The West Coast Trail spans the western coastline of Vancouver Island from Bamfield to Port Renfrew, but wasn’t always the sought after recreational challenge it is today.
Now, it can be hard to book yourself a slot on the trail and if you do get in, it feels like winning the lottery.
In the past however, to be walking that trail meant you may as well have lost everything.
The Maritime Museum of BC has a brand new exhibit coming to their Douglas Street space that explores how the trail went from what it was initially intended to be, to what it is in present day.
Post-colonization, the trail was constructed by the federal government in the 1900s so that survivors of shipwrecks that occurred off the coast could hike to a settlement
This section of the ocean which was dubbed the ‘graveyard of the pacific.’
While some sections of this 75 kilometre trail were sandy, level and easy to traverse, much of it was extremely difficult terrain to navigate.
Following these somewhat dark origins, the trail’s purpose has shifted through the years and its story is one that continues to shape Vancouver Island’s future.
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“No Walk in the Woods explores how part of Vancouver Island’s uniquely deadly coastline went from a place of tragedy to one of the most popular and acclaimed hiking destinations in less than a century” said Heather Feeney, Collections and Exhibits Manager for the Maritime Museum of BC.
“The exhibit looks at the history of the trail, starting as a lifeline for shipwreck survivors, through the establishment of the telegraph line, all the way to current stories submitted to us by those who have taken on the challenge of trekking the West Coast Trail.”
The exhibit is called No Walk in the Woods, and is on from Thursday, April 11th until October 26th.
The Maritime Museum of BC presents: No Walk in the Woods
- Where: 744 Douglas Street
- When: April 11th to October 26th, from Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m.to 5 p.m.
- Admission:
- Adult – $10
- Senior/Student – $8
- Youth (aged 12-17) – $5.00
- Child (under 12-years-old) – Free
