The West Coast Trail is a very tough hike. About one out of one hundred hikers don't make it, they need to be rescued. That's why there are so many fees. By the time you are done preparing and registering, you laugh at how hiking got so expensive. Isn't hiking usually free? All the costs are for saving people that don't make it, and for all the trail construction. And there is a lot. A lot of both.
PrologueChapter 1: The West Coast TrailChapter 2: When to Hike & FeesChapter 3: TrailheadsChapter 4: Getting ThereChapter 5: ConsiderationsChapter 6: CampsitesChapter 7: ShipwrecksChapter 8: Routes 
Day 1 Pachena to Darling Day 2 Darling to Tsusiat Day 3 Tsusiat to Carmanah Day 4 Carmanah to Walbran Day 5 Walbran to Cullite Day 6 Cullite to Camper Day 7 Camper to Thrasher 
Michigan Creek at 12k Darling River at 14k Orange Juice Creek at 15k Tsocowis Creek at 16.5k Klanawa River at 23k Tsusiat Falls at 25k Cribs Creek at 42k Carmanah Creek at 46k Bonilla Creek at 48k Walbran Creek at 53k Cullite Cove at 58k Camper Bay at 62k Thrasher Cove at 70k
Consider the one in one hundred statistic. It's really bad. Think of it, every day 75 people enter and every two days someone has to be rescued. To be rescued requires no little effort. The place is a jungle. It's no wonder that there is supposed cell phone coverage all the way (though there isn't). Still you feel comforted, sitting on the beach, in the middle of the West Coast Trail, marvelling at the serenity of such a remote place, then a coast guard helicopter, combing the coast, swoops past.
The comfort and serenity soon pass as you notice two boats, out past the kelp beds, shadowing you as you now walk along the otherwise perfect beach. It's eerie, they move in perfect time with you walking. Then you realize, they are fishing, or sightseeing. Either way, they are not concerned with you, but also oblivious to spoiling the supposed serenity of the West Coast Trail. It's hard to feel like you are days away from civilization, when boats follow you along the coast.
It's hard to get reliable information on injuries and fatalities on the West Coast Trail. You might as well start calling it that as it's a hike that requires a lot of studying beforehand. Whenever you hike a long trail in British Columbia and the danger of bears is so overshadowed by other dangers as to be insignificant, you'd better worry. You need to examine tide charts to determine your route. Most beach routes have parallel forest trails. For the most part you can walk the beach sections pretty care free, however there are a couple areas where you could find yourself blocked by the rising tide. Or worse, trapped by it. If you don't put your tent above the high tide mark, you may become engulfed in water as you sleep. In the summer months you can find lots of nice sand above the high tide mark, close to the rainforest wall. Imagine waking up to ocean waves soaking into your tent. To be safe from high tide, look for grass and weeds in the sand, camp there. Grass tends to not grow if the tide reaches them.
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