Description
Location: Pacific Rim National Park
Distance: 75 kilometers
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
Intensity: High
Group size: 6 guests max
Staging area: Victoria, BC
Start dates: 2019-06-23 (North) & 2019-08-24 (South)
The West Coast Trail is a world-famous coastal backpacking trip in Pacific Rim National Park. Our objectives will be experiencing an incredible adventure and learning about backpacking in a coastal environment. In 2019, we will offer two trips: one starting at Gordon Bay (Port Renfrew) and hiking northbound, and one starting at Pachena Bay (Bamfield) and hiking southbound.
Who is this trip for?
Our goal is to build strong teams and best match our guests to a specific trip. Our West Coast Trail guided trips are best suited for:
- Enthusiastic novice backpackers with a high level of physical fitness; OR
- Strong intermediate backpackers; OR
- Advanced backpackers wanting to learn / refine skills or experience an adventure with all of the logistics taken care of; OR
- Returning guests who have joined us previously on a multi-day coastal backpacking trip.
Definitions of experience levels:
- First-time backpacker: You have done some day-hiking, but have no overnight backpacking experience.
- Novice: You have completed some short backpacking trips.
- Intermediate: You backpack often on established trails or have participated in guided backpacking trips in the past
- Advanced: You backpack often on established trails and off-trail in remote areas. You have solid wilderness navigation and wilderness first aid skills.
Additional considerations:
- Look forward to challenging obstacles such as ladders, logs, roots, boulders, pebbles, and mud.
- Be comfortable hiking and carrying your loaded backpack for 8-10 hours per day.
- Expect to hike and camp in wet conditions.
Why join us?
Beautiful scenery, incredible wildlife, and a life-changing adventure are guaranteed. We encourage and empower our guests to become a part of the adventure. You will experience your trip the way an outdoor professional does. Our West Coast Trail guided trips feature:
- World famous location. The West Coast Trail needs no introduction. People from all over the world travel to Vancouver Island every year after gaining one of the coveted permits. Experience this world-class adventure with a small group of eager participants.
- Guiding excellence. Mike is a certified ACMG Hiking Guide and passionate about creating and sharing beautiful wilderness adventures. He has discovered a love of teaching and strives to offer the added value of personal coaching to all his guests.
- Experiential learning. All of our trips are rich in experiential learning. Immerse yourself in learning and gain the confidence and skills to apply to your own trips. Coaching starts on the day your registration is confirmed and continues for the duration of the trip.
At least 3-4 times every day of our hike on the West Coast Trail, I thought to myself: “I am soooo glad we have a great guide!” Mike made our trip stress-free, safe, fun, educational and memorable. Without him, it would not have been the same positive experience. He helped us plan and pack before we started on the trail; the importance of preparation cannot be overstated! His knowledge of the trail meant we did not have to stress every morning about a route for the day. He made sure he set a pace that was doable for everyone in the group, including short breaks throughout the day. He kept us informed about the environment around us and always had interesting stories. Mike was super positive and optimistic, always encouraging us when the trail conditions seemed daunting. He was willing to answer our million and one questions. At the end of the day he helped set up camp and gave us ample down time to relax and recover. The meals he provided were delicious! He helped bring our group together so we worked well as a team. I have nothing but good things to say about Mike. I would recommend him to anyone without question. Worth every penny!
– Margie, Airdrie
