Juan de Fuca Marine Trail

​SEPTEMBER 5–7 — Juan de Fuca Marine Trail

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​ADVANCED HIKERS ONLY 🎒

• ​Please expect extra signup questions

• ​You will be sent an Instagram group chat invitation upon approval

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​About the Trail🌲🌊

​The full Juan de Fuca Marine Trail — 47 km of Pacific coastline between Botanical Beach outside Port Renfrew and China Beach near Sooke.

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​Temperate rainforest, sandstone cliffs, three suspension bridges, and long stretches of pebble beach. Waterfalls at Mystic and Sombrio, the tide pools at Botanical, and views across the strait to the Olympic Mountains.

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​The best sections are at either end; the muddiest, least maintained trail is in the middle.

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​Physical Expectation ✅

​Sawtooth elevation profile, deep mud, root systems, ladders, beach scrambling, and tide-dependent sections. The distance is deceptive — 12 km here can take six hours. Three days means two long days back to back and one shorter finish. Plan on 7–10 hours of moving time daily under a full pack. No facilities, no cell service.

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​DAY 1 — SATURDAY: Botanical Beach → Sombrio Beach

​18 km. Tide pools at Botanical, then the well-worn western stretch past Payzant and Little Kuitshe, with three suspension bridges and the long beach walk into Sombrio.

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​DAY 2 — SUNDAY: Sombrio Beach → Bear Beach

​20 km. The biggest day. Sombrio’s waterfall early, then the Chin-to-Bear stretch — the hardest section of the trail, with the heaviest mud, blowdowns, and biggest cumulative gain. Several tide-dependent sections we’ll time carefully. Camp above the tide line at Bear.

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​DAY 3 — MONDAY: Bear Beach → China Beach

​9 km. Rolling forest and beach to Mystic Beach and its waterfall, then the final climb out to the China Beach lot.

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​PASSES / PERMITS ❗

​Everyone needs their own BC Parks backcountry permit — 2 nights.

​→ bcparks.ca/juan-de-fuca-park

• ​Online: camping.bcparks.ca → Backcountry tab → Backcountry Registration → Juan de Fuca. Available up to two weeks out.

• ​$10 per adult per night ($5 ages 6–15).

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​CAR SHUTTLE PLAN 🚗

​Saturday, 7:00 AM — everyone meets at China Beach Trail ahead

• ​Open in Google Maps

• ​Half the cars stay parked here

• ​Everyone piles into the other half and drives to Botanical

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​Botanical Beach — trail start

• ​Juan de Fuca Park (Northwest / Botanical Beach [łi:xwa:p] Terminus), Hwy 14, Port Renfrew, BC V0S 1K0

• ​Hiking starts here Day 1

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​Monday — finish at China Beach

• ​Cars are waiting; the Botanical drivers get a ride back to collect their vehicles

​Stats 📊

• ​Length: 47 km point-to-point

• ​Elevation Gain: 1,430 m

• ​Route Type: Point to Point

• ​Difficulty: VERY HARD

• ​Estimated Time: 3 days / 2 nights

• ​Start Time: 7:00 AM Saturday, meeting at China Beach

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​What to Bring📋

• ​Backpacking pack, tent, sleeping bag + pad

• ​Broken-in boots with strong grip

• ​Water + filter or purification — creek sources can run low in September

• ​Three days of meals + snacks

• ​Full rain gear

• ​Warm layers for damp nights

• ​Headlamp + spare batteries

• ​First aid kit

• ​Dry bags

• ​Gaiters if you have them

• ​Good vibes & a smile ♥︎

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​AllTrails 🔗

​https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/british-columbia/juan-de-fuca-park