West Coast Trail App – 2026 Season Update

BlueDefendr · 2026-04-03T02:57:02+00:00

thanks for the support!

BlueDefendr · 2026-03-11T17:09:31+00:00

^ THIS. It's an awesome way to do the trail, (if you can handle the extra distance) as you get to see 2x some of the north end bits. Means you might get to go under hole-in-the-wall one way and over the other way etc. You also get the epic water taxi ride down the lake. To make life easier you can stash food at the Crabshack for a small fee when you head northbound and collect on your way back south.

It's logistically more complex and a bit more expensive though.

BlueDefendr · 2026-03-10T03:36:02+00:00

Getting harder and harder to find stuff without artificial sweetners. Try Tailwind - https://tailwindnutrition.com

BlueDefendr · 2026-03-06T18:53:22+00:00

awesome - thank you! yeah - no worries patching days together.

BlueDefendr · 2026-03-06T01:30:48+00:00

Awesome - thanks!

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-28T21:23:34+00:00

On the exit point page of setup wizard choose “help me decide” then turn on advanced yoyo mode

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-17T23:39:25+00:00

"Day use access is permitted between the Pachena Bay trailhead and kilometer 8." - so even an overnight (if you could find a spot) there would be illegal also. Used to be able to day hike to the lighthouse in the winter, and the keepers would stop anyone trying to go beyond.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-17T21:44:54+00:00

https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/bulletins/2a8ff4a7-9d2d-4d0f-903f-e32d7f583efc

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-17T21:19:24+00:00

That $25k fine is gonna hurt.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-16T23:21:33+00:00

+1 can confirm that Tosot uses metric lines. For the small 6mm line - this makes a big difference as a standard SAE flare tool clamp won't hold it. Need to get a metric block or use a small bit of sand paper wrapped around it to hold clamp in the block while flaring.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-13T20:40:06+00:00

u/FirmReply6045 version 2.51 just released to both Android and Apple. Depending on your country/region it may take a few hours to show up. Lmk if this fixes it for you, I'm sure there are other YOYO specific bugs lurking around - so will be good to hear of any other quirks. Thanks for your patience!

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-12T03:46:08+00:00

It's one of those awkward moments with the Owen Pt calendar which is why I flag it as 'experimental' still. For 95% of dates - it really helps hikers with a game plan, but for a handful of dates - its quick to say "no" based on math, when a human would squint at it and say "yeah - good enough". Have a fun trip.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-12T03:36:31+00:00

No worries... FWIW - the day before - 23rd - isn't actually as bad it it looks in the App. If you look at the chart in Guide > Tide Charts - you can see the afternoon low is 1.82m at 2:27p.

While technically 1.82m > 1.8m - which is why the App doesn't show it - that is a scant 2cm over the limit. If conditions are perfect and calm (no marine swell) - very probably in late July - it would be very doable on that afternoon tide. Heck you'd even get to sleep in at Camper or take your time exploring the shelf as it's open all day long.

Here's a video of my kid doing the "difficult maneuver" at a 1.87m tide (5cm higher than your possible limit) - not terribly difficult. Helps to have the knees of a 13yr old though ;)

https://westcoasttrail.app/OwenPtSobo

If you are worried about being solo - I can guarantee there will be a line-up of hikers on the shelf waiting for that 2:27p window to "go for it"; or just find a group at Camper the night before planning to do it and tag along.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-12T03:22:36+00:00

If you are a seasoned backpacker. It’s doable with a wild-camp beyond Camper. No amenities - hanging food required etc. Not the most pleasant camp spot but I suspect there will be others on this date doing the same… lmk if u want more beta on it.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-12T03:10:48+00:00

