Juan de Fuca Trail – Hiking/Backpacking Guide
By Candice Camera
Brief Background of the JDF Trail
The Juan de Fuca Trail is a located in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. The 47KM trail goes from China Beach to Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew.
How to Get There (from Vancouver via transit)
From Vancouver, we took a Pacific Coach bus onto the ferry from Tsawassen to Swartz Bay. We then took the same bus into downtown Victoria. In order to access the JDF trailhead, we had to purchase a round trip ticket on a private shuttle bus from Downtown Victoria.
The shuttle bus service we used was West Coast Trail Express. A rough cost estimate for shuttle bus transportation to the trail head is about $120 round trip per person.
Once we we’re on the bus, it’s about an hour bus ride to China Beach, which is where we started our hike. The shuttle will drop you off on the side of the road and you’ll find the trailhead in the trees.
Trail Facts/Map
The terrain on the Juan de Fuca Trail is rugged and exceptionally muddy. Even though we hiked this trail in July, it rained for 2 out of the 4 days we were on the trail. The Juan de Fuca Trail is open May-September.
We booked a backcountry trail permit about 2 weeks in advance, but the campsites are on a first-come first-served basis. You have to carry the trail permit
with you. You can pitch a tent anywhere at the campsites, space isn’t typically an issue. The trail map can be found here.
Juan de Fuca Trail – Camping Itinerary
We hiked from July 5 until July 8 and spent 4 days, 3 nights on the trail.
Here is a day by day breakdown of our itinerary:
Day 1 (Sat July 5) Arrive at China Beach, start hiking!
The first day on the trail was fairly easy compared to day 2! The hike to Bear Beach is moderate, as indicated on the map. Make sure to get a good night’s rest so you’ll be energized for day 2, which is the most grueling.
Night 1 – Camp at Bear Beach (9km)
Day 2 – (Sun July 6) Start at Bear Beach
Day 2 was the hardest hiking day without a doubt. The JDF trail map estimations are very accurate. There isn’t a lot of elevation gain in this section but there is a ton of up and down. We had to actually climb up some areas! I could feel those calories sizzle away.
Night 2 – Camp at Chin Beach (21km)
Day 3 – (Mon July 7) Start at Chin Beach
Day 3 was a nice change of pace after the tougher stretch between Bear and Chin beach. A good place to rest is Sombrio beach. There’s also a trailhead and path to the highway here, if needed.
Night 3 – Camp at Little Kuitshe (33km). Little Kuitshe is a small campground in the woods and it was the only campsite we stayed at that wasn’t on the beach. It was still comfortable and worked well for our purposes.
Day 4 – (Tues July 8) Start at Little Kuitshe to Botanical Beach
This is the start of the final day. The hike is pretty relaxed from this point on. I was so happy to see that 47KM sign!!
Depart from Botanical Beach at 47km
Once at Botanical Beach parking lot, we made our way to Port Renfrew to catch the shuttle bus back to Victoria.
Tide Table
Tide information for Port Renfrew is an important part of planning this hike, which can be found here. Certain areas on the trail are inaccessible when the tide is above a certain level and you’ll need to plan around that.
Juan de Fuca Trail – Backpacking Supply List
Tent First aid kit Sunscreen Tarp 1 Pots and 1 pan Bug repellent Aqua tabs Camping stove + propane Lighter Knife (or utility tool) Utensils (1 plastic spork and 1 plastic knife) Backpack (55+L) Sleeping bag (-3 degrees) Sleeping pad Rope (to tie sleeping pad to your back pack) Camel-back (for water) Headlamp/flashlight Flip flops (for taking off your boots at camp) Cash and ID (ferry and food for after) Food + emergency meal Bowl Mug Toiletries (including biodegradable soap for dishes) Toilet paper (one roll per person) Hand sanitizer
Towel (small) Wool socks Quick dry pants/shorts/shirts Fleece/shell Rain/Gore-tex jacket Hiking boots Water shoes Hiking poles (optional) Hat Sunglasses Camera (cell phone and charger) Ear plugs Bear spray
Juan de Fuca Trail – Backpacking Food List
Breakfast
Oatmeal packets Instant eggs Coffee Tea bags Cereal Instant milk
Lunch/snacks
Bagels Jerky/sausages Clif bars Trail mix
(Suggestion – lunch is pre made vs. a cooked meal)
Dinner
Instant rice and curry Instant potatoes with instant stuffing Mac and cheese Pasta with dehydrated tomato sauce Instant meals that can be purchased from stores such as MEC
Juan de Fuca Trail – Helpful Tips
Keep your trail map in a Ziploc bag; the map can get destroyed if it’s raining
Bring plenty of plastic bags and consider lining your backpack with a
garbage bag
Check guidelines online about how much weight to carry per person
Be bear aware! Read up on bear safety and make sure to have bear spray
easily accessible
The Port Renfrew Hotel restaurant is decent for lunch and you can charge
your cell phone