Trip 301 - September 7 (Thursday), 9 (Saturday), 11 (Monday) and 15 (Friday), 2023.

Juan De Fuca Trail Hike

Juan De Fuca Provincial Park

Near Sooke, BC (West of Victoria)

Page 5 of 8

Parkinson Creek to Sombrio Beach (km 37 to 29) and back

Juan De Fuca Trailhead Locations:

1) China Beach (easternmost) - about 37 km west of Sooke BC via Hwy 14, 75 km west of Victoria.

2) Sombrio Beach - about 58 km west of Sooke BC via Hwy 14.

3) Parkinson Creek - about 68 km west of Sooke BC via Hwy 14.

4) Botanical Beach (westernmost) - about 76 km west of Sooke BC via Hwy 14, in Port Renfrew.

Liked in General: Shoreline views, tidal pools, grottos, waterfalls, three suspension bridges, several fine forest scenes, shade in the forest, no bugs.

1) China Beach to Bear Beach - Pete Wolfe Creek suspension bridge, Mystic Beach and Bear Beach shoreline views and grottos, Mystic Beach waterfall, meeting Brandt's cormorants.

2) Sombrio Beach to Chin Beach - garbage cans at Sombrio Beach parking lot, some sand at Sombrio Beach, a few tidal pools at Chin Beach, excellent grottos (with natural ceiling art) at Chin Beach, meeting a passing seal at Chin Beach.

3) Parkinson Creek to Sombrio Beach (this page and page 6) - Minute Creek suspension bridge, waterfall view from the suspension bridge, Sombrio Beach.

4) Botanical Beach to km 39 (2 km east of Parkinson Creek) - excellent tidal pools near Botanical Beach, several fine shoreline views.

Of Note in General: Camping and overnight parking fees required, high tides may cut off beach/trail access, numerous mud stretches, frequently damaged infrastructure (ladders, bridges, boardwalks), bear scat, the trail is popular, uneven ground, rocks and roots, stones of all sizes on the beach, very slippery stones in grottos and on the beach, hiking poles and boots are highly recommended. Very limited /nonexistent cell phone coverage along the trail - it might be possible to get a signal from a USA carrier (beware of roaming charges!). The entire trail is in the tsunami hazard area - head to higher ground or inland in case of an earthquake.

1) China Beach to Bear Beach - log bridge at 6.3 km is missing railing on one side, steep ladder on approach to Bear Beach.

2) Sombrio Beach to Chin Beach - Sombrio Beach location is very popular, and the parking lot is small - may have to park along the access road during busy times. Steep unbarricaded drop-off at the first waterfall viewpoint. Very slippery stones at the top of the waterfall - extreme fall hazard, do not approach.

3) Parkinson Creek to Sombrio Beach (this page and page 6) - not much to see on this stretch of Juan De Fuca Trail.

4) Botanical Beach to km 39 (2 km east of Parkinson Creek) - overnight camping is not allowed on Botanical Beach parking lot, a whole lot of bear scat (much more than on the rest of the trail combined), tricky Yauh Creek log crossing, rogue waves hazard near Botanical Beach.

Vancouver Island, Victoria & Gulf Islands Backroad Mapbook (9th edition) Coordinates: Page 4 (Jordan River) C4-B4-A4 and Page 3 (Port Renfrew) G4-F3-E3-D3-C3.

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Juan De Fuca Marine Trail is a multi-day 47 km-long hike on Vancouver Island along Salish Sea between China Beach (East of Sooke BC) and Botanical Beach in Port Renfrew, BC. Both trailheads are easily accessible by vehicles via Highway 14 (West Coast Road), allowing for a one-way hike via a shuttle. Also, because there are two other vehicle-accessible locations along the trail (Sombrio Beach and Parkinson Creek), it is possible to hike Juan De Fuca Trail in series of one day hikes, which is exactly what we did. On Day 1, we hiked from China Beach to Bear Beach (km 0 to 9) and back. On Day 2, we went from Sombrio Beach to Chin Beach (not to be confused with China Beach! - km 29 to 21) and back. On Day 3, our hike was Parkinson Creek to Sombrio Beach (km 37 to 29) and back. And, on Day 4, we went from Botanical Beach to km 39 (2 km West of Parkinson Creek) and back.

Thus, we hiked the entire Juan De Fuca Trail except the part from Bear Beach to Chin Beach (km 9 to 21) and a small part between km 37 and 39. The Bear Beach to Chin Beach part was not possible to do in a day hike, and the part between km 37 and 39 was all in the forest (like the most of Juan De Fuca Trail, by the way), and we wanted to save time to explore Botanical Beach area, arguably the best part of this entire hike.

