A 75km hike through 'the Graveyard of the Pacific'

By Nancy BesharahFeatures correspondent

Parks Canada/Madeleine Lahaie(Credit: Parks Canada/Madeleine Lahaie)

Canada's West Coast Trail is an epic backpacking adventure. But long before hikers began testing themselves on this treacherous coastline, people depended on the trail for survival.

Tracing the jagged edge of Vancouver Island, the epic West Coast Trail is a six- to eight-day backpacking adventure within Canada's remote Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. This 75km self-sufficient expedition challenges around 7,500 hikers each season to climb more than 100 ladders, trudge along beaches ankle-deep in sand and slippery stones and endure the unpredictable West Coast weather.

When Diane Lloyd, a runner, leadership coach and facilitator, hiked the trail in 2019, she realised just how challenging it was. At one point, a curtain of rain poured over the hood of her jacket as she clung to a slippery wooden ladder 20ft from the ground. Clusters of spiky sword ferns clung to the crumbling bank in front of her. Blinking water from her eyes, she gingerly looked up, trying not to disturb her hulking backpack and lose her balance. "One more step seemed like a lot perched on this ladder in the drenching rain," she told me, "and I was just beginning the 75km hike."

However, well before experienced hikers began testing themselves against Mother Nature and this wild coastal terrain, First Nations depended on this trail for survival. It had long been part of an Indigenous trade and travel route when 14 survivors from the Brig William, the earliest recorded shipwreck off the treacherous coastline, made it to shore in 1854. First Nations fed, clothed and cared for the survivors before paddling them in a canoe to the closest settlement.

As ship traffic increased, so did the number of wrecks and casualties, and the coastline became known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific". When the US passenger steamer SS Valencia hit a reef near Pachena Point in 1906 and 136 people perished, the government responded with updated maritime safety and rescue infrastructure. One of the initiatives was the Dominion Life Saving Trail to aid shipwreck survivors, complete with emergency shelters and supplies along the First Nations path.

Parks Canada/Josh McCullochHikers need to be completely self-sufficient on the 75km trail, which includes more than 100 ladders (Credit: Parks Canada/Josh McCulloch)

With the improvement of modern navigational aids and communication, the Dominion Life Saving Trail became obsolete. In 1973, the Canadian government included the historic pathway in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and named it the West Coast Trail.

Book the adventure

The West Coast Trail is open between 1 May and 30 September and access is by reservation only. In 2024, reservations open on 22 January at 08:00 PST. Visitors can book their stay by visiting the Parks Canada website or by calling +1 877 737 3783 (+1 519 826 5391 outside North America).

First Nations people continued to live in their traditional territories when the hiking trail was created. In 1973, Leslie Cook Sr, a member of one of the local First Nations, was hired by Parks Canada to support and maintain the West Coast Trail. Leslie Sr and his co-workers used fallen trees to build boardwalks and bridges to enable trail user access. Today, trail infrastructure is constructed elsewhere and flown in half-finished, but Indigenous Peoples are still maintaining the route.

In 1995, in response to First Nation concerns about overcrowding and protection of their traditional territories, the West Coast Trail Guardian Program was created. The programme provides collaborative management and employment opportunities for Pacheedaht, Ditidaht and Huu-ay-at First Nations, whose traditional territories the trail intersects. West Coast Trail Guardians maintain infrastructure like ladders and boardwalks, brush and clear the trail and support trail user safety. And they are proud to share their Indigenous history and culture with hikers along the route.

Martin Horak first hiked the trail as a young boy in 1982 with his mother and uncle, and connecting with First Nations and the wilderness left a lasting impression. "My mom and I met and took a photo with the First Nations water taxi operator, Carl Edgar Sr, on that first hike," said Horak. "After being alone in the wilderness for days, we emerged from the trail as weather-beaten hikers and there was someone waiting to help us. We felt a connection when we spoke with Carl on the boat ride to the trail on the other side of the inlet. Carl has lived in that region all his life, and we were hiking through his backyard."

