East Sooke Park’s Coast Trail is considered one of the best day hikes in Canada, its terrain not only challenging but breathtaking and memorable as well. Much of the 10 kilometer trail is situated immediately beside the ocean, but it also climbs high above the sea on massive bluffs and takes hikers deep into the rainforest as it cuts around ravines. The Coast Trail takes even experienced hikers at least six hours to complete.
Wildlife abounds along this trail. Otters, seals, sea lions, and Orcas can be seen in the waters off shore. In March and April, Grey Whales migrate past the park, and from mid-September to late October, vultures, bald eagles, and many species of hawks gather along the coastline in preparation for their flight across the strait.
The Coast Trail can be started at either end. At the far end, an easy walk from the parking lot at Pike Road leads to a peaceful pocket beach at Iron Mine Bay. The forest along this section of the trail is thick with Douglas Fir and Western Hemlock. Sitka Spruce appears in the forest closer to the ocean. At Iron Mine Bay, the magnificent Olympic Mountains and the boats in the Juan de Fuca Strait come into view.
The trail along the coast is easily followed, even when it leads over bluffs, as it is well marked with metal route markers attached to the rock-face. An additional 40 kilometers of trails go through the interior of the 3,512 acre park, so keep an eye out for signs at all forks.
Sights along the Coast Trail include:
- Pelagic Cormorant viewing area, where the birds can be seen roosting and diving for food.
- Cabin Point, where a small shack remains of a fishing post.
- Beechey Head, where massive bluffs are constantly pounded by surge and waves, creating one of the most beautiful dive spots on southern Vancouver Island.
- Alldridge Point, where a petroglyph, a seal, has been bruised into the rock by the Coast Salish people.
- Creyke Point, a rocky headland of unusual shapes.
The Coast Trail ends (or begins) at Aylard Farm, where a heritage apple orchard and other non-native plants are the last remnants of the settlement that was once there. Whichever direction you choose to go, the sights along this rugged trail make every step worthwhile.
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