If you enjoy hiking, West Coast Trail is probably on your bucket list to hike. The West Coast Trail is a world reknowned trail that people will travel from all other the world to do. It is a stunning 75 kilometer hike ( our GPS’s tracked about 107km) that allows you to experience the ocean and the beautiful old growth forests. You are able to see whales, seals, sea lions and so much more. It is no wonder why people will do this trail again and again.
Since you’re reading this blog, you know exactly what the West Coast Trail is and is just looking for more information because you are ready to book.
Table of Contents
- Where is the West Coast Trail?
- Trailheads at the West Coast Trail
- How long Does the West Coast Trail Take?
- What Camps We Stayed At
- Gear to bring for West Coast Trail!
- Food to Pack for West Coast Trail
- Crab Shack… Let's talk about it
- Monique's Burger (Sometimes open, Somtimes not)
- How To Reserve the West Coast Trail
Where is the West Coast Trail?
The West Coast Trail is on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada which is the largest island in North America It is between Bamfield and Gordon River, British Columbia.
To get to Vancouver Island, you can either fly directly into Victoria, BC or Nanaimo BC, depending on where you are wanting to start the West Coast Trail. You can also fly into Vancouver and take the ferry over to again, either Victoria, BC (Shwartz Bay) or Nanaimo (Departure Bay, or Duke Point). If you are wanting to start from North to South (Pachena Bay) you will want to go to Nanaimo for the qucker route. If you want to do the trail from South to North (Gordon River) then going to Victoria is your quicker route.
We took a bus from the Nanaimo Departure Bay Ferry Terminal down to Pachena Bay. You can book directly with West Coast Trail Express. If you get car sick at all, we HIGHLY recommend you use motion sickness patches or gravol. The bus is driving for hours on unpaved gravel roads with potholes absolutely everywhere.
Trailheads at the West Coast Trail
You can start/stop at any of these trailheads on the West Coast Trail. We started at Pachena Bay, which is the North starting point and the “proper” way. I only say it is the proper way because the kilometer marking points go up and not go down.
- Pachena Bay (North) nearest Bamfield
- Balaats’adt/Nitinaht Village (mid-point trailhead)
- Gordon River (South) nearest Port Renfrew
When you are booking the West Coast Trail, you must understand where you want to start. Keep in mind, resevervations get scooped up extremely fast, so dont be dissapointed about your starting amd ending point. Just aim to get a reservation (reservations open up in December/January) We will go over how to book the West Coast Trail at the end of this blog.
There can only be so man yhikers starting the West Coast Trail per day:
- 25 from Pachena Bay
- 25 from Gordon River
- 20 from Balaats’adt/Nitinaht Village
How long Does the West Coast Trail Take?
The West Coas Trail takes on average 7 days, 6 nights to complete. Although, an average hiker can complete the trail in 6 days, 5 nights. The extreme hikers/trail runners can complete this in 3 days or by runners, 1 full day (insane right?) Or if you love it so much, and don’t need any rest, some have completed the trail in a round trip fashion in about 6 days.
Like we said, the average every day hiker is anticipating this hike to be about 7 days and 6 nights. Which is what we did. It gives you enough time to have a little bit of a later start to each day and get to camp at a decent time to be able to enjoy the evening and watch for whales, explore the camps and socialize and play games at night.
What Camps We Stayed At
There are a lot of campsites to stay at along the west coast trail. However, if you are looking to complete the hike within 7 days, you can follow the campsites below. The starting point is Pachena Bay, but if you are starting from Gordon River, just do it backwards. If you want a full list of all the campgrounds, visit Parks Canada.
During the West Coast Trail, you must pack away your garbage and leave no trace. You must also leave your food in the designated food bins to not only keep you safe from wildlife, but the rest of the hikers.
Darling River Camp/ Michigan Creek
From Pachena Bay – 13.8 km / 61.2 km from Gordon River
Facilities: 2 food bins, one outhouse
Popularity: High
This area is the most popular place to camp if you are coming from Pachena Bay. The iconic bouys haning from the trees are worth it to see. You can camp on the sand near the ocean, do make sure you understand the tides though. Or you can camp in the wooded forest. We opted at camping on the beach at as many campsites we can.
Tsusiat Falls Camp
From Pachena Bay – 24.9 km / 50.1 from Gordon River
Facilities: Two outhouses, food bins and food hangs
Popularity: Very High
It is very easy to see why this is the most popular camping spot on the West Coast Trail. The iconic photo of the waterfalls is very well known to hikers all looking into the West Coast Trail. It may be very hard to find a quieter spot for your group near the falls if you arrive a little later in the day, but not to worry, there are lots of beautiful spots all around the beach there. This was also our favourite place to camp during the West Coast Trail.
