North Coast Trail - Day One

The North Coast Trail (NCT) is a 43km challenging trail in Cape Scott Provincial Park located on northern end of Vancouver Island. Most people combine the NCT with the Cape Scott Trail to end their hike in San Joseph Bay (i.e., 58km total) On average, people hike the trail in approximately six to eight days. The trail traverses inland through coastal forest and along expansive shorelines. The route includes plenty of inland bog, rope climbs, rocky beaches, and sandy beaches. Along the way, people may see wolves, bear, jelly fish, whales, sea lions, and so forth.

Reference: Cape Scott and the North Coast Trail by Maria U. Bremner (2015)

Shushartie Bay to Skinner Creek

When hiking the trail east to west, the NCT starts at the shore in Shushartie Bay. To reach the trail head in Shushartie Bay, you'll need to take a water taxi for approximately one hour. The boat will drop you off at the trail head.

As the boat leaves, you begin to feel the remoteness of the trail. From the shore, you begin ascending inland through a series of rope sections. These are relatively easy.

After these sections, you'll quickly find the inland bog. The trail covers approximately 8km of continuous mud and roots. Hopping logs is a fun game!

The short board walk provides a very brief respite from the mud and roots.

Along the way, you'll find many Western toads. You'll likely see many frogs and a few snakes too.

After exiting the inland forest, you'll find yourself on a beautiful beach. The water source is nearby with a bear cache and outhouse. At 2:00am, we could hear wolves howling not far from camp. An amazing sound!

Final Thoughts

Due to the monotony of mud and roots, the first day was the most difficult day. However, the campsite at Skinner Creek was amazing! We had the site to ourselves for the night. See my next post for day two!