Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
field, all hikers must head for the
registration office
to obtain a trail-use permit ($127.50
per person), pay for the two ferry crossings ($16 each; cash only), and attend a 90-minute
orientation session.
Transportation
Unless you plan on turning around and returning to the beginning of the trail on foot,
you'll want to make some transportation arrangements. Getting to and from either end of
the trail is made easier by
West Coast Trail Express
(250/477-8700 or 888/999-2288,
www.trailbus.com
)
, which departs Victoria daily in the morning to both ends of the trail.
The fare between Victoria and Port Renfrew is $60 one-way, and between Victoria and
Pachena Bay it's $85. Pickups are made along the way, including from Nanaimo and Port
Alberni. Travel between the trailheads costs $95. (If you leave your vehicle at the Port
Renfrew end of the trail and return by bus, you won't have to shuttle a vehicle out to re-
moteBamfield.)PachenaBaylies11kilometersfromBamfield,andtaxisoperatebetween
the two points. West Coast Trail Express also rents camping and hiking gear.
Information
The first step in planning to hike the West Coast Trail is to do some research at the
Parks
Canada website
(
www.pc.gc.ca
)
. The invaluable information covers everything you need
to know, including an overview of what to expect, instructions on trail-user fees, a list of
equipment you should take, a list of relevant literature, tide tables, and advertisements for
companies offering trailhead transportation.
Seasonal trail offices are in
Port Renfrew
(Pachidah Rd., 250/647-5434) and
Pachena
Bay
(250/728-3234). The recommended topographic map
West Coast Trail, Pacific Rim
National Park—Port Renfrew to Bamfield
isavailableatmostspecialtymapstores,aswell
as at the trail offices at each end of the trail. The cost of a trail-use permit includes this
map.
Duncan, self-proclaimed “City of Totems,” lies at the junction of Highways 1 and 18,
about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Victoria. The small city of 6,300 serves the sur-
rounding farming and forestry communities of the Cowichan Valley. Native carvers, many
from the local Cowichan band, have created some 80 intricate and colorful totem poles
here. Look for the poles along the main highway near the information center, beside the
railway station in the old section of town, by City Hall, and inside local businesses.
