6 Things to know about the Juan de Fuca trail. Its beauty is close to the better known West Coast trial, but has the advantage of not needing to book months in advance, and can be … So, we ended up hiking 36km instead of 47km, and didn’t end up using our extra day of food. We thoughtfully looked for a camp site with good drainage. Some of the hiking was along the coast, such as the next section, going north from Sombrio Beach. Thanks for subscribing! Down at the beach, we came across a few tent sites. Despite much effort, we didn’t manage to find any starfish, but we did see lots of tiny crabs and anemones. You don’t have to put the note on your car, the rangers actually said it was a bad idea – encourages car theft…. It is about 47 KM and we will be hiking from south to north. “Cycling meditation” is an interesting idea, like walking meditation, I suppose. But then it rained the whole night, and at some point we decided to switch off the alarm clock which basically sealed the deal. The forest is often lush first-growth forest, miraculously saved from the saw, unlike the unlucky trees just a few hundred meters up the slope – the protected area is very narrow. So heavy that I chose not to weigh it so I wouldn’t know how heavy it was. #boulderingr, Influencer. Driving along the Juan de Fuca road, while everyone else was napping, I thought back to a before-kids trip on which we had cycled this very road. This restaurant is infamous for its delicious food and extra-chatty owner. We finally had an idea of how to find out why… by asking him! Carrying all your gear as well as a 15kg (or more) toddler in any conditions would be challenging enough. The Juan de Fuca Trail has plenty of ups and downs, especially on the section between China Beach and Bear Beach. If you’ve already done a few overnight hiking trips and you want to push yourself a little further, the Juan de Fuca trail … I thought we had over-ordered, but we all wolfed down our food with no problems. Prepare for mud on the Juan de Fuca if it’s just rained a lot, the mud puddles can be big enough to swallow hiking boots whole. Such is life for a family of four on a five (or six) day hiking trip along the Juan de Fuca Trail. Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is a 31.4 mile moderately trafficked point-to-point trail located near Capital Regional District, British Columbia, Canada that features a river and is rated as difficult. The trail was dry that weekend, … Looking at his shins, they looked as if someone had plastered them with mud and then polished it in, embedding it forever in the flesh (or so I imagined). It took some convincing to get him to step right into the mud with the semi-open and very low sandals, instead of trying to avoid it (near impossible), but eventually we gained some speed. Bear Beach to Chin Beach (12km) On the official trail map, the full section for this day is labeled as … So, our final day on the Juan de Fuca Trail was  a bit of a challenge. This time last year my sister-in-law & I hiked the West Coast Trail … I was surprised to see no one on the shuttle wearing a mask, but I wore mine – I guess I’m ok with being the odd one out. Luckily we hit it at low tide, so we got a chance to explore the tide pools while meandering along, generally in the right direction. We are in training to hike the Juan de Fuca trail and expect to start our trip on April 12,2013. On that same day we drove to Sombrio Beach, which due to the easy beach access featured a combination of the sun-bleached surfer crowd, and the roll-this-rickety-cooler crowd. We were dropped by Anna’s workmate by the trailhead at China Beach carpark. Oh well. The one that we chose had this extra section in the back, so we thought that would be convenient for cooking. The next section, from Bear Beach to Chin Beach was supposedly the hardest, and at 13km could not be split (legally) into two sections since there are no campgrounds in between. On the ferry, we had the semi-mandatory soft-serve ice cream, and then enjoyed a surprise viewing of a group of dolphins. Actually, it was only the hiking part that was short. Always love a peek of view through foliage like a trailer clip of the views to come. You still get to see amazing vistas and shoreline and yea bears but without the difficult rope and ladder … (C) 2020 - Bored in Vancouver. So tough! Hiking the Juan De Fuca Trail . My backpack was VERY heavy. The West Coast trail and Juan de Fuca trail are two multi day coastal hiking trails starting very close to one another outside the town of Port Renfrew and running in opposite directions on the … At the trail head, I