Vancouver Island BC Hiking
Cape Scott Explorer
6-day Backpacking Tour
Cape Scott Provincial Park is one of the most beautiful and intriguing areas for hiking Vancouver Island.
The Cape Scott hike is a scenic tour through a number of coastal ecosystems. Dominated by hemlock, cedar, and sitka spruce, the trail passes through large stands of each tree species.
Cape Scott has a number of hiking trails leading to incredible historical and geographical features. There is time on this trip to explore the beauty of Cape Scott Park, with side trips to Nels Bight, Hansen Lagoon, and Guise Bay.
Just outside the park, past Guise Bay, is the Cape Scott Lightstation, one of the few remaining attended lighthouses in Canada. The history of this area is fascinating, and the views are unbeatable.
- HIKING DAYS: 5
- TRAVEL DAYS: 1
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RATING: BB2ad — Moderate
See our Detailed Hiking Trail Rating System
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Dates And
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Itinerary
Itinerary
This is our typical itinerary for this tour. Because we are travelling in wilderness, itineraries can change. There are many factors that can affect how a tour actually runs. We confirm pickup times by phone, email or SMS at least 12 hours before.
This trip begins in Nanaimo, where we will arrange your pickup to drive to the location where we begin the activity.
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Day One
Travel Day: Guides and clients meet in Nanaimo at one of our pickup points (point of origin). The journey up island to Port Hardy takes 5 hours. From Port Hardy, after a check on equipment and other needs, we drive the 67 km of logging roads to the Cape Scott Provincial Park lot. We begin our tour with the journey to Eric Lake or Fisherman's Creek, to camp for the night.
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Day Two
Hike in to Nels Bight. We continue our hike along the relatively flat area of the Cape, exploring some of the historical sights along the way, ending at Nels Bight, where we set up a base camp for the next day.
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Day Three
Day Hike to the Cape Scott Light Station. With so much to explore at the Cape, we take off toward the lighthouse, looking at the sites available, travelling around Experiment Bight, across the sand neck to Guise Bay, then to the lighthouse. After a visit, we return, taking a different route after returning to Guise Bay.
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Day Four
Hike to Nissen Bight. The other side of Nels Bight is another day's exploration. We hike back out, stopping to explore Hansens Lagoon, on our way to Nissen Bight. This area sees fewer people, and is frequented by bears and wolves. We set up for another day hike the next day.
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Day Five
Day Hike to an upland bog lake. Travelling up from Nissen Bight, we catch the end of the North Coast Trail, stopping for a morning snack at the lake. We return, to pack up and begin the journey back out in the afternoon, returning to either Fisherman's Creek or Eric Lake for the night.
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Day Six
Last explorations and the hike out. This is the last day of the tour. We explore the area of Eric Lake, then pack up to hike out to the parking area, where we load and begin the drive back to civilization. The tour ends with your return to the departure location.
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What's Included
Included Not Included Transportation from and to the departure location (pick up and drop off) Your transportation to the departure location (from your home) All park fees and camping fees National Park entry fees (may change as Parks alters their policies) Professional guides Hiking Boots (should be less than 5 years old) All meals (except on travel days) Some food (on travel days and special options) Tent (shared)* *A single tent may be substituted for a supplemental charge. Single travellers that cannot be placed in a shared tent will be charged the single supplement charge. Hiking Boots (should be less than 5 years old) A substantial preparation guide Backpack (available for rent) Gear rental options Sleeping bags or mats (available for rent) Gratuities are not included. Recognizing your guide for their hard work and care is always appreciated; $10-20/day per guide is recommended. -
Getting There And
Where To StayGetting There
If you are travelling into the Vancouver, Victoria, or Nanaimo area from afar, you should arrive at the departure location (in Nanaimo) for your trip the day/evening prior to the trip start date and plan to leave the day following trip return.
You can fly to Vancouver (airport code YVR) or Seattle (airport code SEA) then connect to Vancouver Island using ferry, bus, or air, or arrange flights directly to Vancouver Island.
Flying to Victoria (Airport code YYJ)
Flying to Nanaimo (Airport code YCD)
Nanaimo Airporter shuttle service.
Servicing all of Vancouver Island from airports to ferrys to cruise ship terminals. Tel: 1 250 758-2133BC Ferries 1-888-BC FERRY (1-888-223-3779)
We will let you know the ferry to take for travelling to Vancouver Island, but if you want to check out times, you can go the the BC Ferries website at:
www.bcferries.com/schedules/Where to Stay
Naniamo Pick up & Hotels
Pick up: Departure Bay, Duke Point Ferry Terminal, or the following Accommodations:
Days Inn Harbour View Nanaimo
Address: 809 Island Hwy South, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, V9R 5K1
Phone (250) 754-8171
Website: www.nanaimohotel.com
Best Western Dorchester Hotel
Address: 70 Church, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, V9R 5H4
Phone: (250) 754-6835
Website: www.dorchesternanaimo.com
Painted Turtle Guesthouse
Address: 121 Bastion Street, Nanaimo, British Columbia CANADA, V9R 3A2
Toll Free: 1-866-309-4432
Phone: (250) 753-4432 -
Preparing
Preparing For Your Trip
How you prepare for your adventure is important. Being well prepared will enhance the quality of your experience. Because we are travelling in wilderness, it is very important for you and for the rest of your adventure group that you are fit enough to handle the level of difficulty and demand with no problems. Our guides know how to minimize the impact of these demands as much as possible, but they cannot remove them. The depth of your experience can only increase if you have made sure that you have prepared well.
Your preparation will be different for different activities. Preparing for a kayak trip is different from preparing for a hiking trip. We have provided some basic information that can be downloaded through the following links to pdf documents.
Use the links below to download some of the preparation files for this hiking or kayaking tour. When you book your tour, we will send you a complete preparation packet to help you get ready.Please take this seriously. Most people are unaware of the demands of a coastal environment, particularly with keeping dry and warm. Your preparation will really help make your coastal hiking or kayaking tour a great experience. -
Gear Rental
Need Gear?
We have gear available to rent if you don't want to buy a particular piece of equipment, or need to travel without it.
Look over the following list to help you decide whether you want to rent. If you decide to rent gear, you can tell us on the phone or book it online with your tour.
Item Price (per day) Backpack Rental $6.50 Sleeping Bag Rental $6.50 Thermarest Rental $2.25 Gaiter Rental $1.67 Hiking Pole Rental (one) $0.90