Hiking the Nootka Island Trail. A truly unique Canadian backpacking experience.
MuskoxMan
1,026 views
The Nootka Trail is a truly unforgettable 45 km wilderness adventure along the rugged western coast of Vancouver Island. We recently added this five-day backpacking trip to our cross-Canada road trip, and we couldn’t have asked for better luck! The weather was absolutely perfect, making our time exploring British Columbia’s stunning, wild beaches and coastline a total blast
Planning the logistics was quite smooth:
Getting There: From Powell River, it's about a three-hour drive to Tahsis, Vancouver Island.
The Journey: We chartered a boat through Shorebird Expeditions in Tahsis to reach the northern trailhead. Their water taxi service is top-notch and incredibly easy to book! They dropped us off at Tongue Point and were right there to pick us up five days later at Yuquot.
No Stress Reservations: One of the best parts? Unlike the popular West Coast Trail, you don't need a reservation here. It’s definitely the trail less travelled—just as spectacular, but without the crowds.
As for the hike itself, it definitely keeps you on your toes! We used provided ropes to scramble up steep, rocky hills with our full packs and navigated around (and under!) fallen trees blocking the path. My wife and I are both retired, so we can happily say that age is no barrier to enjoying this trail!
While our gear was a bit heavy—more suited for a canoe trip than ultralight backpacking (we're a bit too thrifty for the high-end stuff!)—navigation was a breeze. As long as you keep the ocean on your right and Canada on your left, you'll always know you're heading south!
Section Timestamps
00:00 Intro and Map
00:26 Day 1: Tahsis, Water taxi to Tongue Point, Hike to Third Beach
03:37 Day 2: Hike to Calvin Falls
06:37 Day 3: Hike to Beano Camp
09:12 Day 4: Hike to Sunrise Beach
12:39 Day 5: Hike to Yuquot and Water Taxi to Tahsis
Music in order of appearance. Many thanks to the talented artists who created this lovely music.
Day 1: Backpack Trippers - Escaping Westwards
Day 2: Backpack Trippers - Subcontinental Refuge
Day 3: Guitar Tribute Players - Mountain Sound
Day 4: Guitar Tribute Players - The Bleeding
Day 5: Guitar Dreamers - Traveler
2 Comments
Hiking the Nootka Island Trail. A truly unique Canadian backpacking experience.
MuskoxMan
1,026 views
The Nootka Trail is a truly unforgettable 45 km wilderness adventure along the rugged western coast of Vancouver Island. We recently added this five-day backpacking trip to our cross-Canada road trip, and we couldn’t have asked for better luck! The weather was absolutely perfect, making our time exploring British Columbia’s stunning, wild beaches and coastline a total blast
Planning the logistics was quite smooth:
Getting There: From Powell River, it's about a three-hour drive to Tahsis, Vancouver Island.
The Journey: We chartered a boat through Shorebird Expeditions in Tahsis to reach the northern trailhead. Their water taxi service is top-notch and incredibly easy to book! They dropped us off at Tongue Point and were right there to pick us up five days later at Yuquot.
No Stress Reservations: One of the best parts? Unlike the popular West Coast Trail, you don't need a reservation here. It’s definitely the trail less travelled—just as spectacular, but without the crowds.
As for the hike itself, it definitely keeps you on your toes! We used provided ropes to scramble up steep, rocky hills with our full packs and navigated around (and under!) fallen trees blocking the path. My wife and I are both retired, so we can happily say that age is no barrier to enjoying this trail!
While our gear was a bit heavy—more suited for a canoe trip than ultralight backpacking (we're a bit too thrifty for the high-end stuff!)—navigation was a breeze. As long as you keep the ocean on your right and Canada on your left, you'll always know you're heading south!
Section Timestamps
00:00 Intro and Map
00:26 Day 1: Tahsis, Water taxi to Tongue Point, Hike to Third Beach
03:37 Day 2: Hike to Calvin Falls
06:37 Day 3: Hike to Beano Camp
09:12 Day 4: Hike to Sunrise Beach
12:39 Day 5: Hike to Yuquot and Water Taxi to Tahsis
Music in order of appearance. Many thanks to the talented artists who created this lovely music.
Day 1: Backpack Trippers - Escaping Westwards
Day 2: Backpack Trippers - Subcontinental Refuge
Day 3: Guitar Tribute Players - Mountain Sound
Day 4: Guitar Tribute Players - The Bleeding
Day 5: Guitar Dreamers - Traveler