0:06. After explorations, the group shared a late picnic lunch on the logs while a raven watched from the trees above. Wildlife viewing included several eagles, hermit thrushes, Pacific wrens, Steller’s jays, a loon at camp, and jumping fish! Cape Scott Provincial Park is located about 563 kilometres from Victoria. Purple fireweed near the east end of Shuttleworth Bight was our beacon. Tweet. Trail maintenance continued in full force over the summer season. Cape Scott North Coast Trail Progress Report November. Read More Posts. Port Hardy RV Resort & Log CabinsWebsite: porthardyrvresort.comPhone: 1-250-949-811 or toll-free 1-855-949-8118Email: [email protected], Quarterdeck Inn and Marina ResortWebsite: www.quarterdeckresort.netPhone: 1-250-902-0455 or toll-free 1-877-902-0459Email: [email protected], Glen Lyon InnWebsite: www.glenlyoninn.comPhone: 1-250-949-7115 or toll-free 1-877-949-7115Email: [email protected], Pier Side LandingWebsite: piersidelanding.caPhone: 1-250-949-7437 or toll-free 1-866-902-7437Email: [email protected], North Coast Trail Backpacker’s HostelWebsite: www.northcoasttrailhostel.comPhone: 1-250-949-9441 or toll-free 1-866-448-6303Email: [email protected], Kwa’lilas HotelWebsite: kwalilashotel.caPhone: 1-250-949-9441 or toll-free 1-855-949-8525Email: [email protected]. Humpback whales, porpoises, seals, and a sea otter joined us on the water taxi ride. Discover the magic of the Cape Scott Trail with Wild Coast. They are your one-stop land and water logistics between Port Hardy and the North Coast Trail. After a quick clothing change, John whisked us away to the cozy Scarlet Ibis Pub in Holberg. Showers sprinkled on and off all day, but the cool air was perfect for hiking. The day was sunny and hot, eagles and ravens were talking to each other, and we were the cleanest we would be for a week. We saw eagles, porpoises, and a black bear foraging on the beach. The Cape Scott Trail can be accessed from Port Hardy. Water and storms shaped a massive berm of cobbles and pebbles with dry rivers of boulders. The Cape Scott Trails were in excellent condition and the North Coast Trail was in better shape than Mike anticipated. We saw a pod of four brightly coloured kayakers paddling west, braving the rolling seas. Our group made lots of noise on the way back! Sand dunes with grasses were a beautiful feature of this area, complete with more Danish artifacts. Eventually, we descended to glittering Nissen Bight (32 km)…another beautiful sandy long beach. November 11, 2019 Filed Under: Coastal, Trail Guides, Trip Reports Tagged With: Backpacking, British Columbia, Canada, Cape Scott Provincial Park, Vancouver Island. We were grateful for cloud-cover and a thin yellow-egg sun, otherwise this section would have been exposed and hot. There is also an old trail from the original Cape Scott Settlement, heading due south to within half a … Our group performed bravely during the soaking 15 km exit. Cape Scott Park website: www.capescottpark.com San Josef Bay Trail – 5 km round trip, out and back Cape Scott Trail – 15 km one way, plenty of camping options North Coast Trail – 58 km one way, start at the Cape Scott Trailhead or Shushartie Bay Raft Cove – 4 km round trip, out and back, beachfront camping available Greystone Books. 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. 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. A short hike along the North Coast Trail behind the forest campsites leads to a gravel bar where fresh water can be collected. Instead, the water taxi transported our group to this marine trailhead the evening before. We arrived at the Stranby River cable car crossing at 1130 h. Cable car rides are highlights of the trail! Read Hiking the West Coast of Vancouver Island Ebook Free. Other mammals of the trip included sea lions, squirrels, mice, mink, and a marten. The bears and wolves disappeared and reappeared several times over the evening. There are great tide pools here…once we saw a massive pool filled with trapped jellyfish! Cape Scott and the North Coast Trail is the first comprehensive guidebook about one of Vancouver Island's most iconic destinations. The total hiking distance Shushartie Bay (from water taxi) to San Josef Bay & Cape Scott Trail parking lot is a minimum of 59.5km (37mi). Wednesday, August 15, 2012. Hold tightly to ropes as they may be muddy. The reward for our effort was the gorgeous Shuttleworth Bight…a huge and expansive sand beach similar to Long Beach on the west coast. Wolf and bear tracks covered the sand. Tidal sea water mixed with the river at the mouth, so we hiked upstream for fresh water. Captain George can drop hikers off at different start points east of Shushartie (e.g. Plan accordingly by carrying tide tables and know how to use them. It meant that harder hiking was behind us and we could enjoy more open and scenic sections. Read More Testimonials. Read Hiking the West Coast of Vancouver Island Ebook Free. Beautiful areas included Bowen’s Beach, Experiment Bight, and the sand dunes of Guise Bay. The park is characterized by 40 miles (64 km) of scenic and rugged ocean frontage from Nissen Bay in the north to San Josef Bay in the south. Soon all our things were wet and sandy; Mike was the only one with the skills to keep his dry. Eric Lake Camp is a reasonably large forest site with 11 tent pads and boardwalk connections. Mike passed two day hikers, 19 backpackers, and six kayak campers during his week in Cape Scott Provincial Park. We use three guidebooks to plan hiking trips on the North Coast Trail. Hikers may extend their North Coast Trail hike with side trips in the Cape Scott Trail core area. Mud levels were low. Views from the Cape Scott Light Station on June 9 showed the full fury of crashing waves at the cape. The beach camping is excellent. Water Taxi, Freight & Shuttle serving Vancouver Island North. 