West Coast Trail GPS Tracks

Use these tracks at your own risk!

I’m making these GPS tracks available for free, but there are a few caveats that you should be aware of:

• I hiked the trail in September of 2022, and—over time—reroutes will cause these tracks to become more and more out of date. I have no plans to maintain or update the tracks.
• The tracks follow the route that I (Green Tortuga) hiked. In a couple of locations, you’ll find that I just plain took a wrong turn after missing a beach access point. Other times, I cut switchbacks to avoid blowdowns. I would also hike off the main trail to see viewpoints or coves. Stuff happens. I have made no effort to correct these discrepancies.
• As a general rule of thumb, my GPS typically reported an accuracy of 10 to 30 feet, so most of the time, the GPS tracks will be accurate to within that range.
• I camped in Bamfield and walked to the northern trailhead for this hike, and these GPS tracks include that extra walking. It’s not particularly scenic or interesting, but I did get a very nice view of a bear along the route and there are some interesting signs about the First Nations tribes along the way, so it might be worth considering if you have time.
• Whenever possible, I preferred walking along the scenic beaches rather than along the inland trail. Thus, most of the time, you will not find the inland trail in these GPS tracks. Like I said before, this is not a complete listing of all routes along this trail, but rather the route that I followed.
• Do not rely strictly on these tracks to find your way! For all the reasons listed above and to give yourself more options around trail closures, high tides, blowdowns or whatever challenges are in your way, you will definitely want up-to-date information. At the very least, check the website for information at the Parks Canada website.

Thinking about the Juan de Fuca Trail?

The Juan de Fuca Trail has a northern terminus in Port Renfrew and if you are already in the area anyhow, I’d really recommend extending your trip a few days and hit that one as well. It may not be quite as famous as the West Coast Trail, but it’s spectacular in its own right, doesn’t require advanced reservations and it’s easy to resupply in Port Renfrew between trails so you do not have to carry food for the entire trek all in one go.

Have your own GPS tracks to share?

If you do hike the trail—in whole or in part—and wish to make your own GPS tracks available to others, you can contact me about adding them here. My tracks will grow increasingly out-of-date over time, but it would be nice to replace them with fresher tracks for future hikers.

The Friends & Family Virtual Walk

If you have friends or family who would like to virtually walk the trail with you, send them to this website. It’s free to sign up, and they can see maps and photos along the route. The virtual route, of course, follows my GPS track, so if you take different alternate routes, they’ll see slightly different stuff in those sections.