We discovered one of the worlds most beautiful beaches, located right hear on Vancouver Island. It takes a bit to get there, though.
Discover Cape Scott Provincial Park, and San Josef Bay, or venture even further into the wilds along the almost 100 kilometres of hiking trails in the region.
We visited Cape Scott in April, a quiet time for camping and hiking on Vancouver Island. The park had been on my bucket list for a few years, ever since a woman in my dog park raved about the place. It was hard to find information for a visit in a camper with a dog, though. The park is all about wilderness trails and back country camping. We just had to go discover it for ourselves.
Getting There
Access Cape Scott Provincial Park via a well-maintained 64 kilometre logging road that runs off of Highway 19 just south of Port Hardy, on the northernmost point of Vancouver Island. Google maps is pretty much useless for this adventure but the turn from the highway is well signed. The BC Government website might provide a bit of help as well. https://bcparks.ca/cape-scott-park/#maps-and-location.
The logging road is a super interesting drive as there are well labeled cut blocks all along that showcase the success of sustainable logging techniques. You will be able to witness what replanted forests look like, dating all the way back to the 1950’s.
Camping
Cape Scott is all about hiking and wilderness camping, but those of us visiting with a trailer or otherwise not ready for that outback experience will be pleasantly surprised by the facilities. There are two campgrounds within walking distance of the main trailhead.
San Josef Bay Heritage Park
The San Josef Bay Heritage Park is either very cultural or slightly creepy (or both). From what I could surmise this is a privately run campground. To be fair it may not have been fully open in April, but camping here would be camping among decaying old buildings, thus the heritage part of its name. There’s a home here where I assume the owner or manager lives. Find a little more info at https://vancouverislandnorth.ca/stakeholder/san-josef-heritage-park/
BC Government Campground
Less creepy and still withing walking distance of the trailhead is the BC Government campground. Like every other government campground in this province, the services are basic but well maintained. There are several clean biffies with a picnic table and fire pit in each site. We camped in the old growth forest, beside the San Josef River and even in April shared the campground with a couple of Dutch girls in a tent. Bring your own firewood if you visit when fires are allowed.
Wilderness and Back Country Camping
Wilderness camping IS allowed in Cape Scott. We saw some amazing camp spots on San Josef Bay so you don’t really need to walk too far to get away from civilization. There are 11 camp pads available at Eric Lake. Wilderness camping is allowed throughout the park on any of the over a hundred kilometres of hiking trails.
Hiking
The main event at Cape Scott are the hiking trails. Visit https://bcparks.ca/cape-scott-park/hiking/ for official information.
Dogs are ONLY allowed on the San Josef Bay hike, for their own safety. There’s a lot of wildlife activity in this part of the island. We made Tucker where his rain jacket thinking maybe he’d look less tempting to the cougars. It was the best we could think of.
If you happen to be looking for an accessible trail, the San Josef bay hike is almost wheelchair friendly. It’s only 2.5 km length is wide and flat, and one of the phoenix bathrooms at the beach even has a ramp. The beach itself is spectacular.
My interest has been piqued and we WILL be back, sans Tucker next time so we can do the area trails justice. Might even bring the tent and backpacks.
