West Coast Trail
Wilderness Adventure

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 on Vancouver Island, in Nanaimo where we will arrange your pickup, to drive to the beginning of the trail (pick up locations downtown Nanaimo, Departure Bay Ferry and Duke Point Ferry). The following itinerary is our ideal, and we most often manage it; however, sometimes we need to adjust the itinerary, due to weather, tides, trail conditions, group ability, and various other factors. We plan to take you to all the amazing, best places along the trail, but your safety is paramount, and sometimes we must alter the daily itinerary.

• Day One

  Travel Day: Pick up Departure Bay 08:15-08:30; downtown Nanaimo 0845 – 0900, Duke Point 09:30-09:55 (Your guide will confirm times the day prior to tour).
  We then drive to Port Renfrew (stopping in Lake Cowichan for you to buy some lunch). Set up camp and attend the WCT orientation from Pacific Rim National Park. We then do our own gear orientation, to help you ensure your pack fits well and is loaded efficiently. Following this, we go to a local restaurant in Port Renfrew for dinner (cost not included).

• Day Two

  Gordon River - Thrasher Cove: 6 km (5 – 6 hrs) Rise by 6:00 pack up and enjoy breakfast, and to be ready to walk to the ferry across Port San Juan to the trailhead. The trail in this section of the hike can be some of the most challenging, with lots of roots to step over, and the highest point on the trail to be ascended and descended. Much of the day, hikers have their eyes on the trail and their feet, to avoid tripping. We stop around an old donkey engine or at the highest point on the trail for lunch. Other stops along the way to rest, make equipment adjustments and take photos. After reaching the junction between Camper Bay and Thrasher, we descend to Thrasher Cove. This section takes about 1 hour. We camp, and dine on the beach around a welcoming campfire (if permissible) and hear stories of ship wrecks. [The following day's accessibility to Owen Point may alter this itinerary day.]

• Day Three

  Thrasher Cove – Camper Bay: 8 km (6 – 8 hrs) We pack up, and enjoy breakfast before beginning the day, by maneuvering over and around the boulders and pocket beaches, toward Owen Point (tide dependent section). We stop at Owen point for photos, before travelling along the sandstone shelf, to one of the forest access points, where we stop for a well-earned lunch. After lunch, we continue through the lush, rain-forested trail to Camper Bay, where we cross the river, either by cable car, or on stepping stones (if the water is low enough). We have now reached our next night's camp, where your guides will boil water for an afternoon beverage, and begin dinner preparation. There is opportunity here for you to bathe and refresh yourself in the creek next to the camp.

• Day Four

  Camper Bay – Walbran Creek: 9 km (7 – 10 hrs) We are up very early for breakfast to begin the long day to Walbran Creek. This is one of the most varied days. If the tides are right, we take a route along the sandstone at sea level, crossing a few surge channels before climbing off the shelf, and hiking up the spectacular Sandstone Creek to the inland trail (The sandstone section of the trail is little known by other hikers, as it requires guide experience and careful tide planning). Once on the main forested trail, we begin to ascend and descend some of the longest ladder sections on the trail, the first being out of Sandstone creek, followed by the ladders at Cullite Creek, often a nice spot for lunch. After lunch, we make our way to Logan Creek and the final set of major ladders for the day. Following this we hike along board walk, through an environmentally sensitive, upland bog region. Here we marvel at Bonsai cedar trees, insect-eating Sundew plants, Labrador Tea, and many other indigenous plants. After the upland bog, we continue again through lush, rain forest to Walbran Creek, arriving late afternoon. A refreshing dip in the inviting creek pool by the camp is a welcome treat before a warm drink, a well earned, hearty dinner, and hearing stories of ship wrecks.

• Day Five

  Walbran Creek – Cribs Creek: 11 km (5 – 6 hrs) A welcome sleep-in is warranted today, the toughest part of the trail now behind us, we amble along the beach, at a more leisurely pace, exploring tide pools, and watching crabs scurry along, at the sound of our boots approaching. We round, Vancouver point, then Bonilla Point, where we get our first glimpse of the Carmanah Light station. We stop at Bonilla Point to check out the beautiful waterfall and remains of an old ship wreck. We hike past picturesque sea stacks, across the Carmanah Creek, and are drawn along the final stretch of beach toward the remains of Chez Monique, now closed with little real prospect of re-opening. We usually stop here for lunch, then after lunch and a short rest, we visit Carmanah Light Station, view the sea lions, and continue for about another hour and a half, through forest and on beach to Cribs Creek. We spend the night here watching for surfing sea lions and Gray Whales.

