4 Unforgettable Days on the Juan de Fuca Trail

A spectacular 47km backpacking trip through Vancouver Island's Juan De Fuca Provincial Park.

Hiking Moderate, Difficult

Description

The Juan De Fuca Trail is a fantastic 47km coastal backpacking trip which resembles a miniature version of the West Coast Trail, and is a great introductory multi-day hike. This route is typically hiked in 4 days, although experienced hikers can complete it faster, and trail runners can do the entire trail in a single day.

As with many of the coastal trails on Vancouver Island, you encounter some beautiful beaches, plenty of wildlife and lots of mud. You will be thankful you packed the gaiters for this trip, I would rate them as essential to ensuring you have an enjoyable time on the trail.

Unlike the West Coast Trail (permits for which are very expensive and limited in availability) the Juan De Fuca is available to everyone year-round, although summer is the best time to complete this trail. There are no reservations required, you pay the campground fees at the trailhead when you start the trip, or online on the BC Parks reservation website.

Vancouver Island is home to a large array of wildlife - there are plenty of sea creatures to be seen in the rock pools on the beaches and whales are also sometimes seen from the beach. This trail does travel through black bear territory, the trail has previously been closed in places due to bears and all the campgrounds do have bear lockers.

If you are looking to get away for a few days and experience some of the amazing scenery found on Vancouver Island, then this is a great way to do it. There's a great mix of terrain, plenty of waterfalls and some unbelievable sunsets. This trail is family friendly and has a number of entry and exit points to allow you to mix up the itinerary to suit you.