The main attractions of Juan De Fuca Trail are: three long suspension bridges, fine shoreline views at beaches and (sometimes) from the trail in the woods, wonderful tidal pools at Botanical Beach (and a few much smaller ones at other beaches), very interesting grottos at some beaches, several waterfalls, and a few interesting forest scenes. Campers would certainly enjoy spending time at the beaches (mostly made of stones, small and large), and will likely have a whole lot of other people nearby at all times aside from, perhaps, the coldest and wettest months of the year.

What surprised us is that, despite being a marine trail, the vast majority of hiking has to be done in the woods. There are no major elevation changes, so it's a fairly easy trail to hike from that perspective, but the biggest challenge comes from numerous slippery sections and rather frequently worn-out wooden infrastructure (ladders, bridges and boardwalks), presenting somewhat complicated and, sometimes, fairly dangerous conditions in many parts of the trail.

Also of note, while there are pit toilers at all the parking lots and some campsites along Juan De Fuca Trail, the garbage cans can only be found at the Sombrio Beach parking lot! There are no garbage cans at the Botanical Beach lot (there is a free public dump in Port Renfrew, open during business hours only), and none at China Beach lot either (however, there are garbage cans at China Beach campground, about 1 km east of the lot). Overnight parking and backcountry camping requires a fee. Parking around Port Renfrew is complicated. No overnight camping is allowed at the Botanical Beach lot, and there is a forest service road fairly close by (just east of Port Renfrew), but it does not have a good level spot for parking, unless you manage to find one.

Furthermore, there will likely be a whole lot of mud on this trail if you hike it at any time aside from, perhaps, late Summer and early Fall. But hiking during the drier season also means that the waterfalls along Juan De Fuca Trail (there are a few) would not be as impressive due to a much smaller volume of water.

Finally, there are no fresh water taps anywhere along the trail. Be prepared to have your water boiled or treated, especially if you plan on having a multi-day hike.

* All trail distances are based on a GPS odometer and are approximate.

128. On day 3, we hiked from Parkinson Creek parking lot to Sombrio Beach (km 37 to km 29 of Juan De Fuca Trail), arriving to Sombrio Beach from the other side (west). This turned out to be the least impressive part of the hike (once again, we did not hike between Bear Beach and Chin Beach - km 9 to 21). So much so that we did not feel like hiking back the same way, so instead returned to our vehicle via hiking on Hwy 14, which was ok, but a bit tricky at times due to no shoulder (we had to step into a rather deep ditch several times when incoming traffic was getting close). Here is a Google Maps location of Parkinson Creek trailhead of Juan De Fuca Trail.

129. We are westbound on BC Highway 14 on Vancouver Island, about 10 km west of Sombrio Beach access road turnoff and 30 km west of China Beach access road turnoff, and are approaching Parkinson Creek access road turnoff, seen on the left side. It's 3.7 km from here to the parking lot via a decent forest service road. Just like with Sombrio Beach access road, while there are signs indicating 2 km to the turnoff and 400 meters to the turnoff, there are no signs of any kind at the actual Parkinson Creek access road turnoff.

Vancouver Island BC Highway 14 at Parkinson Creek access road turnoff

130. Here is the Parkinson Creek access road view from the other side.

BC Highway 14 at Parkinson Creek access road

131. Starting the 3.7 km-long Parkinson Creek access road drive to the parking lot.

Parkinson Creek access road

132. 500 meters later. The road is in good shape all the way.

Parkinson Creek access road off BC Highway 14 on Vancouver Island

133. Arriving to Juan De Fuca Provincial Park - Parkinson Creek parking lot / camping area. There is a fee for overnight parking here, to be deposited by cash into a tube at the parking lot. There was not a single vehicle here when we arrived. Definitely not nearly as busy as Sombrio Beach parking lot. But the trade-off is that there no beach anywhere near this place. Pit toilets - yes. Garbage cans - no.

Juan De Fuca Provincial Park Parkinson Creek Parking Lot

134. A lot for 30+ vehicles. The access road is wide enough to accommodate additional parking.

Parkinson Creek parking lot in Juan De Fuca Provincial Park

135. Juan De Fuca Trail goes right by the parking lot. Just choose whether you want to go 10 km west (towards the end of the trail at Botanical Beach with its great tidal pools) or 8 km east to Sombrio Beach, which is what we did. At 75 meters from the parking lot.