It can take you to China Beach trailhead or Port Renfrew from where is it about 2 km walking to Botanical Beach trailhead. You can try to hitchhike too although this is officially illegal. The bus should be booked in advance, especially during the high season summer weekends.
Great access for day hikers is at Sombrio Beach where the car park is only about m from the beach. There are only occasional marks and signposts on the trail. This period is usually quite short just a couple of hours or so , but it can be longer if the wind brings big waves. Basically, go to Tidal Predictions for Port Renfrew and compare the chart at the bottom with the following picture:.
The official advice is to treat or filter the water before using. Just use common sense. The trail is challenging, short, muddy, and with many ups and downs, but exceptional. It is very muddy though. The forest there is deep and can keep the moisture in for a long time. The official sources say that the hike is 47 km long. GPS is never very accurate when it comes to hikes with lots of ups and down in a short distance.
Is the trail open? Heard rumours it may be closed? What is the best time to hike this trail, weatherwise? Our plan is to do it in September. Did u face too much of rain?
When we did the Nootka Trail, day 1 was horrible, but thereafter we had wonderful weather. There is no bad weather, only bad clothes! Wild animals at night?
A lot of them prefer to move at night so yes, there would be wild animals at night like black bears. Hi Holly, what do you mean by younger children? The extended partial trail closure from East Sombrio to Mystic faded any hopes of a thru-hike until after Jun Still had a fun few days of hiking, camping, and testing gear and food.
Stayed at Payzant and East Sombrio campsites. Weather was sunny, calm and warm on day one. Cloudy, cool, and windy on days two and three. Route conditions were very dry northwest of Payzant, muddier and bushier to West-West Sombrio.
Got a late start departing Botanical Beach Trailhead at Route was very dry with only a couple of small mud holes easily passed. A few day hikers coming up from Botanical Beach. No other hikers until Payzant Creek.
Found a great campsite on west camping area overlooking ocean through tall trees. Saw lots of eagles and robins, and gear many Pacific wrens. Spring vegetation was bursting! Woke to overcast skies.
Broke camp and departed Payzant Creek at More mud holes today, but all easily passed. Lots of overgrown salal whacking at km. Scared a bear at 36 km. Saw a fisher climb and jump through the trees at Little Kuitshe Creek camp.
Past only two hikers of day heading the opposite way. Startled a big river otter at WW Sombrio bluff. Arrived at East Sombrio and only a half dozen camps on all of Sombrio Beach. The trail was closed beyond East Sombrio Beach. Sun finally appeared at The East Sombrio waterfall was beautiful in the glistening light! Woke to another morning of overcast skies.
Got an early start at and enjoyed the low tide coastal route. Only 11 other hikers on trail. Had good momentum and pushed through to end of trail, arriving at Botanical Beach Trailhead by Best wildlife sighting of trip was along tidal shelves northwest of Parkinson Creek, viewing a lazy river otter enjoying his solitude rolling around sunbathing!
This trail is not as remote or untouched as other Vancouver Island coastal routes; however, it was still on our bucket list to complete together. Even though we got an early start, the drive out of Victoria on Friday afternoon was frustratingly slow. The China Beach Trailhead area spawned weekenders with coolers and heavily-loaded backpackers. The main parking lot was completely full, so we scrambled to snag a spot in the adjacent lot and get organized. A set of prescription insoles fractured, requiring surgery with athletic tape.
The first few kilometres felt stiff and awkward. We pushed through the evening and felt refreshed after our first sleep on the trail.
Over the long weekend, we opened and relaxed, finding many pockets of wilderness and solitude. We grew to appreciate and love the Juan de Fuca Trail as a special and accessible hiking experience. To complete the entire trail in four days, we utilized Friday by hiking to Bear Beach in the late afternoon. The section to Mystic Beach 2. The biggest hazard was the air quality, as the smoke of many campfires billowed into the trees. Once leaving the crowds at Mystic, the trail bumped up and down creek gullies until one final descent to Bear Beach 8.
We took a short break at Rosemond Creek to fill our water bottles for the evening. The first camp at Bear Beach was extremely busy. People who had already claimed prime spots looked upon us with a mix of triumph and pity.
The tide was low enough for us to solve the first tide problem 8. We dumped our packs in the fading light and checked out the second camp zone near Clinch Creek 9. It was busier than the first, so we set up just east of the fray on a tiny patch of beach rocks. We guessed at the water mark and settled into our spot behind a large log.
High tide was predicted at h. Both of us woke at midnight to the sound of waves loud and close. At high tide, we exited the tent to watch a molten silver ocean swell and crash. Once the clock changed to h, we knew we were safe from floating away to Olympic National Park. We returned to bed on the turning tide.
Our goal for the second day was to have fun, but also to get to the next camp early! The section from Bear Beach to Chin Beach is notorious for its roller coaster terrain. After passing through the third camp zone of Bear Beach near Ledingham Creek It was a great workout, and the trail was almost completely dry. There were excellent views of Juan de Fuca Strait on the high points. We took a break near one creek while a pack of trail runners raced through.
The best wildlife of the day was hearing an eagle family in a tall tree near the ocean. After many hours on the trail, we were happy to arrive at the emergency cabin that marked the east entrance to Chin Beach. Our final descent brought us to a rock shelf and pebble beach. Despite the elevation changes, we made excellent time that day and were over-confident about camp. Surely, a premium spot awaited! As we hiked past the tide problem and into the Chin Beach Camp 21 km , we realized that a crowd was already well established.
