Juan de Fuca Marine Trail

There are four trailheads to the Juan de Fuca Trail: China Beach, Sombrio Beach, Parkinson Creek, and Botanical Beach. At the east end of the park, you'll find the China Beach campground and the China Beach day-use area, which have paved vehicle access. The campground is located in a forested area about 1 km east of the China Beach day-use area and the Juan de Fuca East Trailhead. Trails connect the campground to China Beach and the adjacent smaller Second Beach.Botanical Beach is at the western terminus of the Juan de Fuca Trail, and offers some of the largest marine biodiversity along the coast of Vancouver Island. This area also has unique rock formations composed of many types of sedimentary and volcanic rocks and minerals. Tide pools are abundant on the beaches found along the trail, and a wide variety of sea creatures can be observed, often easiest at low tide.There are six established campsites along the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. All sites have pit toilets, food caches, and a water source. A permit is required to camp overnight. The sites include Payment Creek, Little Kuitshe Creek, Sombrio Beach, Chin Beach, Bear Beach and Mystic Beach. The most difficult section is the Chin Beach to Bear Beach section.If backpacking, the full trail usually takes between 3 and 5 days, although some run the trail in a single day. There are no services on the trail, so hikers should be prepared for typical backcountry travel and camping. Backcountry passes are required for all of the campsites along the trail.A private company (West Coast Trail Express) runs a shuttle that offers transport between the trailheads and between the trail and Nanaimo or Victoria. Tickets can be purchased on their website.More information can be found here