had to leave Maya and the kids to hike into Port Renfrew, just 2kms away. Just a casual early May swim in the river... friends in high places. This was an introduction to the real Juan de Fuca Trail, which differs from that oh-so-easy mystical trail leading to Mystic Beach… To say that the trail is muddy is a bit deceiving, it is more like travelling directly through a Robin Hood worthy bog, in sections. We tackled the Juan de Fuca from North to South and have gathered a few tips if you’re planning on hiking the trail…. He said that his shins were rubbing the gumboots he was wearing. It was here that we were passed by a very large group, apparently with seven tents… COVID concerns aside, given that each campground there only has maybe ten reasonable sites, that seems kind of irresponsible. The Juan de Fuca trail stretches along the southern shore of Vancouver Island, from China beach (outside of Jordan river) to Port Renfrew. The most difficult section just has a lot of ups and downs, but the moderate sections are LONG. This was an introduction to the real Juan de Fuca Trail, which differs from that oh-so-easy mystical trail leading to Mystic Beach… To say that the trail is muddy is a bit deceiving, it is more like … It was lucky that we nabbed one of them, since just a moment later part of that large group came hiking back along the beach looking for a site… We had our dinner right by the beach and collected some salmon berries to supplement our oatmeal the next day. It’s famous for the extensive tide pools, so we explored a bit, under heavy rain, and hiked out. What were we thinking? So if you need to bail on the trail… The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is a great shorter less difficult alternative to the West Coast Trail. Getting to the trail head, on Vancouver Island, involved a 45 minute drive, a 45 minute wait for the ferry, a 1.5 hour ferry, and a 2 hour drive. The Juan de Fuca Trail is a beautiful wilderness trail that hugs the west coast of Vancouver Island between Jordan River(north of Sooke) and Port Renfrew. The West Coast Trail was. This area generally gets a good … It’s going to be muddy, bring hiking poles! Get on out there and … Expect hours of negotiating mud if it has rained at all, slippery … Our group of three started off as most do, all smiles and no … We drove out via the back road to Lake Cowichan, and then to our good friends Jan and Warrick on the Cowichan River. It's 12km of ups & downs & a decent amount of mud. It’s not an easy trail, so our pace was slow. . We’ve lived in BC for 14 years, and have done a bunch of hiking, but this was our first experience hiking one of the local coastal trails. Our journey north continues on the Juan de Fuca trail, this time heading from Bear Beach to Chin Beach. We went back and forth, and finally decided to get up early and try to do it. Even if you have a plan of which beaches you’ll be camping at each night, expect to be flexible. May 26th – 28th, 2014 Juan de Fuca Trail. Although most of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is designed for … Especially on weekends. June 1, 2020: Please note that Juan de Fuca Provincial Park re-opens today. All Rights Reserved. If you can’t find the perfect campsite, just keeping walking along the beach – sometimes they pop up in hidden locations. the trail is EXTREMELY muddy. The hike to Payzant Creek Campground was through beautiful and lush forest, with a short section of really good trail near one of the trail heads, and then back to the usual muddy situation. Always prepare for the worst and hope for the best. . On this day Neil was hiking even slower than before. If you can’t see the buoys leading back into the forest in the distance, don’t take the chance…. The Juan de Fuca Trail is a 47km thru hike on the west coast of southern Vancouver Island. … While many people automatically associate Vancouver Island with the renowned West Coast Trail, the nearby Juan de Fuca Trail features much of … From log bridges to walk carefully across (one dad explained to his daughter that her ballet training would come in handy here—good balance and strong legs are required for hiking too!) Other sections are eroded and full of roots. Luckily our first day was short, and ended at the appropriately named Mystic Beach. In fact, I thought to myself that our several hours of hiking a day could best be referred to as suffering, but that feeling subsided by the end of the second day. Located on Southern Vancouver Island, The Juan de Fuca trail is a MUST do for trail runners seeking a true coastal experience. One of the other campers tipped us off that she had noticed an empty site right by the outhouse. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The views along the Juan De Fuca trail – beautiful! BIV is back! It is a … The hike can also be broken up into smaller sections, so if you’re not willing to go overnight you could always camp out at one of the many beaches on the way from Sooke to Port Renfrew. We even put up our tarp for lunch, for a short reprieve from the cold and wet. The Juan de Fuca Trail has plenty of ups and downs especially on the section between Chin Beach and Bear Beach. Both trails can be quite technical depending on conditions, but the Juan de Fuca has multiple beach access points with parking lots. The Juan de Fuca Ridge and the Juan de Fuca Plate, a tectonic plate underlying much of the coastline he explored, is named for the Strait of Juan de Fuca. #hornbyis, The best thing about picking someone up from the a. Despite the sun, and running a boot drier for more than 24 hours, our boots were still partially wet when we left. We spent the next two days lazing around, enjoying the nearby Cowichan River, and drying out our gear. We’re ready for more, especially since Jan and Warrick tell us that the Juan de Fuca ranks pretty low on their list of BC’s coastal hikes. There’s something to be said for staying flexible, and adapting to changing conditions and a changing environment. It was challening, but also beautiful and special. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Discovery Islands: It’s a Wild World (Video), Discovery Islands Loop: Minimum Planning For the Win, Brazeau Loop and More: Two Weeks in the Rockies. The Juan de Fuca Trail continued to present us with new challenges that day. Sample itinerary: From North to South we managed to Botanical Beach -> Sombrio -> China Beach -> Mystic Beach -> Car. we had the best weather and still passed some mud oceans. The Juan de Fuca trail is a much cheaper and easier to access trail than the West Coast Trail. Similar to the West Coast Trail but shorter and much cheaper, the Juan de Fuca trail has a similar natural setting with fewer ladders. The other way around you could do Bear Beach -> Chin Beach -> Sombrio  -> Car. In the early afternoon, we finally arrived to Botanical Beach, just one km or so from the actual end of the trail. On a normal year one could probably rely on hitchhiking, but were weren’t sure that would work (or be fair) this year. Not as remote as the West Coast Trail (WCT), some of the … Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Three words, 47 kilometres of varied terrain, a significant amount of mud, and some of the most beautiful coast line in all of BC. In the meantime, I caught a ride easily into town, and spent the extra time checking my email while waiting for the shuttle. Till next time. The car park was completely full and we started to worry that the campsites along the trail … The rest of the family survived (only Maya was cold), and we celebrated with a huge meal. We seriously lucked out with the weather on our trip, sunny blue skies, without a single drop of rain. Click HERE for more details. . Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. (And we preferred it). Luckily we had brought another option for him, his Native sandals. I so look forward to the episodes of your wonderful family adventures. #vancouver #mtseymour #influencer #li, which beaches you’ll be camping at each night, 10 unique vacations to take near Vancouver, Day trip to Newcastle Island Provincial Park, Best places to have beach bonfires in Vancouver, Dog-friendly off-leash hikes in Vancouver, Everyone does South to North, but North to South is a perfectly fine option! Luckily, given the multiple access points, we could skip the next section – we hiked back out via Mystic Beach, spending another lovely and mystical night there, and back out to the car. If you want a good campsite, make sure to get there early. Starting from China Beach heading northbound to Botanical Beach, Port Renfrew. Despite the Juan de Fuca Trail being a coastal hike, most of the hiking is in the forest. Our mystical campsite, right on the beach, had wide views (of course), and a swing hanging from a precariously positioned down-sloping log, a waterfall going straight into the ocean, only accessible at low tide, and a little waterfall right behind our tent that soothed us to sleep and provided us with a convenient water source. In retrospect we were very glad we skipped that middle part, since especially with all the rain at the end, it felt like we “just made it” as is, no room for an extra 11kms. It’s going to cost you $10 per