2023 West Coast Trail Tips

I’ve backpacked the seventy-six kilometre West Coast Trail three times from Port Renfrew (south) to Pachena Bay (north) when I was fifteen, twenty-five and thirty-five years old. The first two times I did it with my family but the third time Kris, my fiancé joined my parents and I. I learned a lot. Below are twenty-five west coast trail tips to help you backpack the West Coast Trail. We took eight days to backpack the first time, with a day of rest, seven days on both the second and third trips, with no rest day.

1. West Coast Trail: Six Kilometers in Six Hours

On average, people hike four kilometres an hour when backpacking. However, this isn’t the case when backpacking the West Coast Trail (on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada). Here the weather tends to be wetter surrounded by the ocean. It feels similar to backpacking in a rainforest when it’s raining for days. It’s an entirely different experience.

The adventure starts by crossing the south Gordon River on a boat (run by indigenous locals in the region) from Port Renfrew to the opposite bay where the trail starts. It’s about a five-minute boat ride. Starting the backpacking trip all three times, regardless of if it was raining or not, we made it from Port Renfrew trailhead to Thrasher Cove in six hours. One kilometre per hour. Our boots were sucked deep down into the mud all the way up to our knees, covering our gaiters. It was a slow slog.

West Coast Trail Tips: Adjust your backpacking speed according to the trail conditions and the weather. It’s sometimes not possible to go fast. Plans change moment by moment. When starting out your day, it’s hard to know how the mud, ponds, and copious amounts of slippery roots in the pouring rain will affect your time spent hiking. Be patient and go with the flow. Take it all in! You’re on an adventure!

2. Backpacking in the Rainforest

With the amount of rain they receive on the west coast, it’s no wonder that they end up with enormous plants and trees. You’ll feel like you’re backpacking in the rainforest for most of the trip.

3. Waterproof Gear

Knowing that you can experience a slow slog in the pouring rain, it’s essential to have the right gear to make it an enjoyable experience. It’s imperative that you use adequate rain gear to protect yourself from getting cold. Your rain jacket should have a vent (zipper beneath your armpit) to allow moisture to escape your body and create airflow. Otherwise, you’ll feel hot and uncomfortable very quickly. If you can find zippered waterproof pants, it will be easier to slip them on and off over your hiking pants and hiking boots.

Having waterproof gear to protect your items is crucial. A waterproof rain pack cover is important to protect your belongings inside your backpack. Putting your book, journal, and camera inside a Ziploc bag is a terrific idea for added protection. Placing your sleeping bag and mattress inside a garbage bag is another wise idea. Spending money and getting dry sacks, would also work beautifully. The worst thing after feeling like a drowned rat all day, is to unpack and find that your sleeping bag is damp too. I prefer to be extremely safe and protect the items I absolutely want dry. This makes for a much happier hiker at the end of the day!

4. Wildlife

There is potential to see a variety of wildlife on the trail, especially marine wildlife. Sea lions can be found sunbathing on rocks protruding from the ocean. When walking on the ocean floor by the beach, many colourful starfish can be found along with sea anemones. Bald eagles are often seen soaring above in the sky while martens can be spotted on the ground, running on rocks.

Tip: Pay attention to your surroundings and be on the lookout for animals!

For more animal sightings, Kayaking in Desolation Sound: 11 Tips for the Best Kayaking Trip Ever is a great option!

On one of our last nights doing it the second time, while making supper on the beach, we saw a whale swimming close by. It was exceptional to see! A great ending to our trip! Bears and cougars can be found as well but we were fortunate not to see any!

5. Nicest Outhouses

There aren’t any flush toilets backpacking the West Coast Trail but these outhouses were the nicest I’ve ever seen. They are composting toilets, requiring you to put a scoop of wood chips in the toilet once you’ve done your business, resulting in limited smells in them; an added bonus! Most of them are high up, which requires you to climb up a ladder to access them, while the waste remains in the bottom half. Insects don’t normally roam in them either.

West Coast Trail Tips

Tip #1: Make sure to bring your own toilet paper.

