Route details

On-line only article by Wild Coast Magazine

The North Coast Trail is best divided into six distinct segments, mirrored on the North Coast Trail map. This description follows the six segments in a route east to west, from Shushartie Bay to the San Josef trailhead. Use this information to augment the map information.

1. Shusartie overland

The Shushartie Trailhead: The trail begins at Shushartie Bay, with best access by water taxi. As of spring 2008 the dock was not yet in place, meaning a rough scramble from the boat onto rocks that are potentially wet and slippery with seaweed and rough with barnacles. Gloves are recommended as the barnacles can cut. A campsite has been created just upland from the trailhead. Beyond the campsite the trail takes a rough uphill route, quickly gaining elevation for some moderate viewpoints over the bay. Some sections are augmented with rope, but for most hikers it won't pose a difficulty. The trail passes some large old-growth trees.

The overland portion: Once on the overland portion the trail flattens out somewhat and reaches follows a general wet and boggy section of land marked by stunted trees and boggy meadows. About 3.2 km of the 9 km is boardwalked, which means a generally easy walk, though the trail zig-zags through the forest and continually gains and loses elevation, meaning a much harder 8.7 km than you might anticipate. Expect the best part of a full day of hiking to simply reach Skinner Creek.

Skinner Creek: This is the site of the first campsite from Shushartie Bay. It is a rough campsite with just a bear cache and outhouse; there are no tent pads. For this reason the Nahwitti River campsite might be preferable (it is recommended as a better site). Crossing Skinner Creek can pose a problem. Near the creek the trail splits, with sections of an old trail still visible. When you reach the creek, you may feel compelled to cross the creek via one of the fallen trees. A better bet is to probably make your way to the beach and cross there. The water should be just a few inches at the deepest.

2. The Nahwitti Stretch

Beach Route: Because of a steep and inaccessible shoreline here but a good beach, the next kilometre or so can be followed along the beach or via a bypass. In most conditions the bypass won't be needed; you'll need a high tide and surf to block your route. Most will want to follow the beach route, but be warned that the west entrance/exit to the beach as of spring 2008 was extremely rough and steep, with only a narrow rope unsuitable for full support (UTM N5634782 E571421). Gloves are recommended for all rope aids. The next portion jogs inland, then hits the beach near Nahwitti River (UTM N5634717 E570609). The beach can be followed to the Nahwitti River campsite. You'll find well-spaced tent pads in the forest just off the beach, as well as a food cache and an outhouse.

Nahwitti River: Follow the trail inland from the Nahwitti River campsite. It will lead well inland along the river before reaching the cable car crossing. As of spring 2008 the cable car was down, but it has since been repaired. The cable car, unlike those on the West Coast Trail, does not roll easily, requiring a good workout to pull across. Gloves are highly recommended. If you are not comfortable on the cable car, there is a rough route to the river's edge from near the cable car platform. Slightly downriver is a shallow section that can be easily forded, if care is taken in the strong current. West of the river the trail meanders through an immature forest then follows an overflow channel of the river. It is easy to miss the trail turnoff from the channel; look for it to your left as it heads away and uphill.

Long Leg Hill: West of the Nahwitti River the trail rises sharply and enters some pleasant forest with a few rough sections to cross and some moderate elevation gains and losses. It then descends the Long Leg Hill stairs, the tallest stairwell on the trail. At the base you'll reach a pleasant cobble beach (UTM N5635251 E568058). The next beach will be impassable at higher tide levels, with the extent of the impass depedendent in large part on the amount of surf. The culprit is a stone outcrop that blocks the beach. On a calm day you'll likely have much more leeway in your ability to pass. In higher surf, you may want to wait for a lower tide or try to time a quick run to avoid the waves.

Cape Sutil: From Long Leg Hill the route climbs several headlands and takes several short beach walks in a difficult portion of the trail. Most beach accesses are steep and rough, requiring rope climbing. Expect a tough haul here. Once past the headlands, though, the reward is the beautiful sand beach at Cape Sutil. An outhouse is just off the trail on the north entrance/exit point. You can find it just to the left of the headland at the north end of the beach. Don't mistake it for the rough trail that leads across the headland to the more northerly beach at Cape Sutil. There is no established campsite at Cape Sutil, but the beach is wonderful for camping.

Cape Sutil.

3. The Sutil Scramble (Cape Sutil to Shuttleworth Bight)

Cape Suit is divided by a headland which can be crossed by a very steep and rough trail. If you're not paying attention, you may end up taking this path instead of the main route, which heads west (instead of north) from the very north end of the first main beach (just south of the headland). From here trail crosses Cape Sutil through a relatively level stretch of trail and reappears on the beach on the west side of Cape Sutil. Here you can find some great little cobble beaches, some that might be suitable for camping. What follows is several kilometres of beach crossings broken by headlands that often require steep and difficult scrambles. The following are UTMs of the beach accesses:

N5635989 E565985 - First beach west of Cape Sutil, east entrance.
N5635929 E565877 - First beach west of Cape Sutil, west exit.
N5635904 E565797 - Second beach west of Cape Sutil, east entrance.
N5635793 E565593 - Second beach west of Cape Sutil, west exit.
N5635821 E565464 - Third beach west of Cape Sutil, east entrance.

