Thru-Run the Juan de Fuca Trail

If you have your eye on Vancouver Island as an adventure destination - and we hope that you do - then you likely already know that our Island is not only home to a diverse and unique alpine hiking scene, but that it also offers 3 (+) world-class long distance hiking routes along our coastline. From north to south those are: the North Coast / Cape Scott Trail, the West Coast Trail and the Juan de Fuca Trail. (The “+” references the fact that beyond this better-known triad the more adventurous hiker - or trail runner - can find a handful of off-the-beaten-path coastal trail options along the edges of Vancouver Island and its satellites, including the Nootka Island Trail, the Wild Side Trail (Flores Island) and the Hesquiat Peninsula.)

What’s more, if you’ve been doing your Vancouver Island advance reconnaissance via The Outbound, you’ll have already come across Rachel Kristensen’s report of hiking the Juan de Fuca Trail. But you may have also noticed that Jennie and I have a tendency to do our hiking as, well, not hikes at all. For a variety of reasons, we have a passion for experiencing trails at a run. And, for all the reasons listed in The Draw here, the long-distance (47km / 30mi) Juan de Fuca is one of our favourite and most frequent thru-runs.

If you’re going to join us and run it yourself, we suggest going south to north, from the China Beach trailhead to finish at Botanical Bay. The reasons for this are that (1) the significant (nearly 8000’) elevation gain along the trail is front-end-loaded going this way, i.e. it flattens out (a little) in the back half; and (2) as well as being a little flatter, the trail at the north end is also smoother, with a series of boardwalks instead of the gnarly roots and deeper mud found at the south end.

While the Juan de Fuca’s fastest known time (FKT) is under 6 hours, the average runner should plan for 9+. So while running means you don’t need to plan your camping stops, you will need to be mindful to bring sufficient food for the long day and to keep a few other trail features in mind.

Primary amongst those is the fact that portions of the “trail” are actually along the beach. And whereas Mystic Beach can be travelled anytime, there are other areas (e.g. Bear Beach) that get covered by water at high tide, rendering them impassable (unless you’re into swimming). To that end, plan your trip to coincide with lower tides - i.e. at full or new moon - and check the local tide tables to ensure you’re be on the trail during low tide. (We’ve heard of parties getting held up waiting for a tide change - not fun when you’re hanging around in short shorts and skimpy running singlets.)

Additionally, while water is plentiful on this rainforest trail, you’ll want to be mindful of keeping your hydration pack topped up. On this subject, the trail does dry out a little at the north end, so ensure you load up at Payzant Creek for the final stretch.

Other than that, the route itself is straightforward, if also really challenging. You can’t go wrong while you’re on the trail in the forest and trail ins and outs along beaches are clearly indicated with orange markers. As mentioned in the packing list, we highly recommend carrying a personal locator beacon - while you’re never far from the highway as the crow flies, in practical terms the trail is very remote and your opportunities for egress are limited. On that topic, one of those access points, Sombrio Beach, near midway, provides a great spot to start a shorter run if you want to build up to the full trail. (Or for a drive-in family picnic or overnight camping trip.) It’s also a great spot to leave some food and fluids in advance if you don’t want to pack all your calories the whole way.

Which leads to the final topic, logistics: Anyone doing the Juan de Fuca point-to-point requires some means of pick-up and drop-off, and running is no different. If going as a group, we typically drive a car to the far end, drop-off some food and fluids at Sombrio, and then continue on to the start at China, picking up the other car back at Botanical to head home. However, your other option - which I’ve used on solo outings - is to drive to China and then ensure (!) you get to Port Renfrew in time to catch the 5:45 p.m.Trail Bus back to your car (book in advance). If doing this, keep in mind it’s ~ 5km of paved road from the trailhead at Botanical to the bus pick-up spot in Renfrew. Trust me when I tell you that this is a bit of a drag. But not as big a drag as crossing your fingers you’ll be able to hitch a ride back to China, which I’ve also done...after 12km of hiking on the road. In other words, book the bus. And grab a well-earned beer at the Lighthouse Pub while you wait.