The Juan de Fuca Trail
The Juan de Fuca Marine trail stretches 47km on the south western part Vancouver Island, just south of the West Coast Trail. It stretches from China Beach near Jordan River to Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew. There are two additional trail heads at Parkinson Creek and Sambrio Beach. The hike has similar scenic feel asthe West Coast Trail.
Time and Distance:
Duration:
Approx 4 days
Starting Points:
Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew and China Beach. Private buses can be arranged for pickup to connect to the West Coast Trail.
Trail Conditions:
Check out the BC Parks website for camping fees, tidal tables (some parts of the trail are impassable at high tide), and trail conditions.
Group size limit:
Group size should be limited to a maximum of 10 people. Campsites are not designed to accommodation larger groups.
Camping:
Cost: $5/night. Beach camping available at Mystic Beach, Bear Beach, China Beach, Sombrio Beach. There are no designated sites, so camp on beach to prevent degradation of forest vegetation. Reservations can be made at https://secure.camis.com/Discovercamping/
Be sure to take the precautions of hanging your food, etc, as the park is prime habitat for bears and cougars. China Beach, Sombrio Beach, and Parkinson Creek have car accessible camp sites.
Time of Year:
June 15 to September 15 is peak hiking season. Hiking outside these times is possible, but you may encounter more water and muddy areas to cross.
Water:
Along the trail there are many suitable streams for gathering drinking water.
Wildlife:
You can spot Gray, Orca and Humpback Whales, seals and sea lions and small fish feeding close to shore. Eagles are quite common and check out our West Coast Bird list for other possible bird sightings.