Tip #2: You’ll find the outhouses away from the campsites and food storage, normally along a path, further in the woods.

Some of the doors had tree holes cut in them to create light when it got dark. They are wonderful naturalistic designs to appreciate as well. Many people, including myself, created crafts with the buoys found along the shore and hung them by the bathroom to create some charming décor (the first time I backpacked the trail).

6. Tides and Timetables

One important note to keep in mind is to read the tide tables carefully not to end up stuck on the sea bed with a rising tide. This would be a scary experience with no immediate exit to the trail in the forest. Once the tide comes in, you could end up on slippery algae, rocks and clams that can make it difficult to walk on and keep your stability.

Backpacking the West Coast Trail can either be done walking high off the sea bed in the forest or on the beach down below. It is beautiful to hike on the beach. Wonderful scenery offers many opportunities to see marine wildlife in addition to different rock formations. It creates a nice contrast to being in the wide open space instead of being surrounded by the forest all the time. Depending on where you walk, you might get to see old derelict treasures on the trail.

7. Old Derelict Treasures on the Trail

An old donkey engine is in the first and second picture and my brother and I are standing by an old rusted wheel (third picture). We huge boiler (fourth picture), and an old remnant of a boat were found on the beach (last picture).

If you love history, you’ll love finding all these treasures in the woods or along the beach. Walking along the trail in the woods, you’ll come across old donkey engines. Various parts of ships can be found along the beach, including a barrel and a shipwreck. Not being interested in ships myself, it’s still fascinating to discover ship remnants left on the sea bed over many years. Ships had collided with the west coast of Vancouver Island due to fog and distant lighthouses not shining strongly enough for them to see their path in the ocean.

8. Lighthouses Backpacking the West Coast Trail

On Carmanah Point, you’ll find Carmanah Lighthouse (first and picture), where two families lived in separate houses year-round at the time. This is the first lighthouse you’ll see travelling south to north on the trail. The second lighthouse, Pachena Point lighthouse (last picture), built in 1908 is also found backpacking the West Coast Trail. It is considered one of the major coastal lights on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. The eight-sided building is the last original wooden light tower on the West Coast of Canada.

9. West Coast Trail Tips: Cable Cars

Many times throughout the trail, cable cars were used to get across creeks or rivers. Two people can fit at a time with the backpacks in the middle.

Tip #1: If you have people at both ends, they can help pull you across; otherwise, you’ll need some strong muscles to pull your own body weight over to the other side.

Some backpackers chose to wear light colours and ended up with rust-stained shirts by the end of the cable car crossing. Remember, it’s extremely wet backpacking the West Coast Trail.

Tips #2: When metal is left in the rain, it rusts and when the wheels turn, it will spray on you. It’s not a clean process. Expect to be dirty and exhausted after crossing, unless you can get some fellow backpackers to help you along. Hikers help each other out on the West Coast Trail. If others are close by, they’ll be happy to help you out, knowing they might appreciate assistance in the future.

10. Two Boat Crossings

My brother (left) and my parents (right) on a ferry crossing Nitinaht Narrows.

There are two crossings (Gordon River and Nitinaht Narrows) that need to be traversed by ferry, run by the Ditidaht and Pacheedaht First Nations. The first ferry crossing if you’re going south to north, is a five-minute ride across the Gordon River to the West Coast Trail trailhead run by the local indigenous community. It costs $22/person to go across. Going from Cribs Creek to Tsusiat Falls, you’ll have to cross Nitinaht Narrows by ferry to get across Nitinaht Lake. The ride takes between twenty and thirty minutes. It also costs $22/person. It allows for a nice break to sit and relax.

West Coast Trail Tips: The cost of both ferries is added to the total price when making the initial West Coast Trail reservation.

11. Ladders Everywhere

West Coast Trails Tips: Ladders are found everywhere along the trail. If you hike in the forest, you’ll require a ladder when going down to cross a stream or a river and then back up on the other side. We counted five different sets of ladders containing two hundred and fourteen steps, in one day! All the campsites are found on the beach. Every time you want to walk on the sea bed for your hike or set up camp, this will involve going down ladders to reach the beach and then back up the next morning. You’ll get lots of exercise to start and end your day.

12. Boardwalk Conditions Vary

The trail seemed in a worst state the second time, ten years later, as steps were missing going up and down ladders. Parks Canada does its best to maintain the trails. They keep making repairs on an ongoing basis. With the wet weather the area receives, it’s hard to have the entire trail in perfect condition at all times.

Slippery Boardwalks

We knew boardwalks got slippery. Poles gave us some stability. The West Coast Trail though, is a different ball game. You’ll never see boardwalks as slippery as you will there. My dad was walking slowly being cautious as we had heard stories about the slippery trail conditions. Before he knew it, he was flying off the boardwalk with his hiking boots and the entirety of his gear on his back. His glasses went flying and by some miracle, he caught them in his hand in mid-air, before they had a chance to fall into the abyss. He was hanging onto the sloped boardwalk with his hands (this one hadn’t been repaired yet) and his feet were hanging off an extremely steep cliff.

It was like watching a Bugs Bunny cartoon show. So ridiculous, it would never happen type of situation. But, I assure you, it did. Since then, boardwalks bring on a whole new meaning.

Make your best judgment and be cautious on the parts of the trail that haven’t been maintained recently.

13. West Coast Trail Tips: Share the Load!

As a family of four, we were competing to reduce our weight quickly from our backpacks when it came to meals. We went for seven nights and had two suppers each to cook, with one extra, in case we ran into trouble. It was funny to see everyone offering to cook their meal early in the trek to alleviate the weight. We had a combination of West Coast Trail: Exciting Food. Some included one of the following: rice or noodles with dehydrated vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, green beans) and dehydrated meat (chicken, hamburger, pork). The rice packages come with spices already, making it nice and easy. Two packages of rice with an assortment of veggies and meat will provide enough food for a family of four.

14. Boulders and Logs on the Beach

Once you get rid of the logs, mud bogs, and slippery roots, the pleasure continues by going over boulders and driftwood on the beach. Sometimes, they are so immense, that you will need to remove your backpack. There are always new challenges around the corner. You’ll never be bored, that’s for sure!

15. Kilometre Markers

There are yellow kilometre markers along the way to help you plan and encourage you to keep going.

West Coast Trail tips: It’s also helpful to know how far away you are from your campsite. They stand out nicely against the green plants, trees and moss in the background.

16. Eat Salmon at Nitinaht Narrows Boat Crossing

At Nitinaht Narrows, before crossing Nitinaht Lake by ferry, you can order fresh salmon, crab or lobster with a baked potato and a drink at the boat crossing. This is going from Cribs Creek to Tsusiat Fall or vice versa. It’s quite pricey but totally worth the delicious fresh meal caught earlier that day. You’ll find a choice of pop, beer, and chips for additional treats to go with your meal if you wish. They don’t take credit cards; make sure to bring some cash with you on the trail.

17. Scary Crossing

When choosing to hike along the beach, there is a scary crossing (captured by Scott Ross) over a surge channel that required you to grab onto a flimsy rope to guide you across, while stepping on algae with rushing water below you. If you slip, you could end up falling into the ocean and being swept away. Scary thought!

West Coast Trail Tips

Tip #1: When the conditions are dry it doesn’t feel scary (this was our second time backpacking the trail).

Tip #2: When the conditions are wet (the first and third time), it feels more nerve-wracking even with the rope that can help guide you across. Since it had been raining, the conditions were slippery making it a huge factor for feeling uncomfortable crossing. Take your time, be patient, encourage each other and you’ll be across in no time.

18. Walking on the Beach

Walking on the beach can be pleasant coming from an enclosed forest to seeing everything around you, even if it’s foggy.

Hiking can seem so simple on the beach, except that it might feel like walking one step forward and two steps back at times. Make sure to give yourself enough time. It can be misleading how long it takes to hike on the beach.

It takes longer to walk around seashells and algae. Be cautious.

19. Gorgeous Sunny Days

Once in a while, you can experience gorgeous sunny days! These are wonderful, especially when being able to capture the hole in the wall at Tsusiat Point.