The third beach is a very pretty beach with good cobble for a break and some interesting rock formations. There is a beach bypass here, but chances are you won't need it.

View over an impassable section of shoreline.

N5635836 E565143 - Third beach west of Cape Sutil, optional west exit.
N5635814 E565034 - Third beach west of Cape Sutil, west exit.
N5635624 E564550 - Fourth beach west of Cape Sutil, east entrance.
N5635638 E564430 - Fourth beach west of Cape Sutil, west exit.
N5635644 E564274 - Fifth beach west of Cape Sutil, east entrance.
N5635495 E563649 - Fifth beach west of Cape Sutil, west exit.

An unusual beach of rock formations near the tombolo.

At he fifth beach the trail bisects a sandy neck of land, otherwise known as a tombolo. Northwest Nipple, the largest hill in the area, is tucked in behind.

N5635581 E563604 - Tombolo north beach east entrance.
N5635598 E563542 - Tombolo north beach west exit.

The view looking west from tombolo.

The next portion is overland before the trail drops to a rocky beach area with several short beach crossings between headlands. As the distances are short, the UTMs have limited use. The first beach access on the northeast is N5635019 E563153. A major beach crossing after this segment begins at N5634721 E562938. From there you will have just one short headland to cross at N5634650 E562606 (the beach's west exit) before another sets of scrambles along headlands at the point that forms the northeast border of Shuttleworth Bight.

The scramble here begins at N5633970 E561930 and ends at N5633733 E562003 with some short and easy crossings. The final day's portion is a short walk along the beach to Irony Creek, where you'll find a good campsite with pads, an outhouse and food cache set back in the woods from a pleasant beach area overlooking the long sand crescent that is Shuttleworth Bight.

Shuttleworth Bight from outside the Irony Creek campsite.

4. The Christensen Coast: Laura Creek to Shuttleworth Bight

The trail leaves the beach at Shuttleworth considerably east of the mouth of the Strandby River at N5632181 E560632, and wends its way through the forest to the Strandby River cable car. At a time when the Nahwitti River was fordable during our trip in May the Strandby River seemed deep and impassable by foot, meaning no choice but the cable car (though we didn't examine the mouth to search for shallow portions. The cable car does not roll well, requiring more work than similar cable cars on the West Coast Trail. Gloves are highly recommended. West of the Strandby the trail meanders through a level and scenic forested area. The trail bypasses a parcel of private property closer to the river's mouth. It then crosses a sizeable headland before dropping to the beach at N5632641 E559688.

Beach walking near Christensen Point.

Well before a kilometre along the beach at N5632578 E559076 the trail will head up the first of several headlands and pocket beach crossings before a lengthy beach hike starting at N5632616 E558604. Except for one small beach bypass the trail continues along the beach past the next major point; it is the prominent northerly point west of Christensen Point. South of the point the trail will pass a headland with the south exit from the beach at N5632381 E557848, then re-emerge for the beach leading to Christensen Point at N5632017 E557693. The remainder of the trail to the Laura Creek campsite is uninterupted beach walking, but be warned it is tough cobble that can make for difficult hiking, as footsteps tend to fall away.

At the Laura Creek campsite: we are not alone.

The Laura Creek campsite is not actually at Laura Creek; it is located a bit more than a hundred metres southwest. The creek is easily forded at the beach. In May 2008 a prawn trawler was washed up at the creek upsidedown and damaged. No doubt it will soon be salvaged.

5. Nahwitti Cone: Nissen Bight to Laura Creek.

The trail continues along the beach southwest of Laura Creek for about a kilometre, then turns inland for the start of a considerable inland stretch thanks to Nahwitti Cone, a 186-metre hill that makes the beach impassable around it. There are officially four river crossings here. The first from the east is a good bridge made along a fallen log.

The first bridge.

Others are not so formal, with one just a fallen log that during our visit was too slippery to contemplate using by walking across. I forded the river without topping my waterproof boots. My partner slid across.

Bridge two.

Elevation gains and losses are constant throughout this leg of the trail, but the hiking is fairly simple by North Coast Trail standards. The trail follows one side of Laughing Loon Lake, the largest (and really only) lake that the North Coast Trail passes. From the land the trail descends fairly quickly for an exit on the east end of Nissen Bight, the trailhead of the New North Coast trail. From here the trail follows the tried-and-true Cape Scott Trail route to the San Josef River parking lot. The stretch between Nissen Bight and the junction with the Nels Bight Trail involves a considerable uphill grade and some rough trail; quite a bit rougher than south of the junction. Once on that portion of trail mud will likely be the biggest impediment. Otherwise is it wide, well-traveled and fairly level.

Camping is possible at the Eric Lake campsite 3 km from the trailhead, at San Josef Bay along a side trail southwest from the trailhead or just past the trailhead at either the recreation campground provided by Western Forest Products or the San Josef Heritage Park and Campground.

An odd creature on the boardwalk near Nahwitti Cone.

Explore the other North Coast Trail pages: