Trip 300 - September 5-6, 2023 (Tuesday-Wednesday)Coast Trail HikeEast Sooke Regional Park Near Victoria, BC Page 2 of 4 |
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Coast Trail Aylard Farm Trailhead Location
(eastern end of the trail):
At the end of Becher Bay Road (off East Sooke Road),
about 35 km East of Victoria, BC. Liked: Numerous fine views of the rugged coastline, many interesting arbutus trees, shade in the forest, no bugs, the ability to hike one way (with a car shuttle).Of Note: The trail is popular (especially to Beech Head), occasional noise from passing boats, steep unbarricaded drop-offs here and there, uneven ground, rocks and roots, a few short steep stretches – hiking poles and boots are highly recommended. Vancouver Island, Victoria & Gulf Islands Backroad Mapbook (9th edition) Coordinates: Page 4 (Sooke) C5-C6. Related Website: East Sooke Regional Park - CRD Official Website. Follow @ihikebc Tweet![]() East Sooke Regional Park is a very large regional park located on Vancouver Island, about 35 kilometers West of Victoria. There are numerous trails in the park, mostly going through the woods, but the most scenic aptly named Coast Trail runs along the coast of Salish Sea for over 10 kilometers. There are trailheads at both end of Coast Trail, thus making it possible to hike it one way with the help of a car shuttle. Doing a return trip of about 21 kilometers is possible as well, though the terrain, despite not being terribly complicated, is still challenging enough and is not very conducive to fast hiking, with several large moderately challenging hills. A pleasant bonus was observing seals swimming along the coast at various parts of the trail. We even saw a seal enjoying a sun bath while chilling on a rock, but it heard us and took off before we could take a photo. There is a Trap Shack close to the middle point of Coast Trail, so on September 5th we hiked West from Aylard Farm parking lot to the shack and back. The next day we hiked from the other end of the trail (off Silver Spray Drive) to the same spot and back, thus hiking the entire trail. Please, note that there is a private real estate development in progress at the end of Silver Spray Drive, and access can be closed at any time. In this case, use Pike Road entrance, which would extend access to the western end of Coast Trail by about one kilometer one way. The first two pages of this trip report are dedicated to the September 5th hike from Aylard Farm parking lot west to a Trap Shack and back (5.4 km one way), and the last two pages describe the hike east and back (5.22 km one way) which we had the following day. There are definitely more people heading west from Aylard Farm parking lot, and the trail would likely be quite busy during the main hiking season, so come off-season (elevation above sea level is minimal, and hiking should be possible for much of the year), or start from the western end and turn around at the Trap Shack to avoid the crowds. * All trail distances are based on a GPS odometer and are approximate.
31. Still at 2.68 km from Aylard Farm parking lot, we are hiking uphill for a bit.
32. At the 2.76 km mark, there is a junction. Coast Trail proceeds to the right, and Beechy Head Trail of about 200 meters long is to the left.
33. We are en route to check out Beechy Head. 20 meters from the junction.
34-35. Approaching Beechy Head marker.
36. It's a border reference mark.
37. A fine view from Beechy Head.
38. Looking the other way.
39-40. You can also go a bit forward and get down to the water for some fishing, which we observed a few people were doing at the time.
40. We are back on Coast Trail, 900 meters from the junction and 2.85 km from Aylard Farm parking lot.
41. A neat view of Salish Sea and Vancouver Island coastline at 2.96 km of the trail.
42. A small bridge at the 3.05 km of Coast Trail in East Sooke Regional Park.
43. Yet another good view arrives 500 meters later.
44. What a pleasant surprise - a gazebo just chilling by the trail at 3.16 km.
45. And a bit of a gazebo rest might be in order before tackling a hill 700 meters later.
46. Your reward is this fine view at 3.29 km.
47. Coast Trail 4.12 km from Aylard Farm parking lot.
48. The next good view comes at the 4.28 km mark of the trail.
49. Less than a hundred meters later, we are back in the forest.
50. At 4.68 km, a mini-fjord of sorts.
51. There are some stairs at 4.90 km of Coast Trail.
52. At the 5.03 km mark of the trail, we are back in the open.
53. Approaching Trap Shack. Turn left at this junction. The Trap Shack is just a few steps away. Turning right would lead to another trail. To proceed to the western end of Coast Trail, make a left turn here, then go past a bench seen in photo #55.
54. The map shows our current location.
55. A bench by the shack.
56. A view from the bench.
57. And here is the Trap Shack, a popular stopping point for Coast Trail hikers. It's 5.40 km from Aylard Farm parking lot to this shack. Coordinates: N 48⁰19.484’ W 123⁰40.257’. Elevation: 7 meters (23 meters elevation loss from Aylard Farm parking lot).
58. Looking from the other side.
59. Inside the Trap Shack.
60. Trap Shack info sign.
Here is our video of the shack and nearby area.
More ihikebc videos are on our YouTube Channel. We then turned around and returned to Aylard Farm parking lot. It's another 5.22 km from the shack to the western end of Coast Trail by Silver Spray Drive. A car shuttle would be perfect to make it a one way trip. But we did not have a second vehicle, so the next day hiked from the western end of the trail to this shack and back. Our Coast Trail Hike trip report Continues on Page 3.
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