20. River Crossings

Every once in a while, we had to cross rivers in knee-deep water.

Tip #1: One option is to hold hands with a buddy as you walk across. Unbuckle your waist and chest belts, in case you fall in the water. You don’t want to be carried to the ocean with the weight of your pack underwater and potentially causing you to drown. Wearing boots is optional. You get more stability if you wear them but then your boots are soaking wet for the remainder of the day. I chose to wear my hiking sandals to get more grip and have dry hiking boots for the rest of the day. A pole helps give you some stability in the water.

Tip #2: Use one or two poles to help you get across.

I should not have been wearing my boots around my neck, in case I fell and they strangled me. It’s best to tie them up somewhere on the backpack. I figured that it would be fine, with a fairly shallow crossing. Use your own judgment.

21. Suspension Bridges

Many suspension bridges can be found throughout the West Coast Trail to facilitate getting across creeks and rivers. If you don’t like heights, like me, make sure no one else is behind you swinging the bridge, as it can be scary. It might be a fear that you’ll have to overcome to complete the trail.

On this bridge, you’ll have to take turns, as there isn’t enough space for two people crossing at the same time.

They do offer gorgeous views of the ocean though, to offer encouragement!

22. Setting up Camp on the Beach

The nice part of being on the beach with driftwood surrounding your tent is that you can easily set up a clothesline to dry out things after it’s been raining. It allows a nice place to sit for good conversations or relax to read a book. On the West Coast Trail, there isn’t a separate designated eating area. We made sure to cook and eat in the sand in front of and away from our tents. If you’re lucky, you might even see wildlife while eating your meal.

23. Exhaustion on the West Coast Trail!

If you’re exhausted, you can rest your head and take a nap in the sand. Don’t underestimate how tired you’ll be at the end of each day. It’s a gruelling trip that demands observation; constantly paying attention to the mud, roots, slippery logs and boardwalks, going up and down ladders, and walking on the beach. There are so many different components and technical skills required. It will be a much more enjoyable trip if you can keep calm, be patient, adapt and change your plans as situations arise. Allow yourself enough downtime at camp to set up, cook your meal, eat and enjoy the scenery while relaxing. One of the most valued parts of the trip is to experience it instead of speeding through the course.

24. Swimming at Tsusiat Falls

Gorgeous water temperature for swimming. Nice to wash off all the grit and feel refreshed again.

25. Memorable Trip Backpacking the West Coast Trail!

Extremely proud to have completed the West Coast Trail for a third time! What an enormous accomplishment! It is one of the most memorable trips you’ll ever do.

Every time my family and I do a trip together, our bond grows stronger and stronger. I really feel there is huge value in spending time doing outdoor adventures with family. They become your rock and people you can rely on, not only when doing your trips, but in your day-to-day life. You can learn so much from each other when you spend so much time together. One of our family routines, that we do at the end of every trip, is to congratulate each other with a family hug. It’s become one of those special traditions that I look forward to when planning a trip. It’s important to build those routines at an early age and give children and young adults something to look forward to every time.

My brother and I were strong hikers at both ages. We were extremely capable. Your children can do it too. Presume Outdoor Competence in Kids and go backpacking with them early to ensure they have enough experience before backpacking the West Coast Trail. You want to set them up for success with it being an immensely difficult backpacking trip. With lots of backpacking practice, encouragement, courage, confidence, determination and passion from your family, you’ll be successful backpacking the West Coast Trail too!

Final Thoughts

Make sure to keep these West Coast Trail tips handy when planning your West Coast Trail backpacking trip. It’s difficult every time but that’s why we do it. To overcome the challenges each time and be able to brag that you’ve accomplished it another time! Get ready by Backpacking Poboktan Trail Successfully and do a trial run before doing this trip. You’ll be happy that you put the time and effort to train prior to this adventure. Here is a weight breakdown of each item Kris and I brought on the trip. We also describe items we could have eliminated from our pack after completing the trip. Check out the Ultimate WCT Packing List for more info.

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