North Coast Trail to Cape Scott Lighthouse

In late August to Early September 2024 I drove north from Nanaimo to Port Hardy and hitched a ride on the water taxi to start the North Coast Trail. This route had been on my list for a while now and I decided on this trip very last minute. I had a copy of John Baldwin's topo map of the area which my only resource. I remember googling more details about the official start in the backpackers hostel in Port Hardy the night before. Glad everything aligned for me on this one...

Day 0

Driving break to the Mount Cain Ski Hill

An awesome spot to middle / northern islander skiers and apparently has an amazing vibe in the winter season. Just a bear and some abandoned RVs were occupants today.

Day 1

Port Hardy Marina

Offloading on rocks just east of Cape Sutil

The feeling of isolation when the water taxi departs

Two other hikers on Tripod Beach

I don't know my ID well enough but either orca or humpback whales in the bay

Impassible high tide section.

I am glad to have changed my itinery and got dropped off at Sutil instead of Shushartie Bay. The tides seemed abnormally high with the only low tide below 7 feet happening at 4 to 5 in the morning. Which would mean having to wake up a couple hours before it right to time sections like this... The westward drop off saved 1.5 days which created for time for the Cape Scott section.

Raven and eagle jockying for postion on the carcass for hours

Pondering life

The official most northern point of Vancouver Island

Old growth trees

Sea foam

The Ivory Campsite at Shuttleworth Bright

Day 2

Crossing the Strandy River via cable car

The view many times throughout this trip when crossing from an inland section to the beach

Lots of unnamed pocket beaches

What the water sources were like on trail. They all had this dark brown colour

Jagged tidal shelves in the afternoon low tide frame

Old debris on the shore

Me at Christianson point

A lone bear before Laura Creek Campsite

Day 3

Hikers traveling through the morning fog

Dakota Creek

Muddy inland sections. I was thankful to have brought gaiters

The markings from beach to inland bypass

Laughing Loon Lake

The first of the soon to be many boardwalks as you get closer to the Cape Scott trail network

Nissen Bright

Singletrack trails to Cape Scott

Reminants from the Dainish settler movement of pre ~1900. Apparently the community was disbanded as people retruned home for Europe around the World War 1 era.

Meadows and dikes were an old farmhouse used to be

Lots of campers out at Nels Bright. I saw few people during the first 3 days of the North Coast then you met up with all the long weekend warriors in the Cape Scott zone. It was cool to note that everyone who I met was local from Vancouver Island

Peering towards the Cape Scott Lighthouse

Sunset at Guise Bay (very nice place and 100% worth the extra kilometers from the hustle of Nels... surprised more people weren't here)

Day 4 & 5

Old oven at the lower property line of the lighthouse

I didn't take any pictures of the lighthouse itself. The complex was the typical red/white colour of the Canada Coast Guard with a helipad for supplies and guesthouse for workers on site. They kept it well maintained and gave me a slice of carrot cake for being their first visitor of the day. Thanks Todd!

Bird of prey perched above the sand dunes at Experiment Bright

Cool seeing the man made dunes in this area

Bear scavenging in the tidal zone

Another bear

And another one. I actually found myself in the middle of 2 lone bears for a short section and managed to slip past as they were occupied with eating for the day and didn't seem bothered by my presence but kind of sketchy