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Juan de Fuca Marine
Park: Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, Jordan River
47.0 km point to point.
Terrain: Rough
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Approximate Elevations (in meters) |
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| Start | End | Minimum | Maximum | Gain |
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| 100 | 0 | 0 | 135 | 135 |
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China Beach Trailhead: (70 km from Saanich Hall). Drive west from Victoria on highway #1 to the Colwood exit. Take this exit and continue to where the road becomes BC#14 through Sooke to Jordan River. From Jordan River continue driving west for approximately 3.5 km until you come to China Beach. Turn left and drive into the parking lot.
(A $5 parking fee is charged.)
Facilities available at the trailhead include:
Botanical Beach Trailhead: (110 km from Saanich Hall, 2k on logging roads). Drive west from Victoria on highway #1 to the Colwood exit. Take this exit and continue to where the road becomes BC#14 to Port Renfrew, take Cerantes Road to trailhead.
Facilities available at the trailhead include:
- Toilets and/or outhouses
- Toilets and/or outhouses
Sombrio Beach Trailhead: (intermedidate trailhead, 95 km from Saanich Hall).
Facilities available at the trailhead include:
- Campsite (30 sites)
- Toilets and/or outhouses
- Water is available
Parkinson Creek Trailhead: (intermedidate trailhead, 100 km from Saanich Hall, 5k on logging roads, 4wd recommended). Drive west from Victoria on highway #1 to the Colwood exit. Take this exit and continue to where the road becomes BC#14 thru Sooke and Jordan River. When you are nearing Port Renfrew watch for a sign marking the "Minute Creek Forest Service road" (on your left). Drive 5 km down the road watching for "Parkinson Creek" signs.
Facilities available at the trailhead include:
Uses
| Backpack | Strenuous. | 4 days one way. | Suitable all year. |
Description
The principal campsites are located at Bear Beach (9km), Sombrio Beach (27 km) and Providence Cove (43 km). Other, sites exist, including a nice one on a headland about 10-15 minutes west of Providence Cove (water is a problem at this site, collect it at the creek to the east). If you have time to explore the beach to the west at this point you can find a sea arch, beyond the arch there is also a large sea cave.
In April 2004 the slope above the Sombrio Beach-West cutoff failed making the inland portion of the trail from km 29.3 to 29.9 inaccessible from the east. Plan your trip accordingly and use tide tables to determine safe times for rounding the West Sombrio bluff.
The trail from Bear Beach to Chin Beach is rugged with many ups and downs. This area is known as the 11 hills, and with merit. About 4km beyond the emergeny shelter (just before Chin Beach) is the suspension bridge over Loss Creek, this bridge is one of the highlights of the trail.
If you can get to Botanical Beach area at favorable tides you can walk the beach for the last 4-5 km of the trail. This makes a very pleasant end to the east-west route and also would serve as a good way to start the trail.
By using the intermediate trailheads sections of this trail can be day hiked with ratings ranging from 2 to 4 boot. We have separate descriptions for some of these, see our Juan de Fuca Trail network page.
Features
This trail features beaches, canyons, forests, rivers, views and waterfalls.
Hazards
- boardwalk (can be very slippery in wet conditions)
- some streams are crossed on footlogs
- rouge waves (waves of unusual height that can occur even on calm days - be cautious when wading or fishing, don’t stand too close to the water while taking photos)
- suspension bridge crossings of some creeks or rivers
Trail subject to mud, especially in fall, winter and spring. Requires favorable (low) tides to round a headland near Sombrio Beach (a trail may have been put around this headland) and also at Bear Beach.
There have been several bear sightings in the area. It is strongly recommended that you store all food and attractants in the bear caches. We suggest you check the BC Parks website for more information.
Comments
The trail can be quite muddy, especially in the fall, winter and spring. Gators and well water proofed boots are a must.
In order to make the 2nd day easier one should push on beyond Bear Beach over two hills to the next beach access. This would take about 1 hour more. There is water here but the scramble down to the beach is tricky. Also camp should be set up by the trail as the tide may come in right up to the bank.
At Minute Creek a trail leads down to the beach, if it is not possible to cross the creek (due to tides or high water) there is a suspension bridge. Shortly after the trail was openned the trail to this bridge was easily missed by hikers proceeding to the west. It goes up a bank just at the point where the trail to the beach starts descending.
In April 1996 there was a squatter's cabin approximately 15 km west of Bear Beach which made a good emergency shelter. It can sleep 10 weary souls.
Campsites along the trail
| China Beach | 0.0 km | 0 meters | | Water is unknown. |
| Mystic Beach | 2.0 km | 0 meters | | Water is available quality is good. |
| Bear Beach | 9.0 km | 0 meters | | Water is available quality is good. |
| Chin Beach | 21.0 km | 0 meters | | Water is unknown. |
| Sombrio Beach | 27.0 km | 0 meters | | Water is available. |
| Little Kuitsche Creek | 33.0 km | | | Water is unknown. |
| Payzant Creek | 40.0 km | | | Water is unknown. |
For additional information see:
Service-providers
View trail condition reports for this trail.