![]() From Friendly Cove, return by water taxi, floatplane or the M.V. From Gold River either fly in a floatplane with Air Nootka (from $435 ) or take a water taxi (Maxi's Water Taxi, to the north end of the trail. Rent a car-there is no public transport to Gold River-and then drive 90 kilometres west of Campbell River on Highway 28. To get to Gold River, first fly to either Campbell River (with service from Vancouver) or Comox (with flights from Calgary and Edmonton). It's located about 40 kilometres by boat or plane from the nearest town of Gold River, a former logging village. The trip to Nootka Island is part of the adventure. Island Alpine Guides does six-day, all-inclusive hikes, from Gold River ($1,170 per person ). Strathcona Park Lodge offers eight-day, all-inclusive Nootka Trail trips, which include two nights at the lodge ($2,040 per person strathcona.bc.ca). The Nootka Trail: A Backpacker's Guide, by Pal Horvath, is an authoritative 12-page guide to the trail. And some kind of water purification is a good idea.Ĭoastal Hikes, by Philip Stone, is a guidebook to 10 coastal hikes in B.C. Cell phones don't work here, so you may want to bring a satellite phone, PLB or even a VHF radio, in case of emergency. The route is well-signed, but don't go without topo maps for the area, in addition to a tide table and charts. ![]() ![]() Pack sandals or water shoes for crossing the numerous creeks and rivers. Solid hiking boots will save your ankles on rocky beaches. Being able to read tide tables is essential. Hazards include: creek crossings, wildlife, rough terrain, difficult footing and ocean waves. ![]() The Nootka Trail is a rugged and remote route that is maintained by volunteers somewhat sporadically. May, June and September are particularly quiet.įive days should be plenty to cover the 40 kilometres, but this is a trail worth savouring. Heavy rains and high surf the rest of the year make the trail very muddy and much harder. The best weather is from May through September. It's also where the British and Spanish almost went to war over the sea otter fur trade. This is where Captain Cook first came ashore in B.C. And then it's a long gravel beach leading to the white church and lighthouse at Friendly Cove. Watch for sea otters and grey whales from Maquinna Point. Caves and coves are frequent and several make great campsites. The trail gets more rugged as you continue south, with cliffs and headlands forcing the route overland. At Bajo Point, duck through the salal into a stand of huge Sitka spruce and you can see where longhouses of the Muchalaht nation once stood.īeano Creek is the only spot where you're likely to see other humans-the surf break here has attracted cottagers. Surf huts are hidden in the woods nearby. Make sure you spend a night camped at Bajo Beach where Calvin Creek cascades onto the sand in a picture-postcard waterfall. The hiking is generally along the ocean on everything from rock shelves to white sand to boulders. The trail runs along the remote west coast of Nootka Island, and most people hike it from north to south, starting at Louie Bay and ending at Friendly Cove. It also boasts spectacular surf breaks, frequent sea otter and whale sightings, significant First Nations artifacts, and a fascinating colonial history that stretches back to Captain James Cook's discovery of B.C. Unlike the West Coast Trail, the 40-kilometre Nootka Trail is almost empty.
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