Parks Canada/Scott MunnCarmanah Creek is one of many creek crossings along the West Coast Trail (Credit: Parks Canada/Scott Munn)

Since then, Horak has completed the West Coast Trail at least eight times, most recently with his wife and daughters, and interacting with First Nations remains an important part of his West Coast Trail experience. "Each time I return to the West Coast Trail, I recreate that photo with Carl or one of his family members and my family," he said. "And since it's not 1982 anymore, I email these photos to Carl instead of carrying a glossy picture in my backpack."

For Horak's daughters Michele and Sierra, "learning about Indigenous history and culture in the classroom didn't feel super real" until they met First Nations and experienced their culture and traditional territory first-hand while hiking the West Coast Trail.

"It changes your perspective and forges a deeper connection," said Sierra. "One time, a boat operator spoke with us about her traditional territory and how she was working to preserve her ancestral language. Then she took us further up Nitnaht Narrows to show us more of the territory and told us about fishing and crab traps."

After hiking the West Coast Trail, we felt more and cared more about Indigenous issues

Twin sister Michele agrees. "After hiking the West Coast Trail, we felt more and cared more about Indigenous issues."

Parks Canada/Madeleine LahaieLeslie Cook Jr, a Ditidaht First Nation Guardian Supervisor, is happy to share cultural information with visitors (Credit: Parks Canada/Madeleine Lahaie)

According to Parks Canada, hikers often comment that meeting and connecting with First Nations Guardians were the most profound and memorable portions of their trips. But with just six Guardians present along the 75km trail at any time, the opportunities for engagement aren't guaranteed. And the demanding backcountry experience can leave trail users, especially first-timers, with tunnel vision.

Although the Parks Canada West Coast Trail Map includes information about First Nations and Indigenous place names, "most hikers ask the Guardians they encounter about trail logistics, like how far until the campsite. They are not necessarily focused on learning about Indigenous culture and history," shared Leslie Cook Jr, a second-generation Guardian beginning his 17th season on the trail.

Following in his father's footsteps, Leslie Jr works in the Ditidhat Traditional Territory between kilometres 25 and 50, supporting and maintaining access on the trail. As a Guardian Supervisor and long-time resident, Leslie Jr's knowledge is vast – and he's keen to share Indigenous history and culture.

He can often be found at his Guardian cabin near kilometre 30, where he resides when he is on shift. Here he likes to "walk and talk" with trail users around a half-finished cedar canoe. "It came from the Cheewaht River, where the big cedar trees were perfect for carving canoes, and floated down to the coast in a big storm more than 20 years ago" he explained. "A near-shore canoe, it would have been 8ft long finished, perfect for day fishing near the kelp beds."

Leslie Jr may also pass around a laminated photo of long-ago warrior's barracks – "500-strong, plus the warrior's families". The barracks used to stand near Leslie Jr's Guardian cabin, and it was from this place that the Ditidaht defended the coastline.

Leslie Cook JrLeslie Jr's often chats to hikers at his Guardian cabin, which is located near kilometre 30 in the Ditidhat Traditional Territory (Credit: Leslie Cook Jr)

To further communicate the importance of the area's First Nations connection, a new initiative called "honouring haḥuułi", intended to share the area's significance from an Indigenous perspective, launched in Pacific Rim National Park in 2023. The term "hahuuli" was selected by First Nations and refers to traditional territories and ancestral lands. Under the programme, Pacheedaht, Ditidaht and Huu-ay-aht First Nations received funding from Parks Canada to share their stories in their own way and in their own voices. These stories will enhance the West Coast Trail experience by providing authentic opportunities for trail users to learn about the location and the rich Indigenous history and culture from the original inhabitants.

Each First Nation created its own project – Ditidaht First Nation developed nine interpretive panels sharing their history, village locations and names; Pacheedaht First Nation are designing four panels; and the Huu-ay-aht First Nation carved replicas of two welcome figures. These projects are in the process of being created and installed along and around the West Coast Trail.

As they walk, backpackers carry the stories from honouring hahuuli and Guardians like Leslie Jr through the temperate rainforest and along the wild coastline, following in the footsteps of First Nation traders and shipwreck survivors. "Staying present, taking it one rung, one rock and one step at a time is the key to navigating a journey of self-belief along the West Coast Trail – a good metaphor for life," said Lloyd.

Slowcomotion is a BBC Travel series that celebrates slow, self-propelled travel and invites readers to get outside and reconnect with the world in a safe and sustainable way.

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