South Island. 
Know before you go
Advisories
Safety information
The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is designed as a wilderness hiking trail. Hiking conditions are always changing and hikers should get up-to-date information before hiking. Additional advisories may be posted at the trailhead information shelters. Your fitness, knowledge, skills, and equipment must meet the challenges of the area. All hikers in your group must be prepared for at least the following:
- Rough terrain. Rugged, uneven ground, and slippery conditions on muddy trails, wooden surfaces, boulders, and rocky shorelines. Hikers will also need to wade creeks, navigate steep slopes, climb embankments, and follow an irregular trail.
- Damaged structures. Wear and tear, storms, and other factors may quickly change their condition.
- Rain and damp mists. Incidents of hypothermia and physical injury increase significantly during prolonged wet periods.
- Accidents and injuries. It may take hours before help arrives if an accident occurs.
Hikers should leave a plan of their trip, including which trail they are hiking, and arrival and departure times with a friend or relative.
Transport
The Juan de Fuca Trail does not connect to the West Coast Trail, part of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Private bus service to the Juan de Fuca Trail may be available from nearby communities.
Beach safety and tides
Exposed beaches along Juan de Fuca Park are subject to rogue waves. Please show respect for surf and waves. Watch for unusually large rogue waves that occasionally hit the beach. These waves are capable of pulling a person into the water. Keep children away from the surf.
Watch for orange balls as you hike. They mark an exit from the beach to the trail. Beaches may be cut off from the trail during high tides and storms.
Tide tables are posted at trailheads and available at local bookstores. Use the Canadian Tide Tables Port Renfrew section. Remember to use PDT (Pacific Daylight Savings Time) for tidal times during May to October. Visitors should reference the Fisheries and Oceans tide table for Port Renfrew, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Bear safety
This park is prime habitat for bears. Please be bear aware and read our safety tips for visiting bear country. Remember, a fed bear is a deadbear.
Special notes
This park contains numerous special natural features, including waterfalls, grottos, old growth forest, estuaries, tide pools and shale and quartz rock formations.
Park size: 1,528 hectares
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
Any maps listed are for information only - they may not represent legal boundaries and should not be used for navigation.
Getting there
Located on the west coast of southern Vancouver Island, Juan de Fuca Park extends from China Beach, just west of the community of Jordan River, to Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew. The park is accessed by vehicle at various points along West Coast Highway 14 between Jordan River and Port Renfrew.
The China Beach campground is adjacent to Highway 14 just east of the China Beach day-use, 35km west of Sooke and 36km east of Port Renfrew. Nearby communities include Port Renfrew, Sooke, Victoria, and Duncan.
Things to do
- The western section of the park around Botanical Beach contains two smaller trails:
- Mill Bay Trail accesses a small pebble and shell beach; portions of this trail are steep. Parking for this trail is at the Mill Bay Trailhead, beside the road to Botanical Beach.
- Botanical Loop Trail connects Botanical Beach and Botany Bay. This is an easy to moderate walk.
- China Beach day-use: A scenic 1km trail leads from the parking lot through mature forest to the beach. A large viewing deck offers views of the beach and Juan de Fuca Strait. This is an easy to moderate, fairly steep trail.
- Second Beach Trail: Second Beach can be reached from the China Beach campground via stairs and a 1km long fairly steep gravel trail. The 15 to 20 minute hike (each way) through the mature forest of Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, and western red cedar leads visitors to the great rolling breakers of a tumultuous sea. Benches along the way provide a spot for visitors to stop to enjoy the views of Juan de Fuca Strait.
For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.
There are no designated swimming areas at Juan de Fuca Park.
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
Canoeing and kayaking opportunities exist at this park, however exposure to the open Pacific Ocean can result in extreme sea conditions. Please be aware of ocean currents.
This park offers opportunities for saltwater fishing. Botanical Beach, Parkinson Creek from Little Kuitsche Creek to about Payzant Creek are closed to fishing.
Fishing is permitted as per provincial and federal fishing regulations. All anglers should check the current regulations issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada prior to fishing.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
There are interpretation services available at the Botanical Beach area of the park. For more information, please contact the park operator.
Terrific views can be seen from many points along the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, particularly at the Loss Creek Suspension Bridge and the Minute Creek Suspension Bridge. The Juan de Fuca trail also offers spectacular views of the coastline, Juan de Fuca Strait, and the Olympic Mountains. Whales, marine birds, and other wildlife can also be seen in the park.
Botanical Beach offers one of the richest tidal areas found along the west coast and opportunities for viewing in these tide pools is excellent. A low tide of 1.2 metres or less is best for viewing the tide pools.
Visitors should reference a tide table prior to visiting the area. Use Canadian Tide Tables Port Renfrew section. Remember to use the PDT (Pacific Daylight Savings Time) for tidal times during March to November.
When visiting Botanical Beach, please look in the tide pools only. Do not touch the marine life.
Do not remove, collect or disturb any tide pool life, shells, plants, flowers, kelp, or other natural objects. Even touching the water in a tide pool with sunscreen on your hands can create an 'oil slick' that could kill the vulnerable creatures in this sensitive ecosystem. Photographs make great souvenirs.
Pets and other domestic animals are allowed, but must be on a leash at all times. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Dogs are allowed on the trail but backcountry areas of this park are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears and cougars. It is recommended that pets be left at home.
Dogs are allowed on the beach area of China Beach and also China Beach day-use area, but please ensure that dogs are kept on a leash at all times.
Bicycles must keep to roadways. Cycling is not permitted on the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. Various logging roads in the area may be available for mountain biking. Cycling on park trails is not permitted. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.
Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are not allowed on the trails within Juan De Fuca Provincial Park. E-bikes are restricted to park roads and areas where motorized use is permitted. The only exception to this policy will be for authorized and identified trail maintenance bikes conducting work on behalf of BC Parks.
Limited opportunities exist for scuba diving in Juan de Fuca Park due to the extreme ocean conditions, tides, and currents.
The foreshore around Botanical Beach and Botany Bay as well as the foreshore from Little Kuitsche to Payzant Creek is closed to scuba diving.
About this park
The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail was created through the Commonwealth Nature Legacy as an enduring reminder of the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games. Preservation of a living legacy of unprecedented natural beauty, accessible to all, was considered a fitting tribute to the spirit of the games.
Construction and preservation of the trail has been made possible by the efforts of government, local industries, First Nations, and citizens. Land exchanges and gifts of land have come from Western Forest Products and Timber West. Trail upgrades have been undertaken with funding from Forest Renewal BC and the Environment Youth Team (E-Team).
The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail was originally part of a lifesaving trail that serviced this area, known at the time as the Graveyard of the Pacific.
The park protects significant marine tidal pool life at Botanical Beach as well as black bear and cougar habitat. The region is so biologically significant that the University of Minnesota installed the first marine research station in the Pacific Northwest at Botanical Beach in 1901.
Since then, the area has been used for research by a number of universities in BC and Washington. Red, purple and orange starfish and sea urchins, white gooseneck barnacles, blue mussels and green seas anemones, and sea cucumbers only begin to hint at the colourful spectrum of intertidal life thriving here.
Do not harvest shellfish or other plants and animals. They form an important part of the area’s natural environment and are protected under the Provincial Park Act.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.
Contact
| Reservations, changes, and cancellations | Our call centre is open from 7 am to 7 pm Pacific Time. There is a $5 fee for reservations, changes, or cancellations made by phone.
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| Park operator | This park is operated by RLC Park Services. |
| General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
