Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada

Travelling Safely on the West Coast Trail

Travel in the backcountry requires special attention to safety. Hazards are numerous. Seventy to one hundred seriously injured hikers are evacuated every season. Approximately 200 hikers per year sustain minor injuries but manage to limp off the trail. A considerable number of injuries on the West Coast Trail (WCT) involve unprepared and inexperienced hikers.

Take your time and enjoy your experience. Many accidents and injuries occur when hikers are rushing, not paying attention to terrain, tired, or hiking too late in the day. Respect the capabilities of the slowest group members. Take adequate rest breaks. Do not split the group up.

During wet, rainy weather occurrences of physical injury and hypothermia increase significantly. Ensure your party is warm, dry and well fed.

Assume all walking surfaces are slippery at all times. Slippery conditions on muddy trails, wooden surfaces, boulders and rocky shorelines are a major hazard. Hiking too fast, fatigue, poor light conditions, improperly balanced or heavy packs and inadequate footwear all contribute to injuries and accidents.

Bridges and Ladders: Structures along the trail are maintained regularly. However, harsh climatic conditions may change their condition at any time. Special care should be taken on any built structure.

No more than two persons should be on a ladder or bridge at one time. Large groups should allow extra time to progress past ladder sections.

Cable Cars: Keep your fingers, hands and hair away from the pulleys. Only two people (and their gear) per cable car. Use the rope to pull the car towards you. Hold the car steady while you load your gear, then carefully enter and stay seated. When crossing the river, let the rope go and gravity will move the car down the rope to the middle of the river. You must then pull the rope hand-over-hand to reach the platform on the other side. Hold the rope so that the car stays flush with the platform, and carefully unload. Do not bounce or sway the car. Never tie the cable cars up to the platform. Platforms can be very slippery.

Hikers must wade across some creeks and rivers. High tides and storms can lead to unsafe water levels: be prepared to wait for safe conditions. Undo your pack hip-belt (if you fall, you can slip out of your pack more easily) and wear running shoes or sandals.

Avoid crossing surge channels.

Hikers must be able to read tide tables. High tides can make beach walking difficult too impossible. Choose your route according to the

Tofino Tide Tables and the WCT Map. When seas or waves are large, tides may be higher than forecasted. Consider high tides when pitching your tent on the beach. Remember to add one hour to tide tables for daylight-savings.

Hikers may encounter black bears and cougars on the WCT. All wild animals are potentially dangerous and demand respect. Knowledge, alertness and a clean campsite can help avoid a dangerous encounter with a bear or cougar. Never approach a bear or cougar. Always give them an avenue of escape. Up to date wildlife information is available at the WCT Information Centre and from personnel on the Trail.
Drinking water is available from most rivers and creeks. Collect water upstream then purify, boil or filter it.

Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP or Red Tide): From May to October the WCT is closed to harvesting and consumption of all bivalves (clams, mussels, oysters) due to regular occurrences of PSP. Eating bivalves with PSP can result in serious illness or death.

Each hiking party is responsible for assisting injured members of their party.

If you are injured, but can hike, attempt to get off the Trail with the assistance of your party or other hikers.

If you have an injury or require assistance and are not able to exit the Trail on your own, follow the instructions in the "West Coast Trail Safety Information" sheet that is issued with the WCT Overngiht Use Permit.

National Park Wardens are responsible for patrolling the WCT and assisting injured hikers. The majority of evacuations are done by boat. If complex search and rescue situations arise, a number of cooperating agencies assist with evacuations. Park Wardens evacuate injured hikers to the nearest exit point, ambulance or medical facility. This is not necessarily the most convenient location for the injured hiker.

Minor complaints such as blisters, sore feet, fatigue and lack of food do not warrant evacuation.