 Hiking, Terry Patterson photo
Learn about hiking trails in Vancouver Island:
Rules and Safety
A word or two on your excursion:
- Please leave the area you visit undisturbed and be sure to carry out your garbage
- If travelling with pets, be aware that restrictions may apply
- Obey posted signs and keep to designated trails
A word or two on safety:
- Cougars, bears and other wildlife inhabit the region
- Consult tide tables when hiking coastal trails
Choose a Trail
Easy
Intermediate
- Juan de Fuca Marine Trail: The trail features spectacular ocean and mountain views, waterfalls, grottos, old-growth forests, curious rock formations and estuaries.
- Mount Washington Alpine Resort: Top of the World Trails, found at the top of the chairlift, offer stunning 360 degree views.
- Nootka Island Trail: Ancient village sites, a totem pole and the remains of a shipwreck along the trail are poignant visual reminders of this island's storied past.
Advanced
- Cape Scott Trail: Traces an old telegraph line through old-growth spruce forest to Cape Scott Lighthouse.
- Juan de Fuca Marine Trail: the trail features spectacular ocean and mountain views, waterfalls, grottos, old-growth forests, curious rock formations and estuaries.
- Mount Washington Alpine Resort: Experienced hikers who climb the rugged West Summit Ridge Trail to the summit are rewarded by spectacular, 360-degree views.
- West Coast Trail: This renowned 75-km (47-mi) trail is wild, remote and not for the faint of heart.
Highlights
Cape Scott Trail
You can still see remnants of 19th-century Danish settlements along the 48-km (30-mi) return trip Cape Scott Trail, which traces an old telegraph line to Cape Scott Lighthouse. Old-growth Sitka spruce, some as large as 3 m (9.8 ft) in diameter, dominate portions of this challenging route, while rocky promontories, salt marshes, jagged headlands and white sand beaches punctuate the coastline. Coastal wildlife includes sea birds, seals, sea lions and Sea Otters. The forested and open upland areas are home to deer, elk, bears, cougars and wolves.
The trail is located at the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island, 64 km (40 miles) west from Port Hardy via a combination of provincial highways and logging roads.
Attributes
- Rated: moderate – difficult
- Approximate time required: varies by route
- Best time: June - September
- Please check the BC Parks website for current trail conditions
> Cape Scott Park website
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Juan de Fuca Marine Trail
The 47-km (29-mi) Juan de Fuca Marine Trail stretches along the western shoreline of southern Vancouver Island, from China Beach to Botanical Beach. Exceptionally beautiful and endlessly interesting, the trail features spectacular ocean and mountain views, waterfalls, grottos, old-growth forests, curious rock formations and estuaries. It also provides many opportunities to view a wealth of intertidal flora and fauna at close range. While remote, the trail is well equipped with wilderness campsites and sanitary facilities. It is accessible by car at multiple points. Both casual and experienced hikers will enjoy this trail.
The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is accessible from multiple points along Highway 14, between Jordan River and Port Renfrew.
Attributes
- Rated: Intermediate
- Approximate time required: varies by route
- Best time: June to September
> Juan de Fuca Park website
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Mount Washington Alpine Resort
Mount Washington offers a number of exceptional trails for hikers of all levels of ability. Experienced hikers who climb the rugged West Summit Ridge Trail (Advanced) to the 1,588-m (5,210-ft) summit are rewarded by spectacular, 360-degree views of Strathcona Provincial Park, the Comox Glacier, Mount Arrowsmith, the Strait of Georgia and Mount Baker in Washington State. The summit is also easily accessible via the Eagle Express, a soaring chairlift ride. Don’t forget to bring a camera to capture the stunning alpine-to-ocean views. Top of the World Trails (Intermediate), found at the top of the chairlift, are a quick yet invigorating 0.7 km (0.4 mi); Linton’s Trail (Intermediate) is an energizing, 2.1 km (1.3 mi) route; Giv'r Trail (Advanced) challenges hikers for a steep 1.3 km (0.8 mi). Interpretive signs along these higher routes identify the unique flora and fauna found in this “mile-high” alpine. Lodge Trails (Easy) and Memory Lane (Easy) each ramble a pleasant 0.4 km (0.25 mi) on bark mulch from the base of the mountain.
Mount Washington Alpine Resort is easily accessible from Vancouver by car via the Horseshoe Bay-Nanaimo ferry route. The Comox Valley and Campbell River airports are both serviced daily from Vancouver. Attributes
- Rated: easy to advanced
- Best Time: The trails open once the snow melts, usually by late June
- Approximate time required: Varies by route
Be aware: mountain weather may change suddenly
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Nootka Island Trail
The 35-km (22-mi) Nootka Island Trail follows an ancient route used by Aboriginal people for at least 4,000 years before Captain Cook first set foot on the island in 1778. Ancient village sites, a totem pole and the remains of a shipwreck along the trail are poignant visual reminders of this island's storied past.
Today, this trail is an unpatrolled wilderness route that in places can only be traversed at low tide. Natural highlights include old-growth forest, waterfalls, sea caves, remote beaches and abundant wildlife. Hikers must be experienced and geared for extreme weather. They should check in with the Gold River RCMP (police) before setting out.
Nootka Island Trail is accessible from Gold River year-round by water taxi or charter plane and seasonally by ferry.
Attributes
- Rated: intermediate
- Approximate time required: 5-6 days
- Best time: May - October
A word or two on safety:
- Maps and tide tables are essential
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Strathcona Provincial Park
Strathcona Provincial Park is an immense mountain wilderness of over 250,000 ha (617,763 ac). The scenery along its many trails is distinctly alpine: glacial lakes, rivers, streams, waterfalls, climbing bluffs, rugged mountains, deep valleys and higher-altitude meadows. Della Falls, at 440 m (1,444 ft) one of Canada's highest waterfalls, is found in the southern part of the park.
Strathcona Provincial Park is located in central Vancouver Island. There are two main access points to the park: in the south via Highway 19 and Mount Washington Road, a 30-40-minute drive from Courtenay and in the north via Highway 28, a 30-minute drive from Campbell River.
Attributes
- Rated: easy to advanced
- Approximate time required: varies by route
- Best time: May - October (expect snowfall on mountain slopes November - March)
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West Coast Trail
The 75-km (47-mi) West Coast Trail is wild, remote and not for the faint of heart. It was carved out of the rainforest in 1906 to provide a refuge and way out for mariners shipwrecked along a stretch of coastline so dangerous it was dubbed, "The Graveyard of the Pacific." Highlights of the route include sandstone cliffs, waterfalls, caves, sea arches, sea stacks, secluded beaches and abundant wildlife.
The trail stretches between Bamfield and Port Renfrew. There are two trailhead access points: Pachena Bay at the north end, 3 km (1.9 mi) from Bamfield and Gordon River in the south, which is accessed by twice-daily water taxi from Port Renfrew (fees apply).
There are two gateway points to the trailheads: Port Alberni, 102 km (63 mi) from Bamfield via the MV Lady Rose passenger/cargo ship or a logging road from Port Renfrew, 70 km (43 mi) north of Sooke.
Attributes
- Rated: advanced
- Approximate time required: 5-7 days
- Open: May 1 - September 30
- Reservations required: June 16 - September 15. Call 1-800 HELLO BC.
- Trail use permit required
A word or two on safety:
- Maps and tide tables are essential
> Pacific Rim Park website
> Lady Rose Marine website
> West Coast Trail Travel Advisory
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