Juan de Fuca Trail
Juan de Fuca Trail, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Length: 47 Kilometres
Start time: September 26, 2022 @ 12:00pm
End time: September 28th, 2022 @ 11:30am
Total time: 47.5 hours
The Juan de Fuca Trail is a beautifully rugged coastal hike hugging the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. The trail runs for 47 kms from China Beach in the south up to Botanical Beach just outside of Port Renfrew. The trail twists and turns through old growth forests, meanders across rocky beaches, sneaks past hidden waterfalls, and leaves you breathless with both the views of the ocean and the steep sets of wooden stairs nearly reclaimed by the forest floor.
I chose to do the trail in the opposite direction, leaving my car parked at Botanical Beach and venturing southward.
Getting There:
To get here from Vancouver you’ll need to take the ferry from Tsawassen ferry terminal to Schwartz Bay in Victoria. From there it’s about a 2 hour drive via a narrow winding highway though the forest to Botanical Beach (Or about an hour+ to China Beach if you hike Northbound). I left my car at Botanical Beach parking lot for the duration of my hike. I recommend not leaving any valuables in the car, as they have had some break-ins. There are shuttles that run from the ferry terminal to the trailhead that can be booked in advance if you don’t have other transportation.
Permits:
This trail does not require a permit in advance like its sister trail the West Coast Trail. You will, however, need to fill in a backcountry camping permit at the trailhead and leave $10/night in the envelope and drop it into the deposit box. Keep the permit stub with you, in case anyone needed to check it along your way. I didn’t run into anyone along the way, so I’m not sure how common this is.
Amenities:
Each campsite along the way is equipped with a bear box and pit toilet. In my experience, the toilets all had hand sanitizer and toilet paper and were very clean. Bear boxes are big enough for multiple hikers to fit all of their scented items in, so hanging food is unnecessary.
Navigation:
This trail is well marked and easy to navigate. The only sections that required paying close attention were some of the beach walks. The points where the trail cuts back into the forest were not always so obvious, but there are Cairns and and buoys at most of them to keep an eye out for. Kilometres are marked with wooden posts counting the km number. Any rerouted sections were clearly marked with flagging tape.
The Trail:
Campsites:
Night 1: Little Kiutsch Creek (14km hike from Botanical Beach)
Night 2: Bear Beach (24km hike from LKC)
I always find there’s something magical about hiking on Vancouver Island. Coastal hiking in particular has an energy that rejuvenates the soul and leaves you feeling calm and refreshed even after long rugged miles of hiking over muddy roots and rocks. The sound of crashing waves and the smell of the ocean mixes with damp leaves and pine needles to create a perfume so rich I wish I could bottle it.
I spent the first afternoon hiking the 14kms to Little Kiutsch Creek, a wooded campground overlooking the ocean with a trail down to the beach below. I found a soft, flat piece of ground beneath the trees to pitch my tent for the night. I arrived at 4:30 and was the first camper to set up. Not long after, a couple coming up from Sombrio beach camped out down by the ocean, and a man showed up sometime in the evening and set up further into the woods. This time of year the trail was very empty and it was easy to find a camping spot. I only ran into a couple of other hikers on this day and all were heading nobo.
The trail can be muddy, rooty, and steep at times, with fun obstacles like ladders, bridges, and stairs. It’s a bit of a roller coaster with a lot of ups and downs, but I didn’t find any of the terrain to be exceptionally challenging as an experienced hiker. However, if you’re new to hiking or don’t have full range of motion or have a hard time climbing stairs or lifting yourself up a few steep drops, this would be a very difficult hike. Use your best judgement and personal assessment of your physical condition before embarking on this trail. That being said, there are multiple bail-out points along the trail that lead to the main highway if you decided not to continue.
I lucked out with beautiful weather the whole trip. I only rain into a sprinkling of rain on Wednesday morning. This definitely helped the trail condition and from what I understand, I didn’t see the trail as muddy as it would be earlier in the season. Daytime temperatures were in the high teens and low twenties Celsius, with evening temperatures dipping down to 8-10 degrees.
The second day was a long haul, with 24 kilometres to hike. The section from LKC to Chin Beach was beautiful and pretty chill overall. Alltrails had a huge climb indicated, but I found it was a lot less intense than pictured. I sat and ate breakfast at Sombrio Beach, watched the surfers catch waves and car campers making breakfast over their fires. Small campfires are permitted as long as you’re below the high tide line.
The section between Sombrio and Chin does require a little bit of planning, which I failed to do. When the high tide comes in, it can cut off portions of the trail between these points. There are tide charts posted at all the trail heads, snap a picture before you head out and plan accordingly.
I ate a quick lunch at Chin Beach and carried on. The section between Chin Beach and Bear Beach was, in my opinion, the most challenging section of the trail. The trail climbs and descends over and over again, is quite steep and muddy in sections, and there was a land slide and some fallen trees that rerouted the trail in difficult directions. The dry dirt in these sections made climbing slippery. There was a rope for the most difficult climb, and the alternate route was clearly marked with flagging tape.
I arrived at Bear Beach to a beautiful campsite just off the beach. It included rudimentary benches and stools to eat dinner at, and plenty of flat space for tents. Again, there was a bear box and toilet. The sunsets on this trail are unreal! There’s nothing quite like eating dinner while watching the glowing sunset over the ocean after a tough day of hiking.
Morning was misty and cool, and the final 10 kilometers to the end of the trail were simple. Some climbing still, but nothing like the previous day. I finished the trail at China Beach just before noon and found two easy hitches back up to my car at the northern terminus.
There are shuttles that run to and from the terminus’, but I didn’t bother to try and align my schedule with their times as they only come once or twice a day. Hitching was very easy though, it seems pretty commonplace here. It’s a well-trafficked road with lots of surfers and locals happy to help out.
Overall, I really enjoyed hiking this trail. It’s stunning, challenging in a fun way, a great length, and easy to access. I would absolutely recommend giving it a try!
