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

The West Coast Trail is a 75 km (47 mi) coastal backpacking route on the wild west side of Vancouver Island, in the West Coast Trail Unit of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, British Columbia. It runs between Pachena Bay, near Bamfield, and Gordon River, near Port Renfrew, through the traditional territories of the Huu-ay-aht, Ditidaht and Pacheedaht First Nations. Parks Canada gives 6 to 8 days. You camp on beaches at designated campsites, carry all your food, and cross rivers by ferry, cable car and suspension bridge. It is one of the best-known hikes in Canada and one of the hardest.

The route

This guide follows the usual direction, north to south, from Pachena Bay to Gordon River, and the route mapped on OpenStreetMap, split into 6 stages of about 12.7 km each. The stages are the classic 6-day plan: Michigan Creek, Tsusiat Falls, Cribs Creek, Walbran Creek and Camper Bay, then out at Gordon River. Walking north to south, the easier half comes first while your pack is heaviest.

The northern third is a wider forest trail above the cliffs, then long sandy beaches from Michigan Creek onwards and the Klanawa River cable car. Tsusiat Falls drops straight onto the beach. At km 32 the Nitinaht Narrows ferry takes you across the mouth of Nitinat Lake, beside the Crab Shack. South of Cribs Creek come Carmanah and Bonilla Point, then Walbran Creek. The last 22 km, from Walbran Creek to Gordon River, are the hardest: steep gullies, long ladders, deep mud, roots, the boulders around Owen Point and only short beach sections. Parks Canada says this part takes 2 to 3 days on average.

The trail never climbs much above 200 m, but it goes up and down all day. Many headlands can only be passed at low tide, and some beach sections are tide-dependent alternatives to the inland trail.

Highlights

• Tsusiat Falls: a waterfall onto the beach and the most popular campsite on the trail
• Nitinaht Narrows: the ferry across the tidal mouth of Nitinat Lake, with fresh crab at the Crab Shack
• Sea caves, arches and surge channels near Tsusiat Point and Owen Point, seen at low tide
• Wildlife: grey whales, sea lions, seals, bald eagles, and black bears, wolves and cougars on the beaches
• Ladders, cable cars and suspension bridges: a large part of the experience, especially in the south

When to hike the West Coast Trail

The trail is open to overnight hikers from 1 May to 30 September. July and August have the driest weather, the longest days and the most hikers; May, June and September are quieter but wetter. Expect rain and fog in any month: this is temperate rainforest, and hypothermia is a real risk even in summer. From 7 October to 30 April the trail is closed.

How many days do you need?

Most hikers take 6 or 7 days. The 6-day plan in this guide ends with a long, slow day from Camper Bay to Gordon River. Many people add Thrasher Cove (km 70) as a last camp and take 7 days, which is safer. Fit hikers can do it in 5 days; 8 days leaves time for tides and storms. For a shorter trip you can start or finish at Balaats'adt (Nitinaht Village) by water taxi to the Nitinaht Narrows. Plan a spare day before and after for transport.

Permits, fees and booking

All overnight hikers need a reservation from the Parks Canada Reservation Service (reservation.pc.gc.ca or 1-877-737-3783). Reservations for 2026 opened on 5 February; there are no standby spaces, and daily numbers are limited, so book early. Groups are up to 10 people, and hikers must be at least 6 years old (Parks Canada does not recommend it under 12). Per person the trail costs $208.50 (Backcountry Use Permit and orientation fee), plus $28 for each of the Gordon River and Nitinaht Narrows ferries, the reservation fee and park admission. The Nitinaht water taxi is $70, paid to the operator.

On your start day check in at the orientation centre, attend the briefing (10 am or 2 pm) and collect your map. Start at least 5 hours before sunset. Campsites cannot be booked: camp only at the designated sites, which have outhouses and most have food lockers.

Getting there and away

Pachena Bay is 5 km from Bamfield, which you reach by a long logging road from Port Alberni or on the MV Frances Barkley from Port Alberni (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). Gordon River is about 2 km from Port Renfrew, about 2 hours by road from Victoria. The West Coast Trail Express bus runs daily from 1 May to 30 September from Victoria and Nanaimo to both trailheads and Nitinaht; book ahead. You can park near each trailhead, but the parking is not secure. Stay the night before at Pachena Bay Campground or in Bamfield, and after the hike at Pacheedaht Campground or in Port Renfrew.

Money and phone signal

There are no shops or ATMs on the trail. The Crab Shack at the Narrows prefers cash, and Parks Canada recommends up to $100 per person in cash for emergencies. There is no mobile signal at Pachena Bay and almost none on the trail; US networks may roam at some shoreline points. Carry a satellite messenger (inReach or SPOT) or a satellite phone.

What to pack

Carry a tent with a waterproof fly, a closed-cell foam pad, a sleeping bag in a dry bag, a stove, food for every day plus a spare, and water treatment. Add full waterproofs, broken-in boots, gaiters, poles, gloves for the cable cars, 15 m of rope per group, a tide table, the official map, a first aid kit and bear spray. Keep your pack light: Parks Canada suggests 15 to 20 percent of your body weight.

Difficulty and safety

This is a hard route for experienced backpackers, not a first overnight hike. You climb over 100 ladders with a heavy pack, cross slippery logs, boardwalk and rocks, wade rivers and walk through deep mud. Knee and ankle injuries are the main cause of evacuations. Check the tide table every day, do not try to round a headland on a rising tide, and do not cross a river above knee depth. Store all food in lockers, keep groups together and carry bear spray: black bears, wolves and cougars use the beaches. Do not eat shellfish: paralytic shellfish poisoning occurs. The Carmanah Point and Pachena Point light stations are closed to the public.

History

The coast has been home to the Huu-ay-aht, Ditidaht and Pacheedaht peoples for thousands of years, and their villages and trails were here long before Europeans. So many ships were wrecked on this coast that it became known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. After the SS Valencia sank near Pachena Point in 1906 with more than 100 lives lost, an old telegraph route was improved into a lifesaving trail so that rescuers could reach shipwreck survivors. The area later became part of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, and the trail was rebuilt for hikers.