• Day Six

  Cribs Creek – Tsuqadra 12 km (6 - 8 hrs) We begin walking along the magnificent natural rock break wall from Cribs creek, with tide-pools, watching again for surfing sea-lions. This is a truly incredible place! Most of the morning is along beach and shelf until we reach Cheewaht Beach, just before the Cheewaht River. Here we enter the forest and travel along boardwalk until we reach the Nitinat Narrows for a fresh crab, or fish and baked potato lunch, with the option for beer or soft drinks (this is approximately $30 per person, and not included in trip cost, so be sure to bring some cash with you). While we are there, we pick up our food drop and distribute it out to packs. Once lunch and re-stocking is finished, we then hike on to our next beach campsite, a secret wild camping gem. There is once again an opportunity to relax before dinner, listen to amazing stories of bravery, heroism, and struggles of early settlers and First Nations. We are often treated to sightings of Grey whales feeding very close to shore at this location.

• Day Seven

  Tsquadra – Klanawa via Tsusiat Falls 9 km (4-6 hrs) This morning we leisurely break camp, and make our way to the ancient Ditidaht Warrior Camp, where we will meet one of the Ditidaht First Nations guardians, for a short cultural interpretation on the historic significance of the area. Following this we will make our way to “Hole-in-the-Wall”, and then on to Tsusiat Falls, where we will stop for lunch. A refreshing dip under the falls, is a highlight for many hikers. We then ascend a set of ladders to continue along the cliff tops, enjoying breath-taking views from this vantage point. Later descending to Klanawa Creek, before we take the last cable car across the pond and arrive at our camp for the night, where we can often enjoy another refreshing dip.

• Day Eight

  Klanawa Creek – Darling River, or Michigan Creek: 8 – 11 km (4 – 6 hrs) The hiking gets progressively easier at this end of the trail. We begin along the beach and alternate between inland trail, and beach/sea shelf walking, first to Tscowis, where we stop for lunch, and if the tides are favourable a short side trip (pack free) back toward where the Valencia ran aground in1906, leading to the creation of the West Coast Trail (Shipwrecked Mariner’s Trail). Here, by a peaceful waterfall, we pause for thought for all those lost to the sea. After lunch we make our way along the beach to Darling River and Michigan Creek. We will stay at one of these beautiful beaches for our last night, savouring our experiences of our journey around the campfire, and preparing ourselves for re-entry into the busy world.

• Day Nine

  Darling River/ Michigan Creek – Pachena Bay: 12 – 14 km (4 – 6 hrs) Our packs are lighter, and our spirits are high as we head off after breakfast, by about 7:30. We travel the last 12 km of easy trail to the Pachena Trailhead. Oh yes! Lest you forget the trials of the trail, there is still some MUD today. We stop at Pachena light station, and the Sea lion rock to watch the social antics of the massive male sea lion in his harem. The feeling of achievement is intensified as we walk the final section of the beach trail, leading to the Park office and trailhead. We should be there by around noon. We congratulate one another, take photos, weigh out our packs, and check out of trail. We will drive to Port Alberni-on the now chip-sealed road-for lunch and then on to the Departure Bay ferry terminal in Nanaimo. We should arrive at the ferry terminal by late afternoon with the intent to catch the early evening ferry back to Horseshoe Bay or your accommodation in Nanaimo. We make our way back to the populated world of lattes and showers.

• After the Tour

  If travelling back with us on the bus, it is a journey along rough roads to civilization, through Cowichan Lake or Port Alberni. Drop off is usually between 4:30 and 6:00 pm in Nanaimo (depending on your destination, and the traffic). This day can be quite a rush at times as we get back to the van and ready for the drive back. Timing is sometimes an issue if participants are catching ferries to the mainland on this day. Sometimes this limits stops on the return journey.

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.

Hiker Preparation Guide

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.