Juan de Fuca Trail vs West Coast Trail
About the Juan de Fuca Trail:
The Juan de Fuca Trail is a 47 km hike along the west coast of Vancouver Island in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Its northern point lies at Botanical Beach at Port Renfrew and its southern point lies at China Beach near the community of Jordan River.
The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail lies south of the famous West Coast Trail, but does not directly connect to it.
You can start at either the north-end or the south-end of the trail. We chose to start at the northern point near Port Renfrew and and head south to make it a shorter drive for our ride home arrangements.
Hiking the Juan de Fuca Trail offers beautiful west-coast scenery, amazing hiking (that is moderately to difficult) , and wildlife viewing in their natural habitat. It is an isolated area, which offers multi-day hiking and some day hike options. It was created through the Commonweath Nature Legacy as a reminder of the 1994 Commonwealth Games held in Victoria.
You can find out more information about the Juan de Fuca Trail on BC Parks website here.
Juan de Fuca Trail vs West Coast Trail
5 Reasons why we chose the lesser-known Juan de Fuca Marine Trail:
- The Juan de Fuca trail is MUCH cheaper than the West Coast Trail. The Fees are $5.00 per night based on self-registration (as of 2016 and is subject to change. Check the BC Parks site for current information). To pay, you simply deposit your cash in an envelope and put it into a lock box at the trailhead. A 5 day hike on the Juan de Fuca trail will costs you $25.00. However, the West Coast trail costs $127.50 per person for a 5-7 day hike, plus $24.50 to make a reservation to guarantee your start date (there are limits on the number of hikers who can start per day)
- The Juan de Fuca trail is available to hike anytime (in season). The West Coast Trail suggests making a reservation to ensure your start date due to daily limits at the trail heads. Upon arrival, the West Coast Trail has an orientation that is required before you enter the trail.
- While not recommended, dogs are permitted on the Juan de Fuca trail. On the West Coast Trail they are not allowed (one exception has been made for a visually impared hiker). We love hiking with our dogs (and YES they pack their own food and water) and the Juan de Fuca trail hike allowed us to bring them along!
- The Juan de Fuca trail offers similar breathtaking scenery of the West Coast of Vancouver Island but has less hikers. On our 4 day hike we passed by one to two groups per day (who were heading in the opposite direction) and 3 out of the 4 nights there were no other hikers at the campsites.
- Juan de Fuca trail offers a shorter hike at 47km, compared to the 75km West Coast Trail. We chose a 4 day hike versus a 5-7 day on the West Coast Trail. The 47 Km hike still offers an amazing backcountry experience, plenty of tough terrain and some amazing beaches to experience.
Tips for Hiking the Juan de Fuca Trail:
Hiking conditions are always changing and it is recommended to check the conditions at the trail head information shelters. Please visit the BC Parks website by clicking here for more information about the trail.
Be prepared for slippery conditions, muddy trails, wooden boardwalks, boulders, rocky shorlines, damaged structures, steep slopes and rapidly changing weather conditions. The Juan de Fuca trail lies in the “Fog Zone” and while it may be a sunny, and hot day on other parts of the island, the temperature is much cooler on the trail.
If you have never heard of gaiters, I highly suggest you buy them. Your dry feet will thank me later! And work in those hiking boots! I will not post my blistered feet to show you what happens if you do not!
When Hiking the Juan de Fuca Trail, make sure you get a good backpack. Check out backpackhack.com for some options!
What you pack in, pack it out. When we did the trail there was a fire ban on the entire coast of British Columbia. Even the “Fog Zone” which is often excluded due to its damp conditions. All of our garbage stayed with us until the end of the trip. We are all responsible for keeping the beauty of these places.
If you are newer to hiking, pack your bags and then repack! Scrutinize every item and make sure you need to pack it, after the first day you may wish you packed lighter! Consider ultra-lite hiking gear rather than typical camping equipment.
For the reason I mentioned above, I highly recommend you consider dehydrated food! It’s light and tastes amazing after a day’s hike (it may not be amazing cooking it at home for dinner, but when you have been traipsing through mud, sandy beaches, over rocks and up and down switchbacks, a nice HOT meal is exactly what we needed!). The bonus is that all you need is some boiling water and you have dinner!
We took an advil or two before bed every night, our muscles didn’t feel too sore at nighttime but they sure were sore in the morning!
Pack second skin for blisters! It is by far the best blister relief I have ever come across and it is WORTH EVERY PENNY!
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That’s a beautiful trail and finding a falls along the way is so gorgeous.
Wow – what a beautiful trail!! Looks like you enjoyed the hike! So happy to find your blog – anxious to read more. Love connecting with other families who love to travel!!
Oooh good advice on the advil! I hike a lot but have never thought to do this (?!). I try not to take medicine if I can help it but some hiking routes really do kick my butt ><
Your dog really looked as if he/she was into the hiking! And I loved the panniers. Glad they survived the bridge!
Good comparison! How about facilities in the campsites? Is West Coast trail better?
Great tips on how to decide which hiking trail the Juan De Fuca Trail or the West Coast Trail. I give you ladies a lot of credit. I’ll live vicariously through you on this trip. The dogs have to carry their own supplies? Hope they enjoyed it as much as you did.
Wow! What a difference in price between the two trails.
What beautiful trail, I would to do that one day, it’s been too long since I’ve visited in British Columbia, it’s so green.
They both sound fabulous, but I think you made the right choice. I wish I had the Reese-Witherspoon-in-Wild guts to do a long hike, but I’m not there yet. I did, however, cycle around the lakes in Whistler, BC, today. Spectacular.
Looks like such a fun hike! And so gorgeous, too! Would love to do this. Thanks for the tips!
I have to say that your hiking adventure reminds me of the novel/film, Wild! I just saw that movie, so I had to say that, haha. I only had done a day hike, but I never done more than just a day hike! It’s something that I don’t mind doing soon 🙂
Would you go back to Juan De Fuca Trail ?
What a fun trip, and I can’t believe how inexpensive! My dog is totally the same way about see through stairs and bridges. I feel his pain. LOL
What a beautiful hike. A bit too far with my little kids but love the idea of it some time in the future.
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I’m moving to Vancouver Island in a few weeks and will definitely pin this for reference. Everyone seems to go on about the West Coast Trail but this one seems to have many advantages. I hope it’s still as quiet now as it was for you before you wrote this post 😉 Adorable dog!
awesome! Vancouver is a great place to love! Expensive, but great! If you do plan on the WCT, it opens for bookings in early 2017. the Joan de Fuca trail is still a quiet trail compared to the WCT! I Highly recommend it!