Have hiked the West Coast Trail 2X so wanted to try something a little different. We just did day hikes but seemed to be less of a steeplechase than WCT. Fewer mud bogs, giant trees to scramble over, no ladders, and no trolleys. Also more points of egress if one got into a bind. That being said I'd feel more comfortable taking smaller kids on this one. The one down side: lots of public campers carrying coolers etc. to camp at the easy entrance beaches. Still worth doing.
I spent four days hiking the trail from end to end in July. The combination of the mud, roots, elevation, rain can sometimes make the journey a very challenging hike I thought it was more than worth it for the spectacular views and incredibly sense of peace found along the trail.
This was a really great trail. The beaches were really nice and it felt very isolated and wild despite the nearby road. I was, however, disappointed that I could not find a toilet and bear box at Sombrio Beach East. As the map suggested they should be there. There should be forest spots at all the campsites for people who's tent does not stand up in sand.
Stunningly gorgeous trail
Not in the best shape though
Many of the helpful structures are rotted so best be prepared to work for it nothing trail
It didn't rain on our hike and if it did it would have been gross. Loads of mucky stretches
Camp sites were OK except the forest sites where you couldn't light a fire.
Excellent fun
I recently stopped here primarily to spend most of a day hiking along the West Coast of Vancouver. I hiked from Chin Beach to Kuitshe Cove and believe this section of the trail offered great variety. I saw otters, seals, deer, frogs, eagles, plenty of birds and even a snake sunning on a rock. I walked over rocky, boulder-strewn beaches, through dark, damp rainforests, muddy areas, over suspension bridges, through small streams and even ducked my head in one of several waterfalls to cool off. The trail had sections that were definitely up and down so I also got a good workout. There were a couple of small coves with great rock outcroppings to just sit and soak up the environment and watch the ocean wildlife. It definitely helped that the weather was ideal: partly sunny with a smooth, consistent breeze.
I felt the trail was reasonably marked and signed although I did get briefly confused once.
Btw, I hiked for over 4 hours without seeing another human being, which was awesome.
This is the only section of the trail I’ve hiked so I can’t comment how it compares to the rest. But I would highly recommend the trail in general and this section specifically to experience west coast hiking at its finest.
