Cape Scott Provincial Park

Danish settlers arrived at Cape Scott in 1897 expecting a road and a harbour that never came, farmed the exposed flats behind the beaches, and gave up; a second attempt after 1910 failed the same way. Fence posts, a corduroy road and cleared meadows are still visible in the forest, along with the remains of a wharf. The park protects about twenty-two thousand hectares of rainforest and beaches, with San Josef Bay the easy one, a forty-five minute walk to sea stacks and wide sand. The cape itself, with its lighthouse, is a twenty-three kilometre walk. The North Coast Trail runs beyond it.

The landscape

• San Josef Bay - sea stacks and wide sand, a forty-five minute walk in.
• The settler traces - fence posts, meadows and a corduroy road in the forest.
• The Cape Scott lighthouse - a 23 km walk to the island's northwest tip.
• The North Coast Trail - a demanding multi-day route east from the cape.

When to go

June to September; the trails are deep mud outside summer and winter storms are severe. Even in July rain is frequent. Tides govern several beach sections.

What to expect

The access road is rough gravel with active logging traffic and no services. Mud is a constant even in dry spells. There is no cell coverage and rescue is slow.

Nearby

Port Hardy lies southeast; Telegraph Cove is further south-east.

Key facts