West Coast Trail Preparation Guide
Follow this link to the trail guide produced by
the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. It has
all the info you will need to plan your trip on
the West Coast Trail.

Gordon Head
Depending on which direction you wish to
take, this is the start or the end. It was the
start for us, but either way, you have to take a
boat from here to Port Renfrew, across the bay.

Thrasher Cove
The first night for most going from
south to north.

Owen Point
A walk through cave at Owen Point marks
the point where the trail turns to a northerly
direction up the coast. The cave is all sandstone
which has eroded slowly over time.

Owen Point
Looking south as we leave Owen Point,
over the tidal shelf which is traversable only
during low tide.

Cullite Cove
Our second night. Beautifully cut
sandstone cliffs on either side of an emerald
green ocean stretching to the tip of the Olympic Peninsula.

Cullite Cove Campsite
As beautiful as Cullite Cove is you need
to get there early if you wish to overnight
there as campsites are scarce.

Suspension Bridge
Throughout the trail are suspension
bridges and ladders. A convenience not shared
by earlier users of this trail 40 years ago.

Ladders
One of the characteristics of this 74
kilometer trail is the extensive vertical
ladders dropping you into and lifting you out
of the seemingly infinite number of ravines
throughout the trail.

Board Walks
An otherwise knee deep marsh has been
tracked with (in some parts) several kilometers
of boardwalks.

Trolleys
Another modern convenience is the
number of trolleys spanning across the deeper
rivers such as the Caramana and Walbran
rivers.

Clearing with a view!
A small clearing in the thick canopy of
rainforest reveals an elevated view of the ocean
and thick morning mist.

Bonilla Point
Approaching Bonilla Point, although the
beach is flat the sand makes walking with a 50
pound pack painfully exhausting as the energy
from each step is absorbed by the loose sand.

Bonilla Point
Bonilla Point with Caramana Lighthouse in
the far background.

Snack Attack!
Two kilometers south of Caramana
lighthouse a resident native family has set up
an oasis of chocolate, beer and pop in an
otherwise granola eating environment. The next
morning I enjoyed "stick to your ribs"
pancakes with maple syrup.

Carmanah h Lighthouse
A nice place to stop for lunch and watch
the sea lions, Caramanah Lighthouse marks the
halfway point on the trail. One of the last few
manned lighthouses on the west coast, the
residents are all too happy to tell you all about
the history of the lighthouse.

Carmanah Point north
Just north of the Caramana lighthouse a
stretch of beach reveals the northern half of
the trail. Note: the farthest reach of land in
the mid left of the picture is PachenaPoint
(10 km from trails end).

Cheewat River
The Cheewat river on the Dittidat Native
Reserve emulates a ghost like presence while
hiking through this area.

Cheewat River bridge
Another suspension bridge spans over
the Cheewat River.

Tsusiat Falls
Great place for an overnight camp!

Tsusiat Falls
Even on a rainy day Tsusiat falls is a
marvelous sight and a great place to spend the
night with a water fall to the east and ocean to
the west.

Pachena Lighthouse
10 km from the northern trail head this
lighthouse has an interesting history worth
hearing if you’re lucky enough to hear the story.

Pachena Bay
Beautiful Pachena Bay was once
historically home to the Pachena Native Tribe
before it was flooded by a tidal wave from an
earthquake in the Pacific.

Learn more about Pacific Rim National Park & The West Coast Trail

Be sure to read other articles by Action Shop in the BC Adventure Network

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