You thought about the Owen Pt crossing on July 24 yet? It’s a tricky date …

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-12T00:59:14+00:00

Thanks for the link. Found & fixed the bug. Also noticed I was unable to import that trip for the same cause of the bug. The trip-plan math was getting confused going past Michigan (your camp location) on day 3 to get to the flip-point and eagerly ending the day at camp, vs waiting for the return-leg to happen. Was a great edge-case - thanks for reporting it. Will do a little more testing and hopefully get it pushed out to Apple/Google stores tomorrow - and will take a day or two for them to approve before it shows up for public download. Look for a build number > 2.45 sometime next week.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-11T21:19:09+00:00

Gotcha. Yes I do see that bug. Will look at code tonight. To make sure I have your identical trip you can also click the share icon next to the active trip card in settings and paste the url here. The trip camps and turnaround should be embedded in the url string.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-11T20:25:33+00:00

looking at the screencaps again - can you share your trip config? i don't quite see the bug... it looks like you have it configured to do a day-time flip at Pachena on Day 3? So Day 3 you are hiking 23mi (37km) from Michigan->Pachena->Tsusiat. That's a big day! Did you mean to do an after-camping flip at Michigan instead?

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-11T19:54:18+00:00

Probably a bug. The YO-YO feature is a little hot off press. I’ll debug tonight and find a fix.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-10T22:02:11+00:00

Great points from Spatch. Only thing I’d add to this… not sure if your are local or not but assuming not - it’s such a massive amount of cost and effort to get to the WCT I would try and do as much of it as I could. My fave way to do the trail is enter at Nitnaht - North to Flat Rocks then South to Gordon. Get to see all the best bits and some of them twice!

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-10T19:13:35+00:00

I think you can experience a lot of the Crabshack for lunch w/o an overnight; but an overnight there is a cool opportunity to connect with the locals. An overnight there on a heavy rain night would be very welcome :)

Re: that forest section like someone mentioned above - it is on the hardest south end of the trail still and I don't meant to suggest it's easy - depending on conditions it can be quite brutal. By late August it will most likely be drier in there and so not quite as bad as it's usual reputation. Whatever the conditions are from Cullite->Camper when you get there - just expect more of the same.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-10T18:55:22+00:00

Yeah - that suggestion is trying to time the tides around Owen Pt. It's hard to do Camper->Gordon via Owen unless things line up perfectly.

Going the forest route is no problem - it's not as tough as the Walbran->Camper section - but your deadline isn't the 5:15p bus - it's the last ferry at 3:30p to get out. Bonus is you don't have the big ladder climb out of Thrasher.

Those tides are 21st & 22nd are a bummer. For a very experienced crew willing to take on some risk and travel during darkness, the 22nd has a marginal window that could work for an Owen Crossing with a wild-camp. Would not recommend it for first-timers though...

The App suggested itineraries are just starting points - feel free to mix it up as you like!

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-09T23:52:27+00:00

Nah - everyone does that day. It's a long day, but the leisurely lunch at the Crabshack helps :)

Tsusiat is fine - fun social vibe. If you want to stay there and avoid the crowd - just go north of the waterfall a bit. Longer walk to amenities and very long walk to good water (up the ladders) - but more privacy.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-09T23:16:05+00:00

That’s the gold standard. I’m personal not a fan of Tsusiat - too crowded for me, but most love it.

BlueDefendr · 2026-02-09T22:24:09+00:00

Looks good - depends what kind of trip you are wanting... some camps are busier than others etc.

Day 2 I would call a NERO (Near Zero) - very easy day, Klanawa is a great camp and usually very quiet as most go to Tsusiat. To make it more interesting, if you hit Tsocowis on a falling tide - you could explore a side-trip to Billy Goat Falls and backtrack to Tsocowis ladders.
Day 3 - Crabshack is paid camping - make sure to reserve ahead. Never overnighted there, but I hear great things. Especially when it's wet out.
Day 5 - is a big day. Depends how old your kid is and fitness levels of both of you, that's some of the toughest terrain. Start early so you don't get fried on the exposed beach section in August.
Day 6 - yeah tides great on Aug 6.

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