West Coast Trail

Better to hike from North to South or South to North and why?? Thanks OldScout

Here's my suggestion for an itenerary for you, from the south. Taking it easy.

Day 1: Oritentation - hike to thrasher, camp at thrasher it's only 6 km. and it will take you 3-4 hours (it does take me 3). it's a very rough part of the trail - and beautiful. go slow, take breaks, admire the trees and donkey engine.

Day 2: get up early and CHECK YOUR TIDE TABLE so you have very low tides, hike slowly through the rocks and boulders down the beach from thrasher to get to owen point - you want a really low tide at owen point. it's worth getting up super early for this (I will be doing this on the 11th - getting up and walking at 4:30 AM, then proabably having breakfast at owen point!) but check your tide tables. then walk on the shelf to beach access (you'll see some water coming down some round brown sandstone you hike up to the floats that mark the beach access) and through the trail to camper. camp at camper -

Day 3 Camper to walbran - ladders, mud, and cable cars. it's awsome and tiring celebrate at walbran - it's nice, big gravel beach, and there's often whales. you're done the hard stuff.

Day 4 Walbran to cribs - walk as far out on the shelf as you can, it's awesome. beach walk around carmannah cove - lunch of a burger and cokes at moniques. if you drink throw a beer in your backpack for the evening. (you'll have to pack the empty away, but you can leave it at nitnat narrows the next day) Then up, and over the point, visit the carmannah lighthouse, and down the shelf to cribs - cribs is only about 1.5 km from chez moniques (which is about 1 km on the beach past the carmannah campsite.

Day 5 - cribs to tsusiat - longer day, but nice. take a reasonable bit of water from cribs, as there is no water until past the cheewat river where you cross on a white bridge. Just after this bridge, there is a small spring/creek that has water in it (the river is not drinkable) ask at orientation if there is water in this and plan accordingly. If you start early, you'll arrive at nitnat narrows at lunchish time - have a crab they are awesome. grab a coke and snacks, get ferried across.
I love the next section, great views. camp at tsusiat falls, shower in the falls, sleep on the beach, watch out for the mice and crows - don't leave any food unattended or in your tent

Day 6 - Tusisat to michigan or tsowais - easy day. easy walking now, camp at michigan and enjoy your last night. if you don't mind a slightly longer (by an hour and a half to 2 hours) walk out to the trailhead in the morning, stay at tscowais instead of michigan. tscowais is 16 km from the trailhead and pretty with a waterfall. michigan is nice, but often busy.


Day 7 get up early, 12 km (or 16 km) to the trailhead and get trail bus back to victoria. a hint at the end - if you get to where you can *see* pachena bay (a big wide sandy bay) on your left just after crossing a bridge - leave the trail and walk through a few rocks and across the beach - approximately in the middle is trail straight through past some old outhouses to the trailhead. if you stay on the trail you'll also get there but there are some silly ladders and it's not as nice smile

Glad to see you had fun with it Chuk..

I was away a bunch after my WCT trip last year and never got a chance to ask you how it went.

Oldscout, check your PM's I sent you some stuff.

I've done this trail 5 times - three one ways and once as a yo-yo

The harder part is the south, it's more rugged, more mud, more ladders. the northernmost 20 km or so is much easier. if you time your tides so you're walking on the good shelf sections lots of the rest is really nice too..

I sent Oldscout and itenerary, I'll repost here the suggestion I gave Chuk last year: