If hiking the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island isn’t on your bucket list, it should be.
While it can be a gruelling and dangerous slog, it is a breathtaking trail with some of Canada’s most glorious coastal scenery. I would love to take my kids when they are older, if I’m still fit enough.
I’ve hiked it twice. My dad took me the first time I went in 1996—before digital cameras were invented! 😜The second time was with Erin and my Aunt & Uncle, owners of the Grateful Fed in Kelowna, BC, when I snapped the photos below.
Here are my aunt & uncle pulling themselves across the Klawana River in the cable car.
You wouldn’t believe how many times you have to go up and down ladders.
Some of the best and most challenging parts of the West Coast Trail are down along the tidal flats, right beside the ocean. That’s also where the danger lies; the crevices in the rock fill with the surging Pacific Ocean waves.
The tidal pools are teaming with biodiversity. Thankfully we planned shorter days along these flats so we could soak up the experience and enjoy the rare encounters with this precious marine ecosystem.