Cribs Creek
From Pachena Bay – 42.5 km / 32.5 km from Gordon River
Facilities: One outhouse, 2 food bins
Popularity: Very High
Walbran Creek Campsite
From Pachena Bay – 53 km / 22 km from Gordon River
Facilities: 2 outhouses, food bins
Popularity: Very High
This campground was probably the busiest campground we have stayed at during our experience at the West Coast Trail. We stayed in the forest at this camp and we really enjoyed it. You can also stay on the beach.
Camper Bay Campsite
From Pachena Bay – 62.2 km / 12.8 km from Gordon River
Facilities: Tow outhouses, two food bins
Popularity: High
Thrasher Cove Campsite
From Pachena Bay – 70km / 5 km from Gordon River
Facilities: Outhouse and food bin
Popularity: High
Gear to bring for West Coast Trail!
Gaiters: This was probably the most important item to us! These kept sand out of your shoes, water, everything!
Hiking Poles: We have read lots of blogs about the West Coast Trail about people saying they did not need hiking poles, we agree. You don’t need them, but they do make things a lot easier.
Osprey Backpack: We really enjoy Osprey, and this bag is a must. We would recommend anything over 60 litres to be sufficient.
Electric Portable Water Filter: This is a must have! This makes everything a lot easier and a lot quicker.
Food to Pack for West Coast Trail
Food planning can make or break your West Coast Trail experience , trust us, we learned this the hard way. Most hikers rely on freeze-dried meals, and while some are surprisingly delicious, others taste quite bad, and it is reflective of the cost of them. The good ones tend to cost more, so it’s worth reading reviews or testing a few before your trip.
On our hike, we brought only freeze-dried meals, while others in our group packed a mix of freeze-dried dinners, fresh ingredients for the first night, and plenty of snacks. Looking back, this was our biggest regret. By Day 3, we had run out of almost everything, except our freezer dried meals and ended up eating some of our group’s extra food (thank you, if you’re reading this).
Next time, we’ll pack way smarter. Here’s what we wish we had brought more of:
- Snacks, snacks, and more snacks — trail mix, granola bars, jerky, dried fruit. All light items.
- Tortillas — lightweight, versatile, and perfect for peanut butter, tuna, or breakfast wraps
- Pancake mix — a morale booster and easy when combined with protein powder
- Instant rice or pasta — lightweight and filling
- Protein powder — helps keep you full when meals get repetitive
- Fresh food for Night 1 — like pre-cooked chicken, veggies, or something comforting
Crab Shack… Let’s talk about it
The Crab Shack was a really fun stop and definitely worth checking out, but just know going in that it’s very expensive, and the wait times can get long. We ended up ordering a few grilled cheese sandwiches since they were the best value for us, while others in our group went for the crab, which honestly looked amazing. The crab doesn’t get any fresher than this either. They literally pull it straight from the cage right in front of you and cook it to order. It is a cool experience. There are also some jellyfish floating around the dock and lots of other wildlife. Check out our other blog about what we wish we knew before doing the West Coast Trail.
Monique’s Burger (Sometimes open, Somtimes not)
There’s also a small burger spot just past the Crab Shack (so pretty much at the half way point). It was open when we came through, so we grabbed a burger, but fair warning, it was very overpriced and the portion was tiny. We paid about $25 for a single burger, which definitely didn’t feel worth it after a long day on the trail.
How To Reserve the West Coast Trail
Booking a trip on the West Coast Trail requires a reservation, you can’t just show up (I at first thought you could) The trail is managed by Parks Canada, and all hikers must secure a backcountry permit before heading out.
To reserve your hike:
- Head to the Parks Canada Reservation Service
- and select West Coast Trail from the list.
- Choose your preferred start and end dates (and a second “backup” date, if possible), along with your entry and exit trailheads and the size of your group.
- Book early — the reservation window usually opens each year in January, and spots are limited. Only a fixed number of hikers can begin the trail on any given day: roughly 25 from the north (Pachena Bay), 25 from the south (Gordon River), and 20 via the mid-point trailhead at Nitinaht Village.
If the online system is full, you can also try calling Parks Canada’s reservation line at 1-877-737-3783 to check for openings or cancellations.
Note: When you arrive, you and your group must register in person (or the night before) to receive your official backcountry use permit, tide tables, maps, and safety information. There will also be a short orientation. They will let you know if there are any trail closures etc.
