Stretching 75km along the rugged edge of Vancouver Island, the West Coast Trail is one of Canada’s most demanding and storied backpacking routes. Today, thousands of hikers tackle its ladders, beaches, and unpredictable weather each summer, but the trail’s roots run far deeper than recreation. minotaur fight store | minotaurfightstore

The path lies within Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and takes six to eight days to complete. Roughly 7,500 people attempt it annually, braving ankle-deep sand, slick stones, and more than 100 ladders that link cliffs and creeks. For runner and coach Diane Lloyd, who hiked the route in 2019, the difficulty became clear on her first day. Clinging to a rain-soaked ladder with a heavy pack on her back, she recalled, “One more step seemed like a lot, and I was just beginning the hike.”

From survival route to national park trail

Long before it was a challenge for backpackers, the trail was an essential Indigenous travel and trade corridor. First Nations communities cared for shipwreck survivors along this treacherous stretch of coast, earning the region its ominous nickname: the “Graveyard of the Pacific.”

The most notorious wreck came in 1906, when the SS Valencia struck a reef near Pachena Point, killing 136 people. In response, authorities created the Dominion Life Saving Trail, complete with supply caches and shelters for castaways. With modern navigation reducing shipwrecks, the trail’s purpose shifted, and in 1973 it was incorporated into Pacific Rim National Park Reserve as the West Coast Trail.

Indigenous stewardship and guardianship

First Nations remain central to the trail’s management. In 1995, Parks Canada and local nations launched the West Coast Trail Guardian Program, employing Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and Huu-ay-aht members to maintain ladders, boardwalks, and campsites while also sharing cultural knowledge.

For Guardian Supervisor Leslie Cook Jr of the Ditidaht First Nation, the role is about both safety and storytelling. Working from his cabin near kilometre 30, he often shows hikers a half-finished cedar canoe or photographs of ancient warrior barracks that once defended the coast. “This land has always been home,” he explains, guiding visitors to see beyond the trail’s physical challenges.

A lasting connection for hikers

For many backpackers, encounters with Guardians become the most memorable part of their journey. Martin Horak, who first hiked the trail as a boy in 1982 and has since returned multiple times with his family, says connecting with First Nations deepens the experience. “After days in the wilderness, meeting someone who lives here reminds you this isn’t just a trail — it’s their backyard,” he said.

In 2023, a new initiative called honouring haḥuułi (“ancestral territory”) expanded this cultural presence. First Nations developed interpretive panels, welcome figures, and projects along the trail to share history and identity directly in their own voices.

A journey of endurance and meaning

The West Coast Trail remains one of Canada’s most challenging treks. Hikers face mud, storms, and heavy packs, but also walk in the footsteps of traders, shipwreck survivors, and Indigenous peoples who shaped the land long before it became a bucket-list adventure.

As Lloyd put it, navigating the trail is about staying present: “One rung, one rock, one step at a time — a good metaphor for life.”