Sunshine Coast Trail hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Sunshine Coast Trail (SCT) is a 180 km backcountry hiking trail on the upper Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada. It runs from Sarah Point at the entrance to Desolation Sound to Saltery Bay on Jervis Inlet, past the town of Powell River. Volunteers of the qathet Parks and Wilderness Society (qPAWS) built it to link the last accessible stands of old-growth forest. Along the way are 14 free huts, open to everyone on a first-come, first-served basis, which makes it Canada's longest hut-to-hut trail and the only free one. There is no permit, no booking and no fee.

The route

The trail starts on the rocky tip of the Malaspina Peninsula, follows the coast past Feather Cove and Bliss Portage, and climbs to Manzanita Bluffs above Lund. It then crosses forested hills and creeks to Rieveley Pond and Appleton Creek, passes the Sliammon Lakes and drops into Powell River at the Shinglemill pub on Powell Lake, the only town on the route. From there it climbs past Haywire Bay to Inland Lake and Confederation Lake, descends to Fiddlehead Landing on Powell Lake and climbs steeply to the hut on Tin Hat Mountain, the halfway point. The second half crosses Lewis Lake, Elk Lake and the Smith Range to Walt Hill, comes down near Lang Bay, follows Lois Lake to Golden Stanley Hut and climbs to Mount Troubridge, at about 1,300 m the highest point. The last day drops past Rainy Day Lake and Fairview Bay to the ferry at Saltery Bay.

This guide follows the route mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into 12 stages, about 13.8 km each, ending at a hut or in Powell River every night. The mapped line is shorter than the official 180 km because the kilometre markers were stretched or shortened by forestry reroutes. The trail is signed north to south, with twice as many markers that way, so walk it in that direction.

Highlights

• Sarah Point and Desolation Sound: the start, reached by water taxi from Lund, with views to Cortes and Hernando islands
• Manzanita Bluffs: sea views over Savary Island and the Salish Sea on the first evening
• Old-growth forest: giant Douglas fir and cedar on the Confederation Lake and March Lake sections
• Tin Hat Mountain: a 360-degree view over mountains and dozens of lakes from the hut by the summit
• Lakes for swimming: Inland, Confederation, Elk and Rainy Day lakes, many with a dock by the hut
• Mount Troubridge: the highest point, with a log cabin beside Jocelyn Pond and a view over the southern Sunshine Coast

When to hike the Sunshine Coast Trail

The main season is late May to early October. qPAWS says the weather is driest from May to September. In early summer snow can still lie on Tin Hat and Mount Troubridge, and by August some streams dry up, so carry more water on the high sections. Spring and autumn are wet. In winter the low coastal sections stay walkable, but the mountain huts are snowshoe destinations and the long thru-hike is not practical.

How many days do you need?

Most hikers take 8 to 12 days. The classic plan is 12 days, sleeping at a hut every night and in Powell River on night three. Strong hikers combine short days, for example Inland Lake to Tin Hat or Troubridge to Saltery Bay. You can also walk one section: Sarah Point to Lund in 2 days, Inland Lake to Lewis Lake in 3 days, or Lang Bay to Saltery Bay in 3 to 4 days. Plan an extra day at each end for ferries and transport.

Getting there and logistics

Powell River is on Highway 101, about 4 to 5 hours from Vancouver with two ferries: Horseshoe Bay to Langdale and Earls Cove to Saltery Bay (you pay once each way). A ferry also crosses from Comox on Vancouver Island, and there are flights to Powell River. Most hikers reach Sarah Point by Lund Water Taxi (book ahead) or with the 4x4 Sunshine Coast Shuttle, which also runs resupply and sells bear spray. At the end the ferry terminal is 200 m from the trail.

The huts are free, cannot be booked and are one night only; thru-hikers have priority. Most sleep about 10 people, but the Inland Lake huts sleep 2 or 3 and charge a small BC Parks fee. Carry a tent, because huts can be full. Groups of 8 or more should camp. The BC Parks campsites at Sarah Point and Feather Cove need a Desolation Sound Parks backcountry registration. qPAWS asks for a donation of $5 per person per night.

Resupply in Powell River on stage 3: it has supermarkets, outdoor shops and the hospital, and the Shinglemill pub will store a resupply box. There are no shops on the rest of the trail. Bring some Canadian dollars in cash; cards work in Powell River. Mobile signal is patchy and absent in many valleys, so carry a GPS and a satellite messenger.

Pack a tent, stove, water filter, bear bag and cord, bear spray, full rain gear and warm layers. The pellet stoves in some huts are not stocked: bring pellets or do not count on them. Dogs must be on a leash and are not allowed in the huts.

Winter 2026–27 closures: BC Hydro has closed the lower Fairview Bay Trail until 28 February 2027 and the Saltery Bay/Blue Grouse Ridge Trail until 25 April 2027. Use Saltery Bay Forest Service Road Branch 01 between Rainy Day Lake and the Saltery Bay trailhead.

Difficulty

The trail is well built, but qPAWS describes it as a challenge even for experienced hikers. The climbs are steep and come many times a day: to Manzanita Bluffs, Confederation Lake, Tin Hat, Walt Hill and Mount Troubridge. Expect roots, rock, mud and deadfall, some logging road, and 5 to 7 hours a day. Black bears are common and cougars and wolves live here too: hang your food, carry bear spray and make noise near creeks. Watch for logging trucks on the road sections on weekdays. Campfires are allowed only when there is no fire ban. Treat all water, and fill up before Manzanita, Tin Hat and the Troubridge summit, where there is none.

History

The trail began in 1992, when a few local hikers saw that the accessible old growth of the upper Sunshine Coast was disappearing. They formed the Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society, now qPAWS, to protect patches of forest linked by trail corridors. Volunteers, led for more than 20 years by Eagle Walz, who also wrote the trail guidebook, cut the route section by section. Inland Lake became a provincial park in 1997, with qPAWS in the negotiations. The first hut was built at Fairview Bay in 2009, and the newest, at Sarah Point, in 2021, built with local clubs, the BOMB Squad and donations from hikers. Long before that, the coast was home to First Nations: Okeover Arm park protects a Sliammon shell midden, and middens at Saltery Bay mark old gathering places.