campsite, per night, per person. Juan de Fuca Trailhead – Mystic Beach. The Juan de Fuca trail on Vancouver Island is a fun multi-day hiking adventure that will take you through beaches, forests, and mud pits. Some of the beaches may be underwater at high tide, there is however always an alternative trail in the forest. At the beginning we also had to get used to our super-heavy packs. Then there are the slippery boardwalks and broken steps, and logs (also slippery) that one must walk along, tight-rope style, while not falling into the creek some meters below. But dang it, the West Coast Trail … I thought about how this is just a reflection of humans being remarkable in their ability to get used to difficult situations. Botanical Beach to Little Kuitsche Creek. On that note, don’t pitch your tent where the tide might hit it…. The entrances from beach to forest trail … to the ever-present mud holes to a rope to help us cross one rocky ravine, the trail … We arrived to Little Kuitshe Campground to find it full, or so it seemed. That sounded not so appealing, but after looking into it, it was actually the perfect site – off to the side, on its own, unlike the other sites that were all together. Wow, what a challenging experience. Too late to move our tent, but we found somewhere else to cook at least. Posted on August 22, 2014 in Canada, Hiking. It rained during the night, and the next morning, and… the whole day. Located on the west coast of southern Vancouver Island, Juan de Fuca … They had a cozy fire going for us, and of course some yummy home-baked desserts. Later that same group with seven tents showed up, to a full-looking campground. So heavy that lifting it required an orchestrated series of moves, which ended with an impossible to suppress grunt. Please read the BC Parks Visitor Guide to Camping During COVID-19 for tips on recreating responsibly.. Well done for being so flexible, having a good time despite the conditions, and getting everyone home safe and sound! The shuttle dropped me off at the turnoff for Sombrio Beach, and I mostly ran down the road, still in heavy rain. If the weatherman calls for sun, don’t trust them! The west coast of Vancouver Island can be a very wet place. Some of them ended up squished between the existing tents, and others ended up right by the outhouse. The Juan de Fuca trail has some sections that can be hiked on the beach. Hikers should be prepared for uneven ground and slippery … Yes, you can expect all of this and so much more when you commit to hiking Vancouver Island’s Juan de Fuca trail… Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. There wasn’t much time, and it was hard to get the tarp up, so they ended up huddling together under a sign with a little roof. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from April until October. So if you camp 3 nights, pay up your $30! The Juan de Fuca is the lesser known trail along the west cost of canada. I’ll admit it, the Juan de Fuca was not my first choice. The Juan de Fuca Trail connects China Beach, about an hour up the coast from Victoria, to Botanical Beach just outside of Port Renfrew. Home › Backpacking › Juan de Fuca Trail – Trip Report. so that’s why some people hike with gaiters, or at least don’t be afraid to get muddy! you may … As I sat down with the kids to start cooking dinner I smelled something and after a short exploration found that someone had been using this area as their toilet, yuck! Finally, after many months of procras, Hanging out on Hornby Island! The Juan de Fuca trail on Vancouver Island is a fun multi-day hiking adventure that will take you through beaches, forests, and mud pits. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It is also a great warm-up/training hike for the West Coast Trail. From there it was back into the forest, for the now usual and expected mud fest. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The hike should take about 4 days and the plan is to be … Remarque: depuis le 8 septembre 2020, la plage botanique est temporairement fermée en raison d'un problème avec un ours dans la région. Thanks, it was challenging, but not so challenging that we didn’t think we’d survive, at least with our adapted objective. As always, every trip just adds a few more trips to that inexhaustible mental trails-to-do-later list. Juan de Fuca Provincial Park on Vancouver Island 's … Oh, and after you’re done the trail – don’t forget to stop at Shirley Delicious for an amazing post-trail treat! Great for my meditation rides at 7 mph along the back lanes where I live in West Sussex. 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