seals chiling on some rocks but we were ready to sleep.

Tsusiat most scenic of the campsites. A sandy beach with some caves doted along and pebbles the closer you go the the river and ocean. A valley leading into the next section of trail where you could see a number of ladders leading to the next section of the West Coast Trail. Honestly I was not so subtly dropping hints to Hannah that I wanted to complete the trail in 5 days. Not to force her but I was feeling great physically and when we set out the hike 5 days was the goal and I just wanted to achieve that.

Much like Cribs, tents planted in the logs along the beach right the way along the water fall. Maybe if it was summer a little swim would have been in order. 55km down 20km to go.

Day 5 : Tsusiat Falls - Pachena Bay

Much to my joy, Hannah agreed to push to the end and do our longest hike on the last day. Not that I wasn’t enjoying the hike. I was loving the sights but a goal is a goal and I’m sure I’ll be back. We got up at 7:30 and Hannah was up first for the first time on the whole trip. We packed up and were the 3rd group out of camp at 8:47am.

The last day hike would be over 20km. We climbed the ladders and looked down the valley back into the Tsusiat Falls camp and the made our way along the top of the cliffs and falls catching glimpses of the campsite up until we rounded the headland. The trails were thick with vegetation and you could see they had recently been trimmed as the leaves on the ground where still a bright green.

We arrived down more ladders to the Klanawa River and our last cable car crossing. We decided to take it one at a time this time so we could have someone on each side able to hold the car with a more stable footing. I’m honestly not sure which way was better.

More beach hiking until Trestle Creek where the boardwalks returned, only this time, they were newer and provide a sure footing for the most part. Dipping in an out of forests, beaches and rock shelves we did see some Otters and spoke to some Ditidaht locals who were super friendly and told us about some of the maintenance they were carrying out.

One thing that wasn’t as prominent on the maps was how far in and out eh headlands go in some places. Between Valencia Bluffs and Michigan Creek it was in and out and in and out and in and out. We tried to stay on the rockshelves as best as we could in order to reserve some energy.

Michigen Creek was where we stopped for lunch. Our first signs noting bears in the area were here. We set up on the beach to eat our last meal on the trail. The sun came out, we chilled, I may or may not have spilled boiling water on my hand.

At this point we did catch some more animal sightings. Sighting number 2 for Whales, just some blow holes again but there were tonnes of them. After we finished our food we did catch a black bear on the rocks about 800metres up the coastline. We left shortly after to jump into the last 9km of our hike.

The trails on the last 9km were a joy. Easy, open and well maintained, I almost felt bad meeting people knowing what they had ahead. We headed for Pachena Point Lighthouse which was one of the highlights of the trail. When we arrived we were enthusiastically greeted by Carol and Lance who are the keepers of the Pachena Point Lighthouse. They showed us around, told us some of the history of the lighthouse and about some of the day to day operations and maintenance. They also run a facebook page if you want to know more about this as they are among the last manned lighthouses in the world.

Carol assured us of the easier trail to the finish but we had one last point of interest to catch before making a break for the finish. More Sea Lions! Only this time we had a spectacular view where you could watch them bask on the rocks from the edge of a forest which ran right up to the cliffs. I did shoot one of my favourite shots of the trail right here.

*Sea Lions and people enjoying the sun at Pachena Point*

After this little detour Nathan(rejoined us at Michigan Creek), Hannah and I started the last few kilometres. If you ask Hannah she would say these were the longest of the hike. The trails followed the coast into Pachena Bay with the golden hour light peaking through in sections. We went over countless bridges and a couple of ladders. On any day this would have been a beautiful hike but with 20km in our legs that day alone and over 70km through the week the steps were getting shorter.

Although I was eager to finish it in 5 days I can say I didn’t want it to end. Thru hiking is just fantastic knowing that each place you stop and see is a one off and that you don’t have to revisit spots you have already been is a weird feeling. As we descended into Pachena Bay the signs of civilisation made themselves visible. Dogs on the beach and bare footprints in the sands were the first things I noticed. Once we got onto the final beach we had our last encounter with the wildelife. A few whales had come into the bay and people were lined along the beach watching the puffs of spray catch the sunset light. We did it. Trail head office for the West Coast Trail. Pachena Bay. Cold beers in a cooler in the car, we signed a little notebook to say we had made it off the trail and we hit the road homeward bound.

*Pachena Bay Trail Head for the West Coast Trail*

81km down 0km to go.

Don’t ask where 81km came from, thats what my Garmin recorded with minimal detours.

Overall I loved the West Coast Trail. I don’t think I’d have done too much differently other than an earlier start on Day 1. We gambled with the May weather and it paid off. I may do a post on some of the gear I used for this thru-hike in the coming weeks and be sure to check my youtube channel for some West Coast Trail related video.

Hiking - The West Coast Trail

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