There were a couple of empty tent areas close to a pit toilet and food cache, but these did not appeal. We hiked on to the centre of the beach and excavated a spot on the rocks. After setting up early and feeling accomplished, we ate a snack of vegan cheese and crackers.
The sun was warm, but there was a breeze to make us keep our jackets on. A few folks braved the ocean for a cold, splashy bird-bath. As the afternoon wore on, we were astounded to watch wave after wave of hikers invade the beach over the sandstone cliffs at the west end.
Where would they go? The best sighting was a group of about twenty glum-looking boy scouts. All were headed for the same small campsite area. When it was time for dinner, we reluctantly visited the main camp to collect water. The scene was like Everest Basecamp minus the mountains, the yaks, and the altitude.
Tents were pitched within inches of each other. Half-hearted bear hangs decorated the trees in reach of any creature taller than a chipmunk. Campfires smoldered. The trail lies just south of the popular West Coast Trail and is often hiked as a more-accessible alternative. The trail is usually completed in days and can be hiked north-to-south or south-to-north. The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail offers an incredible challenge full of technical and rugged terrain, with plenty of ups and downs, twists and turns.
To get an idea of the difficult nature of the trail, consider this: The trail reaches its highest point at about m. Yet the total cumulative elevation gain estimated is about 1, m! However, it rewards those willing to tackle the trail with incredible scenery and a sure-to-be unforgettable adventure at the western edge of the world. Juan de Fuca Trail video overview — This is a minute film of our hike of the trail in , and should give you an idea of what the trail is all about!
Always carry The Essentials and fill out a trip plan. The trail is shorter than the 75km West Coast Trail, but in many ways it is just as challenging. The Juan De Fuca trail is rugged, and has much more elevation gain and loss. Logistically, it is a lot easier to get onto the trail, and it certainly has fewer ladders to contend with.
You will need to pay for B. Parks Backcountry Camping permit for each night you are on the trail. It is easiest to pay in advance online, but there are self-registration forms at the Botanical Beach and China Beach Trailheads. More details and registration can be found here. Getting to the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park is fairly straightforward. First, you will need to get to Vancouver Island by B. Ferry or by airplane Victoria has an international airport. Vehicles can be left in the parking areas at the China Beach and Botanical Beach trailheads.
Do not leave any valuables in your car. Thieves regularly prey on these parking lots! You can leave your car at one trailhead and take the bus to the other. It is recommended you book your spot on the bus in advance. There are also trailheads at Sombrio Beach and Parkinson Creek. The town of Sooke is closest to the China Beach access point, and the town of Port Renfrew is close to the Botanical Beach access point. There is a drive-in campsite at the China Beach area.
This campsite must be reserved. Campsites along the Juan de Fuca Trail are all first come first served. You are encouraged to camp at designated campsites and on the beach when possible to prevent degradation of the inland forest environment. There are tent pads at West Sombrio you are encouraged to use. Little Kuitsche Creek and Payzant Creek are forest campsites. Fires are not permitted at these sites. Because of this, and the lack of ocean views, they are typically less desirable spots to camp.
They are also the two northern-most campsites. The Mystic Beach campsite is scenic and lies along a nice, sandy stretch of shore. However, as it is close to the China Beach trailhead, it often is skipped by through-hikers. There are three different creeks and camping areas along Bear Beach. All of them are great, and this is a popular campsite as the distance to campsites in either direction from here is relatively far. There is limited space at this campsite, so you may want to try to arrive here early to get your pick of sites.
It is a nice beach, and we saw a humpback whale and a dolphin here. People often hike in to camp or surf. All three are fantastic. West Sombrio is most popular with surfers and day-hikers so options may be limited. There is a fantastic waterfall at East Sombrio. Find the small stream coming out between the outhouse and just before the trail leaves the beach to climb inland.
Follow the creek inland and upstream and within a few minutes you will see the waterfall! Little Kuitshe Creek leaves something to be desired compared to the other campsites. However, because the distance from Sombrio to Botanical Beach is 18 km, you may need to camp here or at Payzant Creek.
Payzant Creek is greener and nicer than Little Kuitshe but there is no beach access from this campsite. There are 6 high tide cut off points. You may not be able to pass along the beach during high tide at these points. You should print the tide charts for the days you will be on the trail and bring this with you. Make sure you understand how to read the chart. A few of these sections have inland routes you can take if you get cut off by the high tide. Each hiker is responsible for hiking with a minimal impact on the environment.
Below are some etiquette guidelines, but these are by no means comprehensive. As always, it is best to hike by Leave No Trace principles link in the resources section for more info. My general advice for the Juan de Fuca Trail is the same as any through-hike or backpacking trek: Prepare and plan, and then plan some more.
Reduce weight at every possible chance. Plan a route and agree upon everything with your hiking partners. Then, be ready to be flexible with those plans once you start hiking as things almost never go to plan.
Go with the flow. Take it all in stride and enjoy the trials and tribulations of the trail! The biggest factor may be for logistical reasons of how you plan to get onto and off the trail, and the times of the bus.
Yes, however the trail may be too difficult for some dogs. It is up to you to assess whether or not the trail is suitable for your dog. Dogs should be kept on-leash. It may depend on your exact location and who your provider is.
You might have the best luck if you can roam onto a US carrier from the nearby United States.
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