2004 . The Holberg Road, off Hwy 19, just south of the Town of Port Hardy, is the access point for the Cape Scott Trail. The trail was easy and open for the most part, with a few rough and bumpy sections to keep us focused for a bit longer. Cape Sutil Camp (6 km) was located on a beautiful sandy beach. I saw the cormorant sitting there still, watching the sea from his home. Our 2018 North Coast Trail trip was excellent in a number of ways. The famous mud was mostly dry in texture, with no deep holes for sinking up to the knees. The shuttle trip from the trailhead to Port Hardy takes just under 2 hours, including a stop for lunch. Distance: 83.6 kmDuration: 7 daysPeak: 245 mGain: 1289 mMap: CalTopo. BC's new coastal hiking destination is an addition to the world famous Cape Scott Provincial Park. The guests were motoring ahead, excited and eager. [Download] Cape Scott and the North Coast Trail: Hiking Vancouver Island s Wildest Coast Paperback. Some of us hiked up and down the entire length of the sand, watching the whales and the sandpipers. It's approximately an 18 kilometer, 5 or 6 hour hike, from the trailhead to Nels Bight. coast of Vancouver Island. This section is part of the original Cape Scott Trail. However, the water source is a creek at the eastern end of the beach. It was a classic west coast day with tree silhouettes in the fog. Distance: 17.6 kmDuration: 5 h 30 minPeak: 73 mGain: 119 m. The egress to the Cape Scott Trailhead was pleasant and efficient! It is a gloomy forest site about 50 metres from the trailhead with tent pads. A long beach march took us towards Irony Creek Camp. A chapter on the plants and animals of the North Coast will also help hikers appreciate the incredibly rich wildlife of the area. Cape Sutil is the most northern point on Vancouver Island and a culturally important area for First Nations. BC's new coastal hiking destination is an addition to the world famous Cape Scott Provincial Park. Carry full water bottles (there is no drinking water until Skinner Creek). HD Video of the North Coast Trail. The weather started out foggy and cool, but transformed into sunny and warm. We enjoyed our final dinner together and evening activities included walking the bight, reading, or stretching our bodies. If your looking for adventure or freedom backpacking is the answer!!! The North Coast Trail officially ends at Nissen Bight. There’s a lot of artifacts leftover from the settlement attempts and these make for great history interpretation. We followed the wolf tracks once again, and even saw a small black bear foraging in the sandy eelgrass. This was the last whale we saw on our trip…and Mike and I saw her together. This trail is a step back in time about 25 years to what the West Coast Trail used to be. Eagles were always present along the way, with some ducks paddling in the pocket beaches. The crowds got thicker as we closed in on popular San Josef Bay. The weather was cool, foggy, and grey. Sitting there for a while, I really started to feel this special place and completely relax into the wilderness. We also passed the Community Hall ruins and an old well. There are always pockets of solitude at these designated campsites. Excited to start the North Coast Trail, we boarded the Cape Scott Water Taxi at 0634 h at the Port Hardy marina and motored to Cape Sutil. The biggest obstacle of the day was a steep hill near Cape Sutil. Look for remnants of the Danish settlers along the entire route. Our tired legs and feet were relieved to finally arrive at the expansive Laura Creek Camp (25 km). Birds dominated the wildlife scene as usual and we were always glad to see so many of them. North Coast Trail: A topographic route map for hiking the North Coast and Cape Scott Trails on Vancouver Island. The experience felt challenging, rugged, free, spontaneous, and wild…remote, but not lonely. Our group gathered with other backpackers to share stories of the trail over a (legal fog-zone) campfire and hot dinner. 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. After a long beach slog, we arrived at Christensen Point and spotted camp 3 km away. The only organism that broke up the grey was the dark brown bulbs of bull kelp. We jumped off the bow and helped each other off-load our full packs. The North Coast Trail Shuttle, which offers boat transfers to Shushartie Bay and pick up from the Cape Scott Trailhead operates May 1 to Sept 15. I saw a strange deep pool filled with a miniature kelp forest and hundreds of pale jellyfish. Here is a fantastic HD video of The North Coast Trail in Cape Scott Provincial Park: Posted by CapeScottPark at 9:38 AM No comments: The bight is excellent for swimming in the afternoon sun when the tide rises over the warm sand. We had light rain for the day, coating everything in water. With spring fever being over, we heard fewer birds on this trip than earlier in the season. Harbour Publishing. We did the North Coast Trail reverse of most- start at Cape Scott Trail head and only went as far as Cape Sutil, leaving the last 16km overland mud stog off. Water is located at the east side, close to where the trail exits the forest. Notably it is now crossed by the North Coast Trail, a land route created in 2008 to join with the older Cape Scott Trail that runs from San Josef Bay to the lighthouse. 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