Table Of Contenta greystone guide l
updated & expanded with new hikes
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The definitive guide to coastal hikes in eight
d on the hesquiat and brooks peninsulas
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distinct areas of western Vancouver Island.
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the west coast trail and
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I the juan de fuca marine trail · the nootka trail
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ancouver island offers some of the most spectacular I
N the wild pacific trail · the cape scott trails
coastline anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. Home to the
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world-famous West Coast Trail, 80 kilometres (50 miles) the carmanah-walbran trails
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of the most breathtaking and demanding hiking on the conti- H
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nent, Vancouver Island’s west coast is also the site of other spec-
W H i k i n g the
tacular coastal trails for all abilities.
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This updated edition of Hiking the West Coast of Vancouver S
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Island covers every major coastal hike along Vancouver Island’s
CW e s t C o a s t
western shore. The windstorms of the past several years altered
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the landscape of several hikes featured in the original book, and A
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author Tim Leadem has retraced the trails to present hikers with
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the most up-to-date information. This edition also features two
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new chapters of hikes in the Hesquiat and Brooks peninsulas. F
This book is an indispensable guide, delivering such detailed V
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information as: N of Va ncou V er I s l a nd
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• estimates of distance, time and difficulty for each hike O
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• instructions on how to get to the trailheads
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• special features and hazards to be aware of E
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• tips on the best campsites, side trips and local contacts
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• maps and tide tables to buy, and a primer on how to use them S
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• checklists of general equipment, clothing, and cooking and
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eating gear to bring N
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©
Vancouver/Toronto/Berkeley
www.greystonebooks.com $22.95
Cover design by Jessica Sullivan
Cover photograph
© Ron Watts/Getty Images ti m leade m
Printed and bound in Canada
Printed on forest-friendly paper · · ·
Distributed in the U.S. by
Publishers Group West
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hiking the west coast of vancouver island
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the
H I K I N G
WW EE SS TT CC OO AA SS TT
t i m
l e a d e m
· · ·
of VA N C O U V E R I S LA N D
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updated & expanded
the
H I K I N G
WW EE SS TT CC OO AA SS TT
t i m
l e a d e m
· · ·
of VA N C O U V E R I S LA N D
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Douglas & McIntyre Publishing Group
Vancouver/Toronto/Berkeley
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Copyright © 2005, 2008 by Tim Leadem
08 09 10 11 12 5 4 3 2 1
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without
the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian
Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For a copyright licence,
visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.
Greystone Books
A division of Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.
2323 Quebec Street, Suite 201
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada v5t 4s7
www.greystonebooks.com
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Leadem, Tim
Hiking the west coast of Vancouver Island /
Tim Leadem. —Updated & expanded.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-1-55365-382-0
1. Hiking—British Columbia—Vancouver Island Guidebooks.
2. Trails—British Columbia—Vancouver Island—Guidebooks.
3. Vancouver Island (B.C.)—Guidebooks. I. Title.
gv199.44.c22v35 2008 796.51’097112 c2008-900192-3
Editing by Naomi Pauls and Iva Cheung
Cover design by Jessica Sullivan
Text design by Jessica Sullivan and Peter Cocking
Cover photograph © Ron Watts/Getty Images
Photos by Adrian Dorst and Tim Leadem
Maps by Clover Point Cartographics Ltd., Grafische and Eric Leinberger
Printed and bound in Canada by Friesens
Printed on acid-free paper that is forest friendly (100% post-consumer
recycled paper) and has been processed chlorine free.
Distributed in the U.S. by Publishers Group West
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Canada
Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, the Province
of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit, and
the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry
Development Program (bpidp) for our publishing activities.
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contents
preface and acknowledgements vii
introduction 1
1 Coastal Hiking 9
2 The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail 29
3 The West Coast Trail 45
4 Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park 77
5 Long Beach and the Tofino/Ucluelet Area 89
6 The Hesquiat Peninsula 109
7 The Nootka Trail 119
8 The Brooks Peninsula 135
9 Cape Scott Provincial Park and Area 143
10 Natural History 163
11 First Nations 171
12 Conservation 175
for further reading 187
index 191
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Near Bonilla Point, West Coast Trail
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pprreeffaaccee aanndd
aacckknnoowwlleeddggeemmeennttss
· · · · ·
This guidebook just kept growing. For many years, I edited and later
authored a guidebook to the West Coast Trail. Over the years, though,
I have hiked many other trails on the wet west coast of Vancouver Is-
land (including all of the ones in this book) and I have long wanted to
share them with others who enjoy exploring the wilderness.
For me, the question is always how to do this responsibly. I realize
that by broadcasting the physical appeal and beauty of a place, some-
thing of its wildness may be lost as more people are attracted to expe-
rience the same landscape. However, I also understand that by
promoting remote areas, they are more likely to be protected from
development. That is the paradox: to conserve an untouched place,
it must often be opened to human scrutiny in order to obtain the will
to preserve it. Too often, though, some of the wild is rubbed away in
the process.
I am a firm believer that people need untamed places for their
souls. The sense of the spiritual that is in all of us is touched by these
scenes—the swirling of the sea as it shoots up surge channels, the
liquid emerald of a stream as it runs through a rocky gorge, the glint
of the sun as it shines o¤ a tiny fern in the dank humus of the forest
floor. Perhaps we need these wild places just to be and not necessar-
ily to be there for us. The many species that make up the forest eco-
system can survive quite nicely without us. There should be places
on this globe where humans do not dare to tread.
Enjoy these hikes. Take in their incredible beauty and inexhaust-
ible wonder, but leave these sacred places as you find them. Better
still, do your part to ensure that we may know other wild places in our
hearts if not with our eyes.
vii
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Wild Side Trail, Flores Island
Hikers who enjoy these trails—and I certainly include myself
within this group—owe considerable thanks to the conservationists
who had the foresight and fortitude to fight to preserve the lands
viii | preface
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upon which we walk. Humphrey Davy, Jim Hamilton, Hugh Mur-
ray, Karen McNaught, Ric Careless, John Willow and Gordy Price
all pioneered the West Coast Trail and the hikes around Nitinat Lake
in order to promote the area and conserve it. The Juan de Fuca Trail
benefited from similar e¤orts from Sierra Club members Bruce
Hardy, Chris Nation, John Newcombe and Greg Darms. The pres-
ervation of the Carmanah Valley is due largely to the hard work of
the Western Canada Wilderness Committee. A large chunk of the
Walbran Valley has been saved from clear-cut logging through the
combined e¤orts of several environmental groups, including the
Carmanah Forestry Society led by Syd Haskell.
For their many helpful comments and suggestions while I was
writing this guide, I thank the employees of Pacific Rim National
Park Reserve and bc Parks. Similarly, I am grateful to the many hik-
ers along the way who o¤ered commentary. To hiking companions,
past and present, who share the scenery and sometimes the travails
of the trail, may the path rise up to greet you and may the wind be
ever at your back. I especially thank Susan Bates for her companion-
ship on many of these ventures.
I also thank Naomi Pauls, Lucy Kenward and Iva Cheung, fine
editors at Douglas & McIntyre, for their suggestions and critiques.
Mapping was done by Clover Point Cartographics and Eric Lein-
berger.
Since conditions along these trails are constantly changing, nei-
ther the author nor the publisher guarantees the accuracy of the
information in this book. You must allow for the unexpected.
preface | ix
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