| Food Storage: Food lockers at both beaches. Campsites: Unlimited space on the beach above the high tide line | Toilet: Outhouse on a spur trail to the left of the main trail | Water: Collect from the creek at the southeast end of the beach. Cape Scott has held a special place in her heart since her first visit in 1998. The slower you walk, the less likely you will be to slip and fall. The Cape Scott Trail: This is the original trail that runs from San Josef Bay to the cape for a total distance of 23.6 km. Cape Scott, Cape Scott Trail, Regional District of Mount Waddington, British Columbia, Canada (50.78656-128.43062). Full-page maps, essential trail information, vivid photographs and a heck of a lot more . The North Coast Trail was completed in May 2008 after inclusion of the Nahwitti-Shushartie area into Cape Scott Provincial Park. From the junction, the trail heads downhill in the forest over some roots and rocks. Cape Scott is in the Coastal Region.). Follow the trail over the dunes from the west end of Guise Bay to the sandy beach of Experiment Bight. IMG_3973. Cape Scott Provincial Park Short Term Forecast. It is a noteworthy challenge and opens up a section of Vancouver Island otherwise rarely seen. Consider an overnight stay in Port Hardy. We had to deal with a flat tire on our drive out. If you must build a fire, do it in the metal fire pit instead of building your own. The remaining 1.7km to Nel’s Bight is flat and fairly easy. This short trail is mostly flat. 10 passenger Chevy van will pick you up from the Cape Scott Parking lot when your hike is complete. Distance: 3.9km | Elevation Gain: 75m | Time: 1.5 hours. Buoys in the grass mark the exit from Guise Bay beach. Go to Wild Coast Magazine or John Baldwin.ca online for a great map and description of the Cape Scott North Coast Trail. The inland campground at Eric Lake has a metal fire pit. Logging road with lots of pot holes and big rocks to avoid. Watch for the famous Shoe Tree – people have been leaving old shoes here since the 1970s! The trail from the parking lot to Nels Bight and beyond to Cape Scott is fairly easy and fairly flat, though muddy year-round in spots. After the info board, the trail crosses a wooden bridge over Hansen Creek. The only place dogs are allowed is at San Josef Bay, and they must be on a leash at all times. If you’re on a budget, the North Coast Trail Backpackers Hostel gets good reviews. Cape Scott is one of the best places to hike in BC. Coastal hiking and backpacking is a lot different than hiking in the forest or mountains. Average one-way hiking time: 45 minutes. The landscape is dominated by small trees, lots of grass, and water running everywhere. The path back to the main trail is on the right side of the photo next to the yellow buoy and we couldn’t get past the bear! Recently I learned that burning driftwood can create toxic smoke from the salt build up in the logs. You will hike 16.8km from the trailhead to get here. In the early 1900s, several hundred Danish settlers tried to homesteads and farms in the area. We drove from Port Hardy to the trail head in about 1 hour, 30 minutes with a rental that you must be careful. Cape Scott Provincial Park is a truly magnificent area of rugged coastal wilderness that is located at the north-western tip of Vancouver Island, 563 kilometers from Victoria. There are also two trails to Hansen Lagoon on the south side of the trail just before Nel’s Bight. Thankfully there is lots of boardwalk through this section, and for the most part, the walking is easy. At the far end of the beach (before the big rocks) clamber over driftwood towards buoys marking the trail. About 1 minute before the junction, an unmarked trail heads slightly uphill into the forest on the east (right) side of the trail. As you will see in the map legends,the maps indicate completed trail sections in green, sections of the route using roads in yellow, proposed/projected sections of trail in olive green, and sections over water in blue. Their dykes and fences survive today. Day hiking is free. Walk through the campground and cross a bridge. Instead, look around for small dry branches. CONTACT. Shushartie Bay, Nahwitti Beach, Cape Sutil & More… LEARN MORE With another forecast for 15-25 NW winds tomorrow, we were concerned about going around the cape especially as slack is at 9:20 making for a late start. Turn right to continue to Cape Scott. There may also be tide tables posted on the info boards at the trailhead and at Nel’s Bight. When you are done, use water to douse your fire to make sure it is completely out. The main challenges to avoid this week included heat exhaustion and dehydration, especially when hiking the long beach sections. Yet, when combined with a round trip to/from the Cape Scott Ligthouse, and the trip south to the San Josef staging area, the trip totals nearly 80 km. The trail dead-ends behind the dyke. The Cape Scott Water Taxi & North Coast Trail Shuttle are owned and operated by George and Babe Burroughs. Courtesy Harbour Publishing. Each year, thousands of backpackers and nature lovers head to the northern limits of Vancouver Island, bound for the jewel of the region: Cape Scott Provincial Park and the recently completed North Coast Trail. This is Day 1 of my 5 day Cape Scott hiking trip in July 2015. It’s a good place to stay if you got a late start on the trail. The trail parallels Eric Lake, but you can’t really see it through the trees. 18 KM hike in to ranger station which we were lucky enough to get to make use of. The Kwakwaka’wakw call this tidal lagoon Wachlalis, which means “river on the beach in the bay”. They are your one-stop land and water logistics between Port Hardy and the North Coast Trail. I'll be doing a post on each day with my favourite photos over the coming months. There is also lots of historical garbage strewn around including parts of an old stove. On my most recent trip, we had an uncomfortable encounter with a bear on the sea stack beach on the way to Cape Scott. Follow the WWII era plank road through the forest. | Food Storage: Food lockers at the east and west ends of the beach. It includes all the places I mention in this post. Rain 10 °C. This is the end of the trail. What gets most hikers are the sore and blistered feet from the pack weight and uneven ground. To Experiment Bight see a cougar, follow the main places to hike for a great view reservations. Their move further offshore Coast will also help hikers appreciate the incredibly rich wildlife of the